Mike Gravel videos

Rock is about 2 minutes:


Fire is about 7 minutes:


I like them. I don't like how the mainstream media insists on making Gravel out to be a crackpot (he does that well enough on his own without their help). I find it ridiculous that the media is pandering to some lowest common denominator by insisting on calling the videos "bizarre" and "weird" and making comments about how Gravel wasted money on the consultants he paid for these ideas.

I doubt that any of those media talking heads are really having that hard a time figuring out the metaphors. They are just playing dumb, and that's insulting to both Gravel and the viewers. The videos themselves aren't exactly brilliant. But I think the metaphors are obvious. It's just that the spots are simple and no-budget. Give Gravel a little credit for trying to use media to his advantage. He has no money to spend on campaigning. Now that we're giving him a spotlight by contstantly talking about these ads, let's give him a chance to say something besides defending the ads.

And he didn't pay anyone for them. According to Gravel, two teachers approached him about doing a film project. He said sure, and followed their direction. Two days ago freakin' David Schuster on MSNBC was giving Gravel a hard time about how it took 3 takes to make the rock-throwing video. (It was kind of obvious Schuster didn't really care and the producers were prodding him to bait Gravel.) When the director says do it one more time, you do it. Gravel made it quite clear the ads are the vision of these two teachers, that he didn't have input on how the rock was thrown.

And I'd like to see someone on CNN or MSNBC be brave enough to come out and say they understood the videos, or at least respected the effort. Even your crazy old crackpot uncle deserves a little respect.