His character’s sloth and lack of competitive drive is really something of a blind alley in the development of the American upper-class (other than some exceptions.) that’s why he doesn’t fit as a role model for the caddy (and neither does anyone else.) The story sprawls partly because the makers clearly lost interest in the coming-of-age aspects of the story and focused more on the broad insult humor from the veteran comics. It was a good choice because the scenes with only the younger actors are so painful that they become a totally different kind of funny (one that would not be endurable at feature length.)

It’s true that the target demographic is 100% composed of people who will agree with the President. It’s not really a persuasion ad, but a turnout ad. The Obama campaign NEEDS that ground game they’re bragging about, because so much of their base are low-information voters who really need to be chivied to the polls. The GOP base, on average, will vote fairly reliably in most elections, but it’s a bit smaller than the Dem base. The Dems have a slightly larger base, but a tougher time getting everyone to the polls in every cycle.