AP Frets Over John McCain’s New Slogan

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The article is simply headlined “McCain alters Obama slogan to his own liking“. At first I had expected the report to be a complaint along the lines that John McCain was using Barack Obama’s own slogan against him in a critical manner. When I read the article however I learned that the AP is claiming that John McCain not only took Barack Obama’s slogan and transformed it into his own but that he also had the gall to create a new branding on his website that supposedly uses Obama’s signature design: red, white and blue in an arrangement consisting of red and white stripes. (all emphasis mine)

Republican John McCain has transformed rival Barack Obama’s slogan of “Change We Can Believe In” into his own line, “A Leader We Can Believe In.”

McCain’s campaign this week posted the personalized motto on its Web site, http://www.johnmccain.com . The white, bold words are posted on a blue background above red and white stripes - a pattern similar to Obama’s campaign logo.

The idea that someone would make an issue out of John McCain using the patterns of the American flag in a motto on his web site is hardly worth the space used to print it. The designs aren’t even close. This would be laughable if the AP was not so serious in it’s report.

I looked around to see if there was some merit to the similarities claim and was hard pressed to find many Obama logos sporting a blue background with bold white letters. The logo that I found most often was the signature issue white background with the red, white and blue circle logo. That’s not to say that one with a blue background doesn’t exist but it is a silly premise to be making such comparisons when so many variations of each candidates logos exist. All candidates typically use patriotic variations of the American flag in their designs.

Perhaps from a strategic point of view the similarities between the slogans have merit and are worthy of discussion. But the media should expect that John McCain would do everything possible to contrast himself with Barack Obama. A play on Obama’s campaign slogan is only natural. I would expect Barack Obama to do the same.

With respect to the insinuation that John McCain is lifting from Barack Obama by using the patterns of the American flag I see a different issue. It is the difference that one line makes. The implication is that Barack is fresh and original, heck, John McCain even copies his logo! To me it demonstrates a larger objectivity problem with a media that places Barack Obama on such a high pedestal that they could even fathom printing such a claim in the first place.

Terry Trippany is the editor and publisher of Webloggin.