Dept. Of That’s Not Cool, Maaaan: Gary Barbera’s Obama Trade-O-Rama
If you spent any time in front of CNN over the weekend, you probably encountered the new ad from local auto dealer Gary Barbera, who’s currently running a sale dubbed the Obama Trade-O-Rama. Featuring the above Barack Obama look-alike promising “bailouts,” the ad gives voice to the like-duh “where’s my bailout?” crack each one of us has made at this point. Fair enough, but, not to put too fine a point on it, it’s weird and uncool. Somewhere between the out-and-out cringeworthy status of, say, the various Obama Fried Chicken stores popping up and, say, the campy creepiness of the Reagan and Nixon masks in Point Break, there is the burgeoning field of Obama look-alikes. And we’ll be honest: We don’t know how to feel about that. On hand, Barbera’s ad, whether it’s aware of it or not, could be seen to make a lawn jockey out of a sitting president — could you imagine an auto dealer running ads with a George Bush imitator while he was still in office? — but on the other, maybe this a step to Rappin’ Ronnie-ize the Obama era. In which case, then yeah, this ad is definitely fucked up. More stills after the jump.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:32 am
>>could you imagine an auto dealer running ads with a George Bush imitator while he was still in office?
um, yes. Running them after someone is out of office doesn’t make much sense.
While I can’t recall a specific ad with GWB, its existance would neither surprise nor offend me. Nor do the Obama ads.
Dumb and/or annoying local car dealership ads are nothing new.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
yeah, but this guy looks next to nothing like Obama, adding that extra creepiness you don’t get from regular crappy/irritating car dealership ads. I had to change the channel, dude was weirding me out so badly. ick.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Check out the disclaimer at the bottom of the third image.
“Obama look-a-like, not the actual President.”
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:48 pm
“Could you imagine an auto dealer running ads with a George Bush imitator while he was still in office?”
To basically echo lutton, yeah, this isn’t a big deal. In a sense, its pretty clever. You’re dealing with a dealership that is, in a sense, owned by Obama.
I didn’t think it was creepy or crass, just… well, an ad for the biggest dealership in Philadelphia.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Fauxbama
June 30th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
A million people have mocked George W. Bush when he was in office wether it be TV, Movies or Commercials and the first time someone sees someone do it with an Obama Commercial its suppossed to be offensive?? or is it a double standard because you can mock a white president but you cant with obama??
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Please somebody post the video of this to youtube or something.
Its completely normal for the american public to mock their president no matter what race he is.