Pundit: Give Longshot Presidential Candidate Guitar Hero (with a twist)

December 26, 2007
Writing for American Thinker, Patrick Albanese recommends gag holiday gifts for the crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates.

When it comes to Chris Dodd, Albanese uses an enormously popular music game to imply that the Connecticut senator's campaign has no chance of success:
Chris Dodd will be receiving an altered version of the video game Guitar Hero. This game allows the player to fantasize that he is really playing some of the most difficult guitar riffs every composed. The fake plastic instrument that comes with it gives you something to hold, but it doesn't really do anything.

My altered version is called Presidential Hero. It makes you think you are the President, but you are really in your basement staring into a phony teleprompter.

GP: Of course, GamePolitics readers know that Republican Mike Huckabee is the only 2008 presidential candidate known to actually have played Guitar Hero.
Buzz It

Comments

Was that a shot at Guitar Hero, or at Dodd?

I like the idea. Give some of these guys a "Presidential Simulator" and let them have their fun in their while not doing any damage to the real world.

Now all we need is some one to make it.

@me: I was wondering the same thing. The way of most pundits is to take shots at absolutely everything they don't like or agree with.

@Benji & me: The American Thinker = Pundit Hero.

Morons.

They should be playing the South Park game... can't remember the name, but it was in an episode and consisted of chading a purple dragon; one that you would never catch. I think it was part of the Guitar Hero episode.

Let the candidates chase a purple oval office; one they would never catch.

@jds

that was Heroin Hero. you never catch the dragon.

@jds & Conejo: Yeah, the name of the episode was Guitar Queero.

@d

yep. see, i'm not an r-tard.

...This game allows the player to fantasize that he is really playing some of the most difficult guitar riffs every composed. The fake plastic instrument that comes with it gives you something to hold, but it doesn’t really do anything.


See, I love statements like this. It makes the pundit look extremely stupid. There is some actual, basic guitar skills required, while it is simplified for the game quite a bit, but playing Guitar Hero can help anyone who is interested in playing guitar at least get some of the basic concepts, like basic fingering, timing, and as the notes for Guitar Hero are coming down the stream as sheet music, there is even some ability to read sheet music for guitars slipped in on the game as well.

Yes, the "plastic fake controller" isn't a real guitar. And yes, it doesn't teach everything, but to say it doesn't really do anything is a bit of a moronic statement on his part.

now anyone in the uk will have seen the advert for it where Slash climbs out of the guy plaing its throat (I dont know if you have it in the US

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6t2qF8NLZvY

Now imagine how scary that would be if this game was real and it was Hiliary Clinto climbing out your throat

*shudder*

Conejo

The purple dragon lives!!!

www.gamegum.com/game/1857/heroin-hero/

If the controller doesn't really do anything, then why would people pay $X for it like a bunch of suckers? Poor choice of words there, either from a poor decorum or lack of any real knowledge of Guitar Hero.

On a side note, Huckabee bothers me. Heavily. The fact that he's actually touched a GH controller makes him no less passe to me.

Well, Dodd doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning, given that the media has already picked their favorites. But he was the only one who flew back to Washington to threaten a filibuster over Bush's latest FISA expansion act and ultimately managed to get it put off until next year. The other candidates said, "Yeah, we would have done the same thing," but they weren't there. They were too busy bashing Bush and playing to the cameras.

Actions speak so much louder than words.

Always remember that if the people running for President are Senators and Congresspeople, they are still in their current offices and, as such, they should continue to fulfill their obligation to the people in those capacities. Otherwise, it's like gunning for a job promotion while taking a year off to interview at another company.

I think that when he says that the controller doesn't do anything, he is saying that the controller in itself does nothing a real guitar does.

@ Zachary

"The fake plastic instrument that comes with it gives you something to hold, but it doesn’t really do anything."

Whether or not what you say was to be the implication or not is one thing, but this quote at face value tells the person who isn't looking closely enough that they just hold the thing to look like a schmuck.

I just bought GH3 this morning. Got there 15 before the store opened and there was already a line for it. Just beat it on easy, now I need me some Heroin Hero to cool off. Then Rehab Hero.

I, for one, feel that politicians need to be able to articulate themselves in such a way that their words cannot be misunderstood. This is not to be confused with 'taken out of context' either, I just feel that when they have to come out the next day and clarify what they said, they lose what little credibility they had.

If they make a modified version of Guitar Hero, does the original game need to be re-rated by the ESRB?

I wonder when Turntable Hero will be released... Turntable and all... I bet it would sell like flap jacks!

All hail the purple dragon. :-)

Lol that sounded like more of a shot at gh than the candidates

"GP: Of course, GamePolitics readers know that Republican Mike Huckabee is the only 2008 presidential candidate known to actually have played Guitar Hero. "

i'll give mike credit for something he actually seems to relize that people under the age of 40 can vote
#1 He seems to care about keeping artistic classes in schools
#2 Said he'd run with Steven Colbert as his vice pres
#3 made that Chuck Norris endorsement commercial(bit late for that though since most people are starting to get sick of chuck norris jokes)

Hes the #1 republican and hilary is the #1 dem(atm) between the two id have to go with huck simply because i dont trust Hilary
and mike seems to have good intentions(which yes i relize has almost nothing to do with how he'll run things but still id rather be behind someone whos working twords something good(Better education for children) and dosnt succeed rather than something terrible(end of freedoms) and does succeed
(its one small step from banning games to banning newspapers)

If you play Guitar Hero, you won't be able to play a real guitar.

If you play GTA, you will be able to go driving around and kill people.

???

@ Monkey Face:
As a product of an Arkansas schools, I feel the need to point out that Huck has done more harm to the state's education system than No Child Left Behind. Under his watch and direction many productive school districts with high test scores and graduation rates were consolidated with larger school districts which resulted in lower quality education and large class sizes. As far as art classes, they in large part a joke at a lot of schools in AR (they were at mine).

The number one reason I am AGAINST Huckabee is because of his record on education.

@DarknessDeku

Ya, i wondered that too. It is a double-standard world, aint it? I just talked to my uncle who is pretty good at the real guitar, he tried GH2 on easy, and got boo-ed off the stage. Then i came on in medium (ive only played it once before) and got 94% accuracy. Now then, im off to learn how to drive and shoot an uzi at the same time in GTA: SA.

It makes me sad that Huckabee is the only candidate who seems to be reaching out to young voters, because he is so politically reprehensible. The man is a self-professed theocrat, for God's sake!

(pun intended)
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