Tuesday, February 14, 2006

What on earth are the Nashi thinking???

It seems that someone in the Nasha Ukraina election team has a perverse sense of humor. Proffesor ZvarychHow else to explain the following headline on their site: "Regions introduce 'Proffesorial style' of thinking" paired with a picture of Proffesor 2 - Roman Zvarych. Clearly the campaign must believe that the voters will slap their thighs with appreciative laughter, "Things can't be that bad if the Nashi can laugh at themselves..."

For that matter, this perverse sense of humor can be seen all over Kyiv in their billboards: "Do Not Betray the Maidan!" Check out Petro Rodiak's election 2006 billboard collection and see for yourself. The reaction elicited by these ads is understandably bemused, to say the least. After all, some Kyivites say, who stood in that freezing weather for all that time? Who is the betrayer and who is the betrayed? One is left to wonder if these billboards are the best way to get Yuschenko's message across to the electorate.

Yanukovych, on the other hand, has a well thought out campaign. He is certainly playing on the post revolution disillusionment. In fact, his tv ads exacerbate that disillusionment. Clips of people speaking about how difficult life has become.

Fade to black: How much more must we endure? is titled on screen.



Next comes blinding light and the light is of course Yanukovych. And the titles state: Your life will improve TODAY!.

The Nashi tv ads? They attempt to somehow play on the emotions of the Maidan. The ads feel tired.

And show nothing new. They talk about how you the voter wanted change. Couldn't take the corruption anymore. Came out on the Maidan.


And then, when they show Poroshenko, you can't help but cringe.

Is all of this deliberate on someone's part inside Nasha or are they just dumb?