What's so striking about this election is that we've seen it before, in 1992, when George H.W. Bush ran for re-election against a young Democrat named Bill Clinton. Here's a column I wrote back then. Tell me if it doesn't sound awfully familiar.
Crispin Porter & Bogusky is not trying to elicit the most grotesque echoes of the Holocaust in its latest effort for VW. But, either due to an institutional tin ear or vast histroical ignorance, they've somehow managed to do it anyway.
I didn't know Paul Tilley, the DDB creative executive who committed suicide a week ago, and I would never presume to divine what was going on in his life, much less his head, when he jumped from a Chicago hotel room to his death. But I do know this: In his last days, whatever else was tormenting him, he was also under professional and personal attack from persons unknown -- most of them, presumably, subordinates -- who used the shield of internet anonymity to mercilessly disparage him.
The site, comcastmustdie.com, finally went up Friday. Since then there have been more than 100 posts, mainly from frustrated Comcustomers, but also from Comcast employees and generally disgusted consumers of cable-telecom services far and wide.
