Pandering Pete Hoekstra

In response to a wave of negative reactions to his $75,000 Super Bowl ad buy (filmed in California), Pete Hoekstra has tried to deflect criticism by accusing Democrats of “talk(ing) about race when they can’t defend their records...” Unfortunately for Pete, the ad has been panned by figures on all sides of the political spectrum, from national Republican consultants and state GOP leaders to a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, who called it “blatantly racist.”  

Maybe Hoekstra thought shooting a slick Hollywood ad depicting racist caricatures would generate lots of free publicity and distract Michigan voters from the fact that he can’t defend his own record of doublespeak and hypocrisy.

--Hoekstra broke a pledge he made when he first ran for Congress to retire after six terms, flip-flopping so he could stay in office for three more terms - before running for governor.

--When he was running for governor, Pete said he wanted a tax code that worked for the taxpayers, “not for special interests and not for lobbyists.” Less than a year after losing that election, he had gone to work for a Washington lobbying firm.

--In 2010, Pandering Pete said, “this year money is not going to win...our emphasis will be more on building a grassroots organization, getting people to the polls rather than slick TV advertising trying to convince somebody they’re the best candidate.” Less than two years later, the self-described penny-pincher was shelling out $75,000 for a negative Super Bowl ad buy.

--Hoekstra flip-flopped within days on the vote for the Wall Street bailout, voting no on the initial legislation then switching his vote to approve the $700 billion handout to Wall Street banks.

--This isn’t the first time Pete has brought national embarrassment to our state - in 2009, he compared a House GOP dispute with Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the deadly Iranian protests of 2009, and was widely mocked by national media.

--Pete got himself into a lot of trouble on Twitter in 2009 - in February he broke the news of a confidential trip to Iraq on Twitter while he was the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, prompting a review of Pentagon communications policy.

Pandering Pete Hoekstra is making a cynical bet that Michigan voters are going to buy into his expensive ad campaign to try and hide his real record. But Michiganders are tired of politicians who aren’t real, and will say and do anything to get elected. Sign our petition to let Pete Hoekstra know he needs to come clean and let voters know who he really is - tell Pete Hoekstra to Get Real.