| Pete Hoekstra's ad continues to generate coverage, although by now the racist angle has sort of died down and given way to the "Why on Earth does he continue to defend such a dumb ad" angle. That, and the usual angles like whether it really was as stupid as it seemed to be (an answer in a second) and that Democrats did it first (an answer to this in two seconds). The answer is to the first is that, yes, it was as stupid as everyone thought it was on first blush. Sometimes, first impressions aren't wrong. The ad's message might have broad appeal. The ad itself has appeal only for the racist fringe that calls itself the Tea Party, which largely made up its mind a while back to back Clark Durant. And, those people don't change their minds. So, the ad isn't going to build him support among the people he directed it at. At the same time, it created ill feelings towards him among the non-fringe racist set, where Hoekstra is drawing his support. Please note the letter from the Washtenaw Republican who is of Asian descent who wrote the angry letter about this. Hoekstra's ad didn't build support, it helped kill it. It's like he ran a negative ad against himself, which is the opposite of what you're supposed to do. But, did Democrats do it first? We go to Nolan Finley. I’m not sure whether Pete Hoekstra’s Super Bowl ad can be labeled racist, offensive or insensitive — those are moving targets in an election year, when sensibilities shift on the winds of opportunity. Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer, for example, pioneered the tactic of China-bashing in Michigan politics, and yet here is is crying foul when Hoekstra mimics him.
Mark Brewer screws up a lot of stuff, but suggesting that his ads decrying Amway Guy's outsourcing of work to China is to actual racism what grape jelly is to wine. And, the idea that Nolan Finley can't define an ad that relies on bad stereotypes about broken English usage by people with bamboo hats on their backs as racism says a good deal about him. Meanwhile, when I first saw the ad Sunday night, my initial reaction was, "Wow, what's the governor think about this and how it might undermine his work in building relations with China." After all, they're in the same political party and Hoekstra insults people who the governor thinks we ought to be working with to build trade. Someone in the biz had the same reaction. In other words, what's good red meat to throw to the Tea Party is bad for business. |
