Shame on Hoekstra

brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,430
edited February 2012 in A Moving Train
Simply pathetic:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/rea ... 13855.html

Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl commercial heralding Detroit's comeback may have been the most talked about spot when it aired just after halftime Sunday night. But a local ad paid for by Michigan Republican Pete Hoekstra's U.S. Senate campaign is drawing plenty of day-after attention from the national media after several groups have called it racially insensitive.

The ad, which ran statewide during the Super Bowl, features a young Asian woman riding a bike through a field of rice paddies and speaking broken English while thanking Hoekstra's opponent, Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow, for her "reckless spending."

"Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow," the woman says. "Debbie spends so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow."

"It is very disturbing that Mr. Hoekstra's campaign chose to use harmful negative stereotypes that intrinsically encourage anti-Asian sentiment,"the Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote group said in a statement.

On Twitter, Time magazine columnist and GOP consultant Mike Murphy called the 30-second spot "really, really dumb."

Several Detroit ministers condemned the ad, too.

"The Asian woman speaking in this video would be no different than him having a black person speaking in slave dialect," the Rev. Charles Williams II said in a statement Monday. "If Pete Hoekstra does not see any wrong in this commercial, he doesn't deserve to be in the race."

On Monday, Hoekstra defended the commercial.

"Clearly China is one of many countries benefiting from our irresponsible spending," Hoekstra told Detroit's WJR-AM. "To highlight that is absolutely appropriate."

A message left by Yahoo News at Stabenow's D.C. office was not immediately returned.

"Politicians like Hoekstra run shameful, deceitful ads like these when they cannot defend their own records," Michigan Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer said in a statement provided to Yahoo News. "Hoekstra ran up our debt to countries like China by voting for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, and for trillions in unfunded giveaways to billionaires and special interests."

Many comments criticizing the ad appeared on Hoekstra's Facebook page Sunday night but were deleted, according to the Associated Press. On Facebook, Hoekstra added: "[Those] trying to make this an issue of race demonstrates their total ignorance of job creation policies."

During a conference call with reporters later Monday, Hoekstra continued to stand by the ad.

"We knew we were taking an aggressive approach on this, but this is a time when the people of Michigan and across the country are fed up with the spending," he told reporters. "It hits Debbie smack dab between the eyes where she is vulnerable with the voters of Michigan."
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

"Try to not spook the horse."
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Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • CAVSTARR313CAVSTARR313 Posts: 8,756
    My town.. I love this town.. always have, always will.. the rest is just noise...
    None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe that they are free.
    Abrn Hlls '98 - Clarkston 2 '03 - Grd Rpds '06 - Abrn Hlls '06 - Clvd '10 - PJ20 - Berlin 1+2 '12 - Wrigley '13 - Pitt '13- buff '13- Philly 1+2 '13 - Seattle '13
  • I particularly liked her "me love you long time" command of the English language.

    I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I was baffled. Who thought that was a good idea?
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,430
    I particularly liked her "me love you long time" command of the English language.

    I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I was baffled. Who thought that was a good idea?

    I know, really huh? Scratch head and say WTF??
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    some question the timing of this ad. i question why it was made in the first place.

    this is just another example of paranoia and racist hyperbole from the right trying to sway the opinion of the masses....

    pathetic.....
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • whygohomewhygohome Posts: 2,305
    In one respect the ad worked the same way that a stupid commercial works: it got our attention. Now, everyone knows Hoekstra's name.
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    Yikes, that was really bad. Regardless of remembering this guy's name (which is ultimately successful advertising), most people will just remember him for his embarrassing ad.
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,430
    Jeanwah wrote:
    Yikes, that was really bad. Regardless of remembering this guy's name (which is ultimately successful advertising), most people will just remember him for his embarrassing ad.
    Yeah, I'd say in this case the attention will work against the guy.
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    Okay... in the commercial's defense, that Chinese lady did say, "No boom boom for you soul broda, too beau coup."
    That's gotta count for something... right?
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
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