• May 25, 2012
JUNK BONDS

October 27, 2008

Targeted McCain Ad Targeted Somewhat Poorly

by Jim Newell  

Hmm… our secret money robot models are indicating high counterparty risk in this potential transaction? Oh what the hell, we’ll throw a cool $2 trillion at this McCain victory fund and get one of them there credit dee-fault swaps from, uh, McDonald’s. [FiveThirtyEight]

{ 49 comments }

grendel October 27, 2008 at 1:39 pm

Haha… It’s really a bet, not an investment… and at 30-1 odds, why not?

Deepthroat October 27, 2008 at 1:40 pm

WOAH… wha happon to teh ghost in the box ebay story???

thejames October 27, 2008 at 1:40 pm

Schadenfreude much? O hell yes me too.

Gopherit October 27, 2008 at 1:41 pm

So is this a Xeno’s Paradox, kind of thing, or will Hopey ever have 100% victory listed at fivethirtyeight before the election?

And why isn’t McCain advertising here?

Serolf Divad October 27, 2008 at 1:41 pm

Yeah but with those odds your $50.00 would pay off about $864.00! Whoooo! Roll those dice, baby! Roll ‘em!

slappypaddy October 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm

538′s projection map bears a remarkable similarity to how the country split during the Civil War. Pretty colors, too, if somewhat basic.

swarm of bees October 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm

Invest in FAIL!!!!!!!

hockeymom October 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm

math is for elitists.

ManchuCandidate October 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm

Oh Walnuts. US America’s decided to put it all on Black and let it ride.

SayItWithWookies October 27, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Sometimes you buy low and sell high. Other times you buy low and write it off when it hits zero.

StrangelyBrown October 27, 2008 at 1:45 pm

That’s nothing. If you look on Drudge right now you’ll see a “Calculate Your Obama Tax Cut” ad (complete with the “Support The DrudgeReport; Visit Our Advertisers” fine print) floating over the headline screaming “2001 OBAMA: TRAGEDY THAT ‘REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH’ NOT PURSUED BY SUPREME COURT”.

Viva la Cynthia October 27, 2008 at 1:48 pm

I was hoping no one would point that out–this is my secret giggle every time I check fivethirtyeight.com, and now maybe they’ll remove the ads. Ok, so they probably won’t remove the ads, because this just reinforces their mantra that they’ve “got them right where [they] want them.”

golliwog October 27, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Investing 50 bucks is like a new pair of jeans for the hobo.

Min October 27, 2008 at 1:50 pm

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Worlds End October 27, 2008 at 1:51 pm

hahahahhahaahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahasahahahahah

NewSpence October 27, 2008 at 1:52 pm

Not to piss on teh humor, but the ad as probably following you across a big ad network like ad.com, based on a cookie you got while visiting johnmccain.com or NRO or Fox or another of your filthy gay porn sites.

Cape Clod October 27, 2008 at 1:53 pm

It’s kinda like investing in Poland in August of 1939, isn’t it?

Scarab October 27, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Senator McCain, invest in cosmetic dentistry, you’re scaring the children.

Gopherit October 27, 2008 at 1:54 pm

[re=150593]SayItWithWookies[/re]: See, I thought there were a few more things he and Palin needed to buy for themselves before the Gravy Train went off its track.

JeffGoldblum October 27, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Barack Obama is going to raise everyone’s taxes by 500% in order to fund a bigger tank.

Gopherit October 27, 2008 at 1:54 pm

[re=150581]Serolf Divad[/re]: In this case, when you hear,”Daddy needs a new pair of shoes,” it just might be true.

TommySez October 27, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Make sure you click on the ad, then don’t donate. Hee.

TJBeck October 27, 2008 at 1:59 pm

[re=150597]Viva la Cynthia[/re]: Yea, I’ve been laughing at this every time I check the site – especially when the features are posted basically mocking the McCain ground campaign.

TJBeck October 27, 2008 at 2:00 pm

[re=150609]NewSpence[/re]: If so, I’ve been tagged as a McCain-Palin target for months when I visit 538.

Min October 27, 2008 at 2:01 pm

[re=150616]JeffGoldblum[/re]: Bwah!

WadISay October 27, 2008 at 2:07 pm

I received in the mail a solicitation of a contribution from the state Republican committee. The letter began, “I’m like many of you. I watch Fox News and listen to Rush, but I wanted to do more.” It included a postage-prepaid return envelope, for my contribution. I stuffed it as full of crap as I could and asked them please to send more envelopes. No reply, bastards.

friendlynerd October 27, 2008 at 2:11 pm

What’s with “compliance fund?”

Is this money to compel me to OBEY?

CivicHoliday October 27, 2008 at 2:14 pm

It’s like a long shot on a horserace, yes? I bet high on low odds, and if my scragly horse eeks out a win, I get the big bucks? No? All I get is more war and restricted reproductive rights? Well fuck that.

natoslug October 27, 2008 at 2:15 pm

[re=150619]TommySez[/re]: I clicked on it and tried to donate, but I got an error when I entered -.01 as the donation amount. The bastards don’t seem to realize I should be paid to visit their crappy campaign site.

Wonks Adventure October 27, 2008 at 2:17 pm
totoro October 27, 2008 at 2:18 pm

Hold up. Does the ad, under the names, say “compliance fund”? Looks like the IRS and FEC are onto their little borrowed-clothing scam and they need some extra lawyering-up. Seriously, if Joe the Plumber tried some bullshit like buying a new F-450 limited edition Dreadnought Destroyer for his wife and then telling the Feds, um, she actually plans to give it charity after I’ve done driving it across the country, so don’t tax me, they would lock him up in one quick-ass jiffy.

ReelectTilden October 27, 2008 at 2:23 pm

Yeah, I’ve been seeing that for a while, too. Do you think anyone clicks on it for any reason except to fuck with them?

ReelectTilden October 27, 2008 at 2:25 pm

[re=150669]totoro[/re]: Compliance funds are the only funds they can take according to the FEC, because they accepted public funding.

Neon Trotsky October 27, 2008 at 2:26 pm

I clicked the link to 538 and one of the ads that popped up was:
TELL SENATOR OBAMA
IT’S NOT 2004

SPEAK OUT

Paid for by McCain-Palin 2008″

Um, what? Is this an attack on the “3rd Bush term” angle? Or comparing Obama to Kerry? Or simply implying that he is an anachronistic socialist from the distant past of 2004 waiting to be swept into the ash heap of history?

sarcasticusername October 27, 2008 at 2:33 pm

so he’s encouraging shitty investments, isn’t that kind of his whole economic policy anyway?

Mista Eko October 27, 2008 at 2:35 pm

Be sure to leverage yourself out 500:1 first!

AngryBlakGuy October 27, 2008 at 2:39 pm

…and I thought giving a trillion dollars to Wall St. was a waste of cash.

Gopherit October 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Rush October 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm

How can one redistribute “wealth” if there is none? Even the Arab stock markets are Rockin’ the Casbah.

Tickle down kids, trickle down.

wallythepug October 27, 2008 at 2:50 pm

[re=150592]ManchuCandidate[/re]: win.

Gopherit October 27, 2008 at 2:50 pm

And grampy may just lose arizona, too: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/arizona/election_2008_arizona_presidential_election

There ‘s a poll on fivethirtyeight that’s even closer. This would give me the biggest schadenfreugasm ever!

keepinitrealyo October 27, 2008 at 3:04 pm

Yeah, like there’s someplace BETTER for him to advertise.

JoeFannyPack October 27, 2008 at 3:07 pm

That’s kind of like having an ad for Sarah Palin on the MENSA site. ba-dum-bum

Carrie_Okie October 27, 2008 at 3:08 pm

[re=150591]hockeymom[/re]: Karl has THE numbers. I’m pretty sure he keystered them.

astroprofeddie October 27, 2008 at 3:10 pm

Pie Charts are in the tank for Obama

OhYeahAlright October 27, 2008 at 3:26 pm

I’d actually noticed that a few times. I just assumed they saw Mr. Silver on The Colbert Report, and they still haven’t figured out the show is a satire, so they decided to buy adspace on this good Republican’s web thingy.

Roll Fish October 27, 2008 at 3:27 pm

“Compliance Fund” doesn’t sound very exciting.

Borat October 27, 2008 at 3:58 pm

[re=150619]TommySez[/re]: this is a great point – bankrupt the campaign by clicking on as many ads as you see. Any suggestions on where to find said ads that actually cost the campaign a lot.

If we make them bankrupt, that will once again speak to GOP ‘fiscal responsibility’, well, probably 25 cents at a time. It won’t reach $700b for bailout + $700b for war + stupid refund checks + numerous other things I’m too drunk to think about

paigow October 27, 2008 at 4:41 pm

[re=150581]Serolf Divad[/re]: He’s pricing me in! Mathematically, I’d be a fool NOT to donate.

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