A Willie Horton ad for a new generation

April 22, 2008

I’ve seen some suggest that Hillary Clinton’s attack ads, directed at Barack Obama, have been overly aggressive. The “3 a.m.” ad last month, and the ad featuring bin Laden this week, are in line with the kind of negative Republican ads we can expect in the fall. Or so the argument goes.

In reality, right-wing hatchetmen are prepared to go much further. Take this new gem from Floyd Brown, author of the infamous Willie Horton ad from 1988.

Brown told Time’s Michael Sherer yesterday, “The campaign by Hillary Clinton has not been able to raise Obama’s negatives. It is absolutely critical that Obama’s negatives go up with Republicans.”

The result is this smear, which will reportedly air later this month in North Carolina, and which will reach up to 7 million conservative activists via email this week (along with a plea for cash so that organizers can buy more television time).

Different people perceive attack ads differently, but I didn’t find this one especially striking. I watched it a couple of times, but instead of thinking, “Oh no, what will Dems do about this in the fall?” I thought, “Really? This couldn’t be the biggest smear they can come up with, can it?”

I’m not sure who’s going to be persuaded by the spot. In fact, I’m not even sure if I understand the attack — Obama resisted an effort to allow the state to execute gang members, which somehow contributed to three murders in Chicago, which somehow means he won’t be aggressive towards al Qaeda.

Even for the unhinged right, this is pretty foolish.

In fact, it’s likely Brown & Co. created the ad just to be outrageous, hoping that it would spark a controversy and the money would come rolling in.

Brown is funding the initial ad campaign through a political action committee called the National Campaign Fund, which had $14,027 in the bank at the end of March. Brown said he had established several other front groups to fund a long-range effort to erode Obama’s support, including a second PAC, called The Legacy Committee, a 527 organization called Citizens for a Safe and Prosperous America and a so-called “social welfare” 501(c)4 nonprofit called the Policy Issues Institute.

A PAC with $14,027 in the bank is likely to struggle to have an impact on the presidential election.

Given Brown’s role in creating the Willie Horton ad against Dukakis, this new spot has the feel of going to the well once too many times. Just because an attack ad worked two decades ago doesn’t mean it’s time to recycle it. The political landscape is entirely different — Dukakis opposed the death penalty in all circumstances; Obama doesn’t. Support for capital punishment was very high 20 years ago; today support is much weaker. It doesn’t even take an especially sophisticated voter to wonder what on earth Obama’s vote has to do with counter-terrorism.

If Obama’s the Democratic nominee, I can imagine plenty of worrisome ads that might undermine the party’s efforts. This isn’t one of them.

Again, CB, I find you’re being a bit too optimistic. It doesn’t matter what the content of the ad is; the GOP is in the business of preying upon people’s stupidity. Put up an ad with ominous music and allusions to terrorism and death, and voila! The stupid denizens of this country are hoodwinked into voting Republican. That’s the game they keep playing, while we well-intentioned lefties keep hoping that people will actually be rational when it comes to making voting decisions. People do not vote with their brains; they vote with their guts. I’m just wondering when the Democratic party will learn that, and start putting out some attack ads of their own. Sure, it goes against the whole positive, uplifting message, and it goes against running on the issues. But, as we have learned in 2000 and 2004, nice guys finish last, and the nerd gets beaten up by the bully on the playground that is American politics.

After Iowa, I thought that, in Obama, we had a candidate who could finally resonate with the public, because of his amazing gift for oratory. I should not have been so naive; against the GOP smear machine, even Superman would not win.

  • Lots of innocent people got put on death row in Illinois. That is, actually innocent people — like, you know, they hadn’t done anything wrong, and the State was about to kill them. I guess there’s something horribly wrong with opposing the extension of the death penalty under such circumstances, but I’m darned if I see what it was.

    By the way, torture had something to do with putting the innocent on death row, according to Amnesty International. “Madison Hobley, Aaron Patterson, Stanley Howard and LeRoy Orange [were] pardoned in 2003. [They were s]ent to death row on the basis of ‘confessions’ extracted through the use of torture by former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and other Area 2 police officers in Chicago.” I heard Obama is against torture, too. Maybe they could make an ad about that.

  • Plus the new “war on gangs”…I have a hard time seeing this one stick. We seem to be able to only handle a couple of “wars” at a time, and right now Iraq & terrorism are in the front of people’s minds. Even the war on drugs or illegal immigration are almost relegated to afterthoughts.

  • My first impression, it’s too long. Then, it’s a state/local issue. Seems a stretch to think this would be a make or break issue.

  • Times change, but not for the GOP. If this is how they plan on holding onto the White House, let Obama and Hillary beat each other silly another six months, because those guys are still using the same old moldy playbook and McCain is toast. Does this joker have any clue why Obama appeals to independents and some Republicans? Apparently not.

  • You’re right that this is not exactly compelling stuff. The bigger point, though, is that there is no line of attack so vile that the Republicans won’t employ it if they think it will work for them. To tell you the truth, I hope they do. I suspect that, this time around, this kind of stuff will not work. Call me an optimist but it’s my most fervent hope that, this time around, Americans will look at what the Republicans are selling and finally see it for the cynical, racist tripe that it is.

  • So did the legislation pass? Is the entire Illinois Government failing?

    The bizarre thing about this ‘attack’ is that it seems more like it makes the case for gun control, not the need for the death penalty.

    It might solidify the Republicans, but I don’t see it as a hit for Obama.

    Weird.

  • GOP is pro-death penalty – so this ad is appropriate for them.
    (GOP is for more war — pro-death again. BUT GOP claims it is pro-life. )

  • This may be damning praise, but the Obama attacks of 08 remind me a lot of the Clinton smears of 92 and 96. Despite everything that the GOP threw at ol’ Billyboy, he was such a dynamic speaker, had such a cult of personality (and might I add, a failrly competent President, especially in hindsight), that the smears just didn’t stick. They had to keep attacking him and attacking him until they were able to pin SOMETHING on him. I’m not an apologist for the Clinton years, Bill had more than his share of f***p-ups, But if it really wasn’t about the sex but the lie and the coverup, as the GOP LUUUUVED to reiterate (it IS such a dandy soundbite, isn’t it?), the fact remains that they went someplace in their investigation of other, unproven activities tey had no business investigating. No wonder Fox News loves “Gotcha” journalism, they almost toppled a presidency, AND set the stage for 8 years of war with it.

    But I digress. The smears are similar, but what I find amusing is that, thus far, what I’d consider “big gun” smears – the madrassa fallacy, the Muslim myth, the Wright controversy, etc. – none of it is sticking all that much to Obama, much like many of the smears on Bill didn’t stick. I’m sure we’ll be led to believe that that was the opening salvo in a barrage on Obama’s character…but what if it isn’t? What if they went after him with all the best smears first, and that’s all they really have? This ad is flimsy character assassination; hell, it’s barely a character wedgie. It could’ve been sound and fury designed to beg for money, but it might also be the bottom of the barrel. So unless Obama has skeletons yet to be unearthed, OR he does something incredibly dumb in the next few months, this could bode extremely ill for the GOP.

  • You’d think the creator of the Willie Horton ad would be able to do a stronger job. The key to the Willie Horton ad was that they claimed Dukakis was directly responsible for Horton being out there committing his crimes. I agree with CB… this is very weak.

  • This ad won’t have much traction. The type of people who are swayed by the argument that a candidate is “weak on the death penalty” don’t seem to get very upset when people named Tamika or Severo are murdered.

    Now, if the Republicans are able to dig up a story about a pretty white girl who was murdered by Chicago “gangs”….

  • Maybe when gas cracks $5 a gallon, and the cost of everything that’s shipped goes up accordingly, the credit-maxed saps who salivate over ads like this will realize they’re being royally screwed by the GOP.

    Maybe not.

  • Yeah, I thought that was just kind of lame, almost tame. However, I don’t see a link between the murder rate and the death penalty and I’m far from the target audience, still, it did nothing for me.

  • I think Obama should do an ad where he walks down the middle of the street in jeans, spurs and Stetson with a 6-shooter strapped to his hip as old white folk flee as fast as their walkers allow before his approach. He stops and draws his gun. A caricature of McBush soils himself. A young white woman’s eyes open wide, she smiles and swoons. Obama takes aim and shoots. Pan to a shot of a newspaper dispenser disintegrating. A close-up of Obama’s face as he drawls “got any more stupid questions for me?” He smiles and a gold tooth sparkles. A banner reads “There’s a new sheriff in town”. A young punk drives by in his low rider with the radio blaring rap “yes we can, yes we can, yes we can”.

  • The Repubs don’t need to sink to these levels as they can run on their outstanding record. Like their successes with Foreign Policy, uh, Iraq, er, the economy, um, the environment, well, social programs, oh, fiscal responsibility, um um, the justice system…

    I don’t think they can find enough Willie Hortons or rig enough Diebold machines to save their asses this year. To me, it’s like Enron all over again. The media sez they’re doing fine. The employees think so too because they’ve been fed the same crap as the media.

    We have to look at the executives. Many long time execs are jumping ship (congress types retiring in record numbers.) Many long time donors are holding back. The important fiscal numbers such as campaign donations are very low. All the numbers scream stormy waters ahead for Repubs.

  • I truly do not understand why Dem bloggers are posting this ad. Talk about it, fine, but why make it so easy for these scumbags to show high click-rates on the ad?

  • I agree, is this all they’ve got? The attempted correlation between gang violence and terror is tenuous and nonsensical.

    What’s next, [cue ominous music]: ‘If Obama won’t do anything about these East Side jaywalkers, what would he do about terrorists? Let them cross where they will? Is that the crosswalk you want your children growing up in? Vote Dim McRepub for Crossing Guard, B Street, 41st through 43rd aves.” [in background, fadeout of smoldering WTC, superimposed with Obama running across street against traffic].

    And since when did any Republican give two hoots about anyone named ‘Severo Enriquez?’ If the poor man had not been shot, they would’ve tried to deport him.

  • Chopin @ 15

    Your description reminded me of the scene in blazing saddles when the new sheriff rides into town and takes himself hostage.

    “Oh baby! You’re SO talented; and they’re SO dumb!”

    Still cracks me up.

  • 18. On April 22nd, 2008 at 3:22 pm, evie said:
    I truly do not understand why Dem bloggers are posting this ad. Talk about it, fine, but why make it so easy for these scumbags to show high click-rates on the ad?
    _____________________

    Because then they’ll think the ad was successful. And they’ll make more just like it. And it will accelerate their de-volution into self-caricature & national punchlines.

    WORTH IT!!!

  • And since when did any Republican give two hoots about anyone named ‘Severo Enriquez?’ If the poor man had not been shot, they would’ve tried to deport him.

    This is smearing Latinos, assuming that someone with an Hispanic surname is in the U.S. illegally. Making assumptions about entire groups is called stereotyping, and we should not give this kind of wholesale prejudice and bias a pass. Latinos are generally hard-working, family- and goal-oriented, and unlikely to accept handouts, unlike African Americans as a group.

  • I thought “the war on terror” was yesterday’s slogan? These 527’s (or whatever they are now…same tripe, different classification) need to get their gooper talking points straight.

    Kill ’em there so we don’t have to…no, wait, that was sooooooo last year.

    Bring democracy to…no, wait, wrong.

    Crap, I can’t keep it all straight anymore. The truth is so much easier to follow. Lies are just too damned much energy expenditures to deal with. I guess I am not twisted enough.

    And someone else called it right on the money…you need a pretty, white chick to die by some icky brown person to make a dent in gooper mentality. Otherwise, it’s just…So?

    If this is the best they can do, bring it on. (Of course, the lies haven’t started. Yet.)

  • I had a similar reaction to Steve, I watched the ad twice and found it really unimpressive. If they took the time to make this thinking that this is the type of attack that will dictate the narrative of this campaign I think they are badly mistaken. Crime is not the issue driving voters and this ad is kind of incoherent anyway. It doesn’t seem like it would really move a lot of moderates or swing voters.

  • I think the Dems should run ads of the # of murders in Pheonix, Az. commited by illegals, especially those of cops. McCain isn’t doing anything for us.

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