The Republican National Committee has primed the righteous outrage pump with an ad they're running against Harold Ford in the Tennessee Senate race. Many complaints have been raised about the ad, including a claim that it's racist, but I think the ad is just funny as hell. It takes all those tedious 'man on the street' ads, turns them on their ear, and pokes fun at the candidate.
From what I know about him, Ford is a bit of a prig. He's a socially conservative and fiscally liberal Democrat — the worst possible kind of Democrat, found in the Lieberman wing of the party. I guess we can just be thankful he didn't infiltrate the GOP like so many others of his ilk. He's self-righteous and humorless and it just tickles me a little bit to see an ad like this.
According to critics, many of the claims in the ad are misleading. Apparently, Ford supported doing away with the marriage penalty, and there's very little to link him to some of the other issues. Those are fair criticisms. What's less reasonable are the criticisms which say the ad is racist, primarily because it portrays a presumably promiscuous white woman gushing over Ford -- who is African American, for those who didn't know it already. I have to think we're well past the day when racially mixed relationships were a campaign issue. Strom Thurmond acknowledged his mixed-race child and if he can do it, the stigma is pretty much dead. It really seems like reaching to try to turn this into a racial issue. Some critics have even said the hunter depicted is supposed to be in 'blackface,' which is just ludicrous.
I realize that, technically, this is an example of truly outrageous campaign mudslinging, but it's done with a certain amount of style and humor and I enjoy watching it a hell of a lot more than a lot of the more earnest ads out there. I'd rather see ads like this than film of a candidate playing with his kids and puppies. Aside from a couple of the issues, I don't even see it as that effective an attack on Ford. Do they really think voters will be scandalized because he went to the Playboy mansion? Plus, I don't live in Tennessee and don't care which of these fools gets elected, so I can just sit back and enjoy it.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Lumpy
Why is there no link to the ad video? Surely it's on YouTube. everything else is.
2 - Lee Richards
Dave, I'm amazed that you "don't care which of these fools gets elected" to the U.S. Senate, to pass laws for the whole country, involve us in wars, tackle immigration, Social Security & health care issues and spend our money. Are you moving to Australia or is Texas getting ready to secede?
3 - Nancy
Actually, Thurmond never did publicly acknowledge his mixed-race daughter; she herself 'came out' well AFTER he died, and only then was it known that he'd in fact been hiding her all these years, even tho he'd been paying her support, etc. No, Dave: Thurmond was a two-faced hypocrite & liar to the end. If nothing else, he was consistent throughout his wretched, disgusting, self-serving life.
4 - RedTard
The racial overtones in the ad were meant to enflame the virginia white trash and bring out their racism at the polls, nothing more or less. Shame on you Nalle for enabling this blatant racial ploy.
5 - gonzo marx
what Red sez in number 4
couldn't have been said better
now, you know yer in Trouble when Red and i agree on something
Excelsior?
6 - handyguy
I grew up in Tennessee, though I left 20 years ago. I'd love to see them elect a Democratic senator, whether Dave Nalle thinks he's a boring prig or not. [Gee, that would be a good way to choose the Senate...no boring prigs! They'd have to start from scratch probably, since professional politicians are by nature boring and priggish.]
At any rate, I fear that what pollsters call "the 15% lie," meaning some white voters will say they voted for a black candidate when they didn't, will be Ford's undoing. In other words, the race may not be as close as it looks.
Since the matter of who controls the Senate is a pretty important national issue, it's a bit shocking to read the Political Editor of this site saying he doesn't "care which of these fools gets elected." Not as shocking as his assertion that "no one gives a rat's ass" about dead Iraqis (and that only a few more people care about dead US soldiers). No doubt these comments are intended with some irony, some [very questionable] humor, and with the intent to provoke comment. But they may not encourage one to take their author's serious comments more seriously.
7 - Dave Nalle
Gonzo, I think Red was being sarcastic. Have you looked at the ad? There's not a racial overtone in there.
As to my not caring which of them gets elected, from what I've read neither of them is terribly attractive. Given the choice I'd vote against BOTH of them. It's not that I don't care who controls the Senate, it's that I don't care which of these particular unappealing candidates ends up there.
When faced with the choice between a socially conservative tax and spend democrat and a republican who holds almost the same positions on most issues, I guess I'd pick the Republican. Oh fine, Corker is pro-gun so I guess he's my choice. But why do I have to be enthusiastic about these losers?
What I'm enthusiastic about is interesting candidates with fresh ideas and a willingness to buck their party establishment and innovate.
And Handy, in the comments you've referenced I'm expressing my general disgust with the complacency of the American public and the quality of our political leadership. If you're satisfied in those two areas we're just going to have to agree to disagree. As for control of the Senate, it's not going to change, though the House might. And regardless Bush is still president so we'll get the division of power between the parties which we need very badly.
And Lumpy, your browser's not Flash compatible.
BTW, it would be nice to see someone actually express an opinion on the actual ad. But the failure to do that fits right in with my comments Handy brought up.
Dave
8 - Baronius
A comment on the actual ad? I agree with you: it's funny. Everyone's tired of attack ads with the serious, disappointed voice, saying something like "he just doesn't care about the people". The rare positive ad features either the candidate and his family, or the staged man-on-the-street's opinion. I think it's brilliant to use a man-on-the-street parody as a negative ad.
9 - Dave Nalle
Thanks, Baronius. Nice to know that I'm not the only one who found it amusing.
Dave
10 - Steve
I was watching some 'animated' (for lack of a better word) political musical satire on TV last night, on a show that had a segment about JibJab.com.
Interesting stuff, just ridiculous enough as to not be offensive, but still funny.
11 - Martin Lav
I guess if I lived in a "rambling country shack" I'd find this humorous too.
(I see you changed your bio Dave .... nice...)
I don't see how BC can allow someone to represent their site if they don't give a shit about Iraqi's dying and they don't give a shit about who wins a senate race.
Doesn't make sense to me.....
12 - Matthew T. Sussman
Affirmative. Funny ad. (Said because I wanted to not because Dave wanted us to.)
13 - Bill B
So an ad for the conservative republican candidate features a ditzy blond white woman coyly winking and making it clear she's very interested in the black democratic candidate.....in good ole Tennessee. Nah, nope. Nothing trying to dust off those old racist tendencies there.
14 - Lumpy
Harold Ford isn't all that black. Making an issue of his race would be fairly ridiculous.
15 - Zedd
The Canadians don't think its funny. They have made an official objection to the white house because of the party of the candidate.
Canada is playing a pivotal role in Afganistan, has lost 36 soldiers and doesn't apreciate their effort being taken lightly....
I agree with Gonzo. Putting that girl at the end saying "call me" was done to make someone mad. Would they be apealig to the "Bubba vote"?
16 - STM
Yeah Dave, you're right. The ad's hilarious, even though as a non-American I have no idea about the background to it. Still, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out what it's about. However, if most of the stuff about him isn't true, especially the promiscuous white woman bit, and has been aired publicly, doesn't he now have a water-tight case for defamation? Big time?
17 - Kyle
Zedd, did you spell 'Bubba' right? That's important appartently in these comment areas.
The ad, funny? In and of itself I suppose. There are lots of things that are funny but I think it's very disrespectful to the whole process of democracy to stoop to the lowest common denominator in a political ad.
In fact, I think it would actually be harmful to the goal of the ad because it's not going to change any votes. It's like an 'in' joke for republicans and will only piss off democrats, possibly encouraging them to vote when they otherwise may not have.
Just my opinion. I wonder how funny republicans would have found a similar ad about their candidate?
18 - Dave Nalle
Yet another reminder that Canada as a nation has no sense of humor at all.
Kyle, I can honestly say that I'd have found a similar ad directed at a Republican damned funny.
There's a great animated ad about Rick Perry from a local Texas citizens group that's hilarious. Wish I could remember the link.
Dave
19 - Bill B
#14
Harold Ford isn't all that black.
Someone be sure and tell Bubba.
--------------------
Truth be told the add is mildly humorous, aside from the blond chick.
To me there is something unsettling about political ads trying to be funny.
Sorta like I wouldn't finding a funny commercial advertising Sloan/Kettering here in New York very funny.
For those unaware Sloan/Kettering is a medical/research center specializing in cancer.
20 - Zedd
The ad is funny.
Kyle:
I didn't want to start a fire storm so I made sure to check my spelling of Bubba. I think that after dementia has set in and I am wondering the halls of some institution, I'll be heard whispering B-U-B-B-A through the corridors. I fear the Bubba police.
21 - troll
gee...and to me scenes of knights being charbroiled by dragons are hilarious
funny is in the 'eye of the beholder' I guess
22 - Dave Nalle
Clearly it's time to send Zedd for some more cultural sensitivity training.
Dave
23 - Clavos
I think the candidate should be commended for injecting humor in the political process.
Too bad it doesn't happen more often.
24 - Bliffle
It's just those funny republicans cutting up again. Boys will be boys.
25 - Bliffle
It's just those funny republicans cutting up again. Boys will be boys.