Advance look at Oregon Republicans' TV spots?
Kari Chisholm
Over at Crooks & Liars, John Amato has released a series of scripts for TV ads that are purportedly being considered for production by the Oregon Republican Party.
The ads are intended to be feel-good messages about Republicans. They claim to have created "equal rights" for men and women (nevermind their opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment) and to have ended racism.
Check out the casting notes in one of the scripts:
OPEN ON A YOUNG MULATTO FEMALE DOCTOR.
Thank you for ending slavery.
Wow. "Mulatto"? WTF?
If these are real, and Amato believes they are, they're just bizarre. The forced diversity is laughable and ridiculous -- kind of like they've decided that the reason Americans voted for Obama is because he's black; and not because the GOP managed to run the country into the ground.
(I should note that Amato did call the ORP, and they declined comment.)
Visit C&L to read the other three scripts.
By way of retort, I'll just share this fantastic spot produced for a MoveOn video contest back in 2004 that explains why we're thankful that George Bush is finally gone. It's as good today as it was then.
Update: As Bill Nothstine notes, everything in the spot for which they're taking credit happened before Nixon, before Reagan, before the George Bushes. Gee, embarrassed much?
Pretty much every one of those "Thank You" items that can be pegged to a date is at least 40 years old:Emancipation Proclamation--1863
Nineteeth Amendment (women's suffrage)--1920
Civil Rights Act--1964
Oregon Beach Bill--1967
The post-1967 GOP? No thanks.
To the extent that a party named the Republican Party deserves any credit for any of these, it's certainly not the party of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, Tom Delay, and George W. Bush. It's certainly not the Oregon party that's had anti-union and anti-gay rights initiatives on the ballot regularly for the last 20 years.
Hilarious.
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9:21 a.m.
Apr 17, '09
mulatto? where's the jewess? the coolie? i know it's a "proper" term, but ugh. (and you know, more than a few white people are glad slavery ended, too. although, of course, not as much as our nation's young mulatto women doctors.)
didn't see anything about "Thank you for not slaughtering every Native American." or "Thanks for letting the Chinese work as virtual slaves on your railroads." how about "Thanks for making so many of us feel so welcome by shoving us into ghettos, stealing our family names, and making us shamed of our heritages." gosh, Republicans, such good times.
and i forget, the name of that Republican President that signed the Civil Rights Act? or the one who integrated the Army? and that GOP Pres who won WW2? hmmm. who were they? but at least we know we have Abe Lincoln to count on to lead them back to prominence.
Apr 17, '09
I guess it does show that the Republicans are actually thinking. When your brand is in the toilet, what do you do? You polish it up by reminding people why they used to like you. Pretty logical from a marketing standpoint.
The most important part of this story (imho) is that they REALIZE how screwed they are. This sort of advertising won't work by itself... any marketer will tell you that... but people do respond to this sort of ad.
Long run? It won't work unless they change their CURRENT product. It's all fine and good to give people that nostalgic feeling for something they used to like, but if the current product bears no resemblance.
Apr 17, '09
Pleeze pleeze pleeze...what godforsaken ad agency did this?
I want to know. What "Creative" hacks spewed out this?
We need to know. Names!
Apr 17, '09
Oregon Beach Bill: now that's brilliant, considering that the modern GOP would consider it some sort of Islamofascist-socialistic-communistic infringement on "property rights".
Ihe Oregon GOP just needs to buy newspaper ads and infomercials showing that famous still photograph of Tom McCall serving ice cream to a bunch of elementary school kids. Keep it warm and fuzzy, especially when you've got a nasty piece of work like Bob Tiernan as state party chairman.
Apr 17, '09
I am proud to be Republican. As far as equal rights, Brodheads have taken bullets in the name of freedom for all Americans!
[Off-topic genealogical nonsense deleted. -editor.]
Democrats engaged in 100 years of super racism from 1865 to 1965. LBJ made ammends for 100 years of Racism. Now democrats represent all "people of color?" We also represent lower taxation and solid conservative values!
Republicans did not have to make ammends! Your history is skewed Chisholm!
Here is some history on the Wilmot Proviso!
http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2541:3:10.lincoln
Apr 17, '09
StephanAndrewBrodheadForCongress wrote:
This essentially makes my point: To claim that the modern day Democratic party is the same one that opposed Reconstruction and supported Jim Crow is as nonsensical as to say that the modern-day Republican party is the same one that freed the slaves.
The modern-day GOP doesn't get a free ride on Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation [or Teddy Roosevelt's trust-busting and environmental stewardship], because it's not that party anymore. All it has is the continuity of the name on their letterhead--not something to build a historical argument on. In the half-dozen years following the watershed passage of the CRA, most southern conservatives like Thurmond and Helms left the Democratic party for the GOP, and that has been their true home ever since.
bn
Apr 17, '09
[Off-topic genealogical nonsense deleted. -editor.]
Apr 17, '09
We deserve some McCall Republicans again!
SAB, I campaigned for McCall's re-election and voted for Pres. Ford. You don't seem to understand how different that GOP was from the one that exists now.
Apr 17, '09
Why is it then that George Bush had a very diverse cabinet?
It is true that the "Solid South" did change!
Can you tell me what the "Solid South" means?
Are you saying the Solid south morphed into the Republican Party?
Apr 17, '09
Republicans have nothing to be ashamed of concerning racism. Republicans are not racist! There is zero factual proof that Republicans are racist. You are still following the carrot of Obama and his statement durring the election: "Republicans will tell you not to vote for me because I am Black!"
That statement was an insult and had zero historical basis.
Now Democrats are saying that "Republicans who do not want to pay higher taxation are white supremisist racists."
This strategy is going to back fire! Once Obama cannot reduce his huge debt, Americans will not vote for him even if he is English racing Green!
12:15 p.m.
Apr 17, '09
SABFC
Good luck with that. Tone deaf?
Apr 17, '09
[Off-topic genealogical nonsense deleted. -editor.]
Apr 17, '09
Hey Kari, thanks once again for turning letting Blue Oregon turn into the Stephan Andrew Brodhead for Congress website.
Apr 17, '09
Sorry! I will tone it down!
Apr 17, '09
"When your brand is in the toilet, what do you do?"
Try to convince the public you can pick up the turd by the shiny end?
Apr 17, '09
Yo Broadhead --
I'm sure those rants will win you lots of votes.
And why should I care about the Broadhead family history? Does that somehow make you special?
Apr 17, '09
Are you saying the Solid south morphed into the Republican Party?
YES. That was precisely what Richard Nixon and his advisers had in mind in 1968, and the scheme they set into motion was fabulously successful. LBJ of course recognized this would happen when he signed the Civil Rights Act.
Dixiecrats circa 1960 = Republicans circa 2009.
Uh, no brainer, Brodhead.
Apr 17, '09
You polish it up by reminding people why they used to like you.
Haha... They sould call it "Republican Party Classic"
Apr 17, '09
A sincere thank you... to Republicans from Ken Camp next door.
Apr 17, '09
Okay.
Once again, and I don't include Broad-Head landed gentry.
Who is responsible for writing/creating the scripts?
What agency? What think tank? What astroturf organization?''
Names.
Apr 17, '09
If we want to drag up history, then lets be clear that it was those wonderful southern democrats that gave us the Jim Crow laws of the 1920's and 1930's that were not repealed for over 40 years.
I can not comment on the alleged republican ad copy, but if true it appears to be quite a reach.
Apr 17, '09
Hey, TA, in terms of your query about "where's the Jewess?" in the GOP ad script, perhaps you'll remember this routine on Saturday Night Live many years ago: the "advertisement" for "Jewish Jeans", featuring Gilda Radner as the "Jewess in Jewish Jeans."
Apr 17, '09
If we want to drag up history . . .
It's not "we" who are dragging up history. If the ads are real, it's the GOP that's dragging up history, for the obvious reason that their present positions are so abominable.
BTW, there's no denying the heinous history of Democrats in the old Jim Crow system, but isn't it curious how many Southern Ds (Strom Thrumond, Jesse Helms) found a nice cozy home in the modern-day GOP.
1:57 p.m.
Apr 17, '09
Stephen --
We tend to allow a pretty long leash around here, especially for candidates. But please don't abuse it. Stay on topic, and let other people get a chance at the open mic.
If your total comments exceed the length of the original post, you're probably taking up more than your fair share of the oxygen in the room.
Perhaps you should consider starting your own blog, where you can make any rules you want. It's free and it's easy.
Apr 17, '09
Surely, follow-up ads are in the pipeline that hammer at Democratic Party scandals and spending since the Civil War, ala Brodhead.
It's just half-baked so far. What's a good cop without a bad cop?
They can't mention McCall by name, of course -- with his ties to SB 100 and sales tax history.
Apr 17, '09
It is true that the "Solid South" did change!
Can you tell me what the "Solid South" means?
Are you saying the Solid south morphed into the Republican Party?
Isn't it obvious? When the Democrats stopped being the racist party, a critical mass of white Southerners switched to Republican. They're still the "solid south", with a different party label.
Without having changed a single idea in 40 years.
Apr 17, '09
To the Republicans reading this blog...
Since Nixon sold the soul of the GOP to Satan with his adoption of "the Southern Strategy," the GOP has become the party that will lie, cheat, kill, steal, or screw anything or anyone to win an election.
Feel free to quote me on that.
Apr 17, '09
I'm starting to think C & L and Blue Oregon inadvertantly helped out the OR GOP by publicizing these before the ads were made and aired. Now they may not waste their scant resources on them...
Apr 17, '09
Over at the Northwest Progressive Institute, we got into the spirit of all the gratitude the Oregon Republican Party is heaping onto itself.
7:25 p.m.
Apr 17, '09
i hope Dems everywhere are doing more than gloating at the state of the GOP. it wasn't that long ago we were on the floor and gasping like that ol' fish out of water. and that's happened several times in the past 40 years.
it's great to have Bush et al out of office & on the ropes. it's not good enough, however. that's why i was so excited (and remain so) about Obama's candidacy: this is a chance to do more than win a few elections. we have a chance to change the country. but if the Dems hang on to the last century, as Evan Bayh and his band of blue dog cowards seem to be doing (gosh, we must be oh so careful or the voters won't like us anymore), they will allow the Rs back into the game way too soon. it's one thing to disagree with Obama's policies on certain matters (i certainly do); to miss the point of his victory -- America wants fundamental change, not just a switch in governing party -- would be tragic. this kind of opportunity is rare. Dems, Rs, indies, all must find common ground in making a new politics for a new millenium.
this is the chance our children may never hoped we would have. we do. let's not fuck it up.
Apr 17, '09
Chisholmage,
http://thebrodblog.iraqeraveterangibill.com/
I will get back to you! I am watching Oreilly!
Keep up the good work!
No seriously!
Peace out!
9:24 p.m.
Apr 17, '09
I also thought there was a certain amount of desperation having to invoke the likes of Lincoln because Republicans had no one else more recent. My question is: Why did they not use Ronald Reagan? Are they throwing Ronnie under the bus?
Apr 18, '09
Forty years ago, in Oregon, the Republicans were indeed the "good guys" on many important issues, notably the environment. I'm old enough to remember McCall's efforts being strenuously resisted by the Democrats, which in those days was a single-issue labor party. That was then. Both parties have changed dramatically both nationally and locally, and past positions are hardly more than historical interest. The present Republican party appeals to perhaps 20% of the public, with another 8% of habitual followers to round out the present 28% self-identification of that party. Many of the 8% are seniors and their numbers will decline. It is doubtful that the party can change, since the core of the party is homogeneous and extremely resistant to modification of their positions.
6:13 a.m.
Apr 18, '09
Ferris wrote: "I want to know. What "Creative" hacks spewed out this? We need to know. Names!"
I don't know but it sure sounds like the product of Bush's brain, i.e., Karl Rove. You know, Karl, the expert on making a silk purse out of a sow's ear and lulling non-thinkers into acquiescence.
Apr 20, '09
Heya Kari and all,
Is it possible, even remotely possible, that "Stephan Andrew Brodhead" is actually William Steven Humphrey, Editor-in-Chief of the Portland Mercury?
Without the laughs?
Or the charm?
Have they ever been spotted in the same room?
I think not!
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