Attack of the Presidential Homunculi

David Weigel | June 21, 2007

From Dean Barnett at HughHewitt.com, the blog so deep in the tank for Mitt Romney that you get the bends reading it:

When you click on MittRomney.com, a little talking version of Mitt pops up, gives you the skinny on the site and asks for some jingle. It’s pretty cool, a little odd, and like nothing else I’ve ever seen a politician do... Allah and I both thought the Mini-Mitt thing was pretty righteous. Yeah, it was a little weird and a little short of artistic perfection, but it was also very cool. It was like nothing we’ve ever seen.

And here's a screenshot of the magic Mini-Mitt.

Incredible! Innovative! Unless you clicked on the website of would-be Democratic presidential candidate Mark Warner more than a year ago, when his web guy Jerome Armstrong launched the exact same kind of "mini" candidate. Note the tiny talking Warner at the bottom of the page.

No larger point here, other than the easily-impressed nature of Romney supporters and the fruit-fly-like memories people have about political campaigns.

Comments

|6.21.07 @ 8:41AM|#

Poor Romney.

|6.21.07 @ 8:58AM|#

Nice FMA reference there Dave.

Jesse Walker|6.21.07 @ 9:09AM|#

Talking websites = making sure people are too distracted to actually read the website.

Also, the mini-Mitt bears an uncomfortable resemblance to the MS Word paperclip.

Fluffy|6.21.07 @ 9:11AM|#

I think in addition to being easily impressed there's the issue of having to provide a lot of daily commentary.

Since Hugh has to come up with a new way to love Mitt every day, it's inevitable that he'll periodically scrape up against the bottom of the barrel.

|6.21.07 @ 9:17AM|#

never trust the little people, especially the little versions of politicians. They're evil!!!

norbizness|6.21.07 @ 9:19AM|#

Did somebody just use the adjective "righteous"? What's next? "Tubular" press releases?

|6.21.07 @ 9:22AM|#

They got little hands
And little eyes
And they walk around
Tellin' great big lies

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Mr. X|6.21.07 @ 9:22AM|#

You have an extra 'u' in homunculi, Dave.

D.A. Ridgely|6.21.07 @ 9:22AM|#

If his campaign fails, at least he has an audition tape for one of the Microsoft Office assistant icons.

|6.21.07 @ 9:27AM|#

"a little talking version of Mitt pops up, gives you the skinny on the site and asks for some jingle"

Wow, it really is a miniature Mitt Romney!

|6.21.07 @ 9:33AM|#

This is one part of politics I'm glad to be rationally ignorant about.

|6.21.07 @ 9:54AM|#

So wait, you're upset that people didn't recognize a web-site feature that Mark Warner used? Really??

|6.21.07 @ 9:55AM|#

Yea, but mini-Mitt wears a suit coat.

|6.21.07 @ 9:57AM|#

Cool? It's just stupid. I hate overly cute websites. They take too long to load,and they tie up your processor. Just a bunch of aggravation for two seconds of "how novel".

stephen the goldberger|6.21.07 @ 10:07AM|#

how bodacious

VM|6.21.07 @ 10:10AM|#

"Just a bunch of aggravation for two seconds of "how novel"."

good call, Warren!

Seth|6.21.07 @ 10:20AM|#

Mike Gravel had a similar feature on his website when he launched his campaign around April of 2006. I suspect that predates even Mark Warner's homunculus.

|6.21.07 @ 10:21AM|#

Did Mini-Gravel just stare gravely at the viewer for a several minutes?

|6.21.07 @ 10:28AM|#

Well, c'mon, it was on Mark Warner's website. No wonder they didn't know about it.

|6.21.07 @ 10:35AM|#

Wow, that blogger has the most obnoxious style I've ever read. "Gives you the skinny and asks for some jingle"? Sounds like 1920's heroin dealer lingo.

Also joe, don't you mean he stared gravelly?

|6.21.07 @ 10:53AM|#

Let's see if any of these guys can come up with anything more entertaining or memorable than Steve Kubby's gubernatorial ad from 1998.

http://www.dougscribner.com/thirdwheel/success.htm

Just stick new heads on the opponents and it's completely up-to-date (except now, Kubby is running for President instead of CA Governor). Ah, the classics!

|6.21.07 @ 10:58AM|#

Warner wasn't the only one. Not only did Tim Mahoney have a tiny version of himself on his site, but he also had a tiny version of his daughter explaining what a good guy he was on another page.

SPD|6.21.07 @ 11:57AM|#

Mayoral candidate Michael Nutter did the same thing on philly.com's web site during the Democratic primary (known in Philadelphia as "the election").

Adam|6.21.07 @ 12:25PM|#

Yea but, Mini-Mit came from the RIGHT side of the page.

|6.21.07 @ 12:34PM|#

who stinkin' cares?

|6.21.07 @ 12:45PM|#

I friggin hate those ads that fly across the page you're trying to read and block it until you can find the close button (which is usually dark-gray-on-black). Yet another reason to detest Moroni's White Horseman.

|6.21.07 @ 2:00PM|#

I don't care, and yet I'll be very worried when they start doing a strip-tease on the screen, too.

Why?

Because it'll guarantee Obama to win the popular vote.

|6.21.07 @ 2:33PM|#

Well, he is very clean. And sexy.

|6.21.07 @ 6:56PM|#

And articulate, Mr. Biden. Don't forget articulate.

|6.21.07 @ 7:50PM|#

Yes, but does Obama have a manly scent?

|6.29.07 @ 10:55PM|#

i noticed that country music star trace adkins did the same thing - its cool http://www.innovateads.com/ex-online-video-trace-adkins-spokesperson.php