Courtesy of the New Republic:
There’s a new ad splashing across national TV and the internet this week in the Republican crusade to curry female support. The spot features a woman complaining about her relationship to the camera. Her beau spies on her text messages, meddles in her healthcare, and tanks their bank account. “I know I’m stuck with Barack for two more years. I get that,” she says, eyes a little moist, “but I’m not stuck with his friends.”
John Jordan of Americans for Shared Prosperity commissioned an ad to “treat women voters more like adults than either the Democrats or Republicans have,” he told Politico. Despite Jordan’s claims of novelty, the ad is eerily similar to one released by the Republican National Committee in 2012. In this version, the girlfriend breaks up with a cardboard Obama cutout, who had been spending too much time on the golf course and with celebrities. (“You think I didn’t see you with Sarah Jessica Parker and George Clooney?”) Same irresponsible boyfriend Barack, different girlfriend.
Since then, the politics-as-dating framework has been a favorite among Republicans campaigning for the young, female vote. Earlier this year, the College Republican National Committee rolled out test ads for young and female voters after a year and a half of research. The spots, which aired in Virginia and Michigan, were modeled after the dating reality shows “Catfish” and “The Bachelorette.” The Democratic candidates are all lousy boyfriends—liars, financially irresponsible, and snoopy. In the “Bachelorette” parody, the Democratic suitor failed to pay for a date after maxing out all of his credit cards, then frantically threw the bill at a passing child. Get it?
Brilliant move by the conservatives.
I mean after all what woman doesn't want to be reduced to a "Sex in the City" caricature whose entire self worth is determined by the kind of man she dates, and how much money they spend on them?
Of course the ads are also chock full of misinformation, and outright lies, but how can any woman be expected to notice that when she is being pandered to so effectively?
Give me a break!
God help us. Another Koch Brothers front group. Why don't they just stick with Americans for Prosperity?
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
I find this creepy. Women aren't in love with any politician. Maybe men are in love with the Palins and Bachmann, and vote their crotches, but women are far smarter than that. We know who is "spying on us and meddlin' in our healthcare." Bush began the spying with the GOP's full consent, and ensuring I have contraception if I need it is a bit different than mandating that every pregnancy be carried to term, even if the fetus is dead.The GOP really does not have a clue. But please proceed, GOP. The end is near.
ReplyDeleteBlowback on this ad is totally dependent upon the intelligence of its viewers; "Therein lies the rub...". Good luck with that, eh!
ReplyDeleteI think it would have been more effective if she's compared him to PMS and then ended it with, "Am I right ladies?"
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHA gop still doesn't get it. They are forever living in a fantasy world. They will pretend, lie and pick and choose hollywood scripts for ideas. They never have an original thought. Their cheesy ads won't do a thing for women, esp sense they have a ongoing war on women. FOH gop.
ReplyDeleteThey repeatedly put women in a superficial, stupid weak, second class, ignorant bimbo box.
gop continues to make President Obama a character by referring to him as a "boyfriend." They got the word "boy" in their lying, silly, dog-whistile ads.
Also they are sexulizing our President. Referring to our President as a "boyfriend" is a good point to scare the old, white, racist, ignorant assholes. It should be a crime to lie like they do.
This statement is full of crap: "treat women voters more like adults than either the Democrats...) Well give women back their body, let women decided what they want to do with their own damn body. They are so full of shit, they should be shot for stinking.
gop really believe that a few 30 sec ads will some how turn their party around and women will come flocking to them. HAHAHAHAHA on their real ignorance.
Please vote.
Dear Rethuglicans, continue to assume women are stupid at your own peril.
ReplyDelete~Canuck~
Beaglemom, they want it to seem like there are many "grassroot" organizations. When in fact there is only one gop master...koch.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Republicans really understand women. Oh, there will be some ditzy females to whom this ad will sound very attractive. But the boomer and millenial women have something in common here...our BS detectors.
ReplyDeleteOn another subject....check out today's National Enquirer
ReplyDeleteSarah Palin a Road to Ruin....
Enjoy!
John Jordan of Americans for Shared Prosperity commissioned an ad to “treat women voters more like adults than either the Democrats or Republicans have,”
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I had my laugh of the day. They are clueless about women and these ads are telling us exactly what they think of women. Men may vote with the “brain” between their legs, but women don’t, the test group must have been a group of teenage boys.
Here in MI, Terri LaLa Land (Koch-teabagger), is trying to get the women’s vote by saying her opponent is a man, therefore doesn’t understand women. The dems came back with an ad than explains, “exactly how Terri is for women”. She is against equal pay, abortion etc and a group of women saying I don’t know which women Terri supports but it isn’t me.
We need to get all the Democrats out to vote this November. Remember what happened last midterm-the dems stayed home and the teabaggers won.
I like it and hope they keep it up! The last thing I want to see right now is ads from the GOP that might seem like they don't think women are idiots. I remember that ad with the cardboard cutout and I was thrilled at how incredibly LAME it was.
ReplyDeleteSo GOP, carry on!
R in NC
The FRC/ Dobson/ evangelical paradigm inherently places women into reductionistic roles in which they're emotionally, financially, and of course sexually dependent on men for all their needs. In that culture, women have no greater desire than to find the perfect leader who will take care of them. Teens are taught that what girls and women really want--ALL they really want, because that's the way God made them--is to find the perfect Christian man (and, at least nine months after the wedding, to start having his babies). You are told over and over, "Men are logical; women are relational. Men think; women feel. Men want a career outside the home; women want a home. Men want significance; women want security." These are mantras we learned in Sunday school. I don't think people who grew up outside that culture understand just how pervasive, entrenched, and unyielding those binaries are.
ReplyDeleteSo it's a logical conclusion that putting politics into a "relational" framework is the most effective way to reach women. The women with whom they're testing the concepts have grown up in, and stayed with, that belief system, so they enforce rather than oppose it. Unfortunately for the Rethugs and fortunately for us, rather than appealing to more women (and men who truly love and understand women), it just pisses us off--we're not sex-starved Bridget Jones clones. But hell, let them keep throwing money away on focus groups, commercial writers, actors, production, etc.... They just continue to show their utter inability to relate to anyone outside their bubble.
It's just more evidence of the way Conservative Brain Disorder forces them to deal with people strictly in terms of stereotype. They cannot connect with anyone outside their POV because they are incapable of understanding anything/anyone else.
DeleteLOL, Boscoe, I first read that as Conservative BAIN Disorder, and it reminded me of Rmoney's "Binders Full of Women." You're absolutely right!
DeleteI'd like to know how much the actress in this ad got for her soul.
ReplyDeleteI never understand how the right can keep griping on the money issues when the Dow is at record highs and unemployment is down.
ReplyDeleteomg, women are not this dumb. There are millions of single parent households that women are heading. Excuse me?
ReplyDeletefacepalm.
ReplyDeleteOnly someone as dumb as Sarah Palin would buy into this ad. This is along the same lines as Sarah being the VP pick. McCain thought that women who liked Hillary would vote for the R ticket because a woman was on it.
ReplyDeleteI guess what they don't get is women are not going to vote for stupid. And this ad is stupid and so was putting Sarah on the ballot.
No, Bristol, Stop the dreaming, stop the stalking, close your computer, drop the i phone, he's NOT calling you, he's happily married. Your SpongeMomSqarebelly didn't raise you right, you're stalking a married man, find some single guy with a busload of kids so your hard earned money (cough cough) can help support and feed baby's daddy's other kids.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP has lost it's mind and I'm ok with that.