The ad itself was filmed in CA and features a young woman with long black hair riding a bike between rice fields (yes, we do have all those props in California). She comes up to the camera in her perfectly coiffed long "do" and starts right in with the sophomoric message she was paid to deliver (in partially broken English).
The text is straight out of the playbook of a 10th grade bully as she's forced to call Michigan's senator "Debby Spenditnow". I bet that was a phrase order from Hoekstra himself and the articles available on this ad note that the lobbyist who wants to become the junior senator from Michigan does see himself as morally superior because he isn't interested in spending money. Unfortunately, Hoekstra is probably telling the truth about his proclivity towards not aiding US companies so they can compete with the highly subsidized businesses of China. But that lack of spending could be what is holding back efforts to protect American jobs from what really looks more and more like a trade war with China especially in environmental fields.
Hoekstra now says don't look at the racism of using the young actress (of Chinese descent according to Mr. Hoekstra) and her "broken" English, look at her use of English at all, supposedly a sign of superiority. But, if Hoekstra wants more American students to learn Chinese, he should be behind more money flowing to schools and colleges for just that purpose.
Wait, no. Hoekstra believes you accomplish goals by not putting money into them. What a novel idea! It's like not paying your mortgage so you'll be more likely to keep your house.
There's only one problem with that idea. It doesn't work.
In another report Hoekstra complained about the failure of Solyndra, yet he fails to see that once again, it appears that spending more money on American businesses would help them compete. That fact is supported by fellow Republicans like a GOP primary candidate for a Wisconsin Senate seat, Mark Neuman, whose company, Neuman Solar Leasing has received a half million dollars from the government. Because, Mr. Hoekstra, if Americans don't have foward looking businesses we can't compete.
And, in fact, spending money is exactly what the Chinese government did to get the powerhouse economy it has now.
Why wouldn't it work here, Mr. Hoekstra?
In fact, that money spending gimmick is also what brought this nation out of the Great Depression. Yes, in the end the only way that the Republicans would allow President Roosevelt to spend enough to put a final cap on the Depression was to go to war. Still the spending finally happened and it did it's job.
The big problem for the Republicans is that spending requires asking for taxes from the wealthy. And that is anathema to the GOP.
It looks like the second half of the American game will be led by the same quarterback as the first half, and Pete Hoekstra won't be going to the Senate, if we spread the message that spending to grow the economy is the right thing to do. We can settle up on paying down the debt later.
BTW, I have liked some of Fred Davis previous ads, like the Demon Sheep, and Christine O'Donnell's "i'm not a witch" spot.
That doesn't mean I'd follow their advice.
This ad, though, with its racism, sucks.
I like though that the Hoekstra camp had to pay a lot of cash to get it on the Superbowl. I hope it depleted ol' Pete's coffers.
What we need to do is to educate our friends and families to counter the lies of such ads, then we don't have to worry about them.
Articles I read on the new Hoekstra ad:
Politico: Super Bowl ads: Pete Hoekstra's hits a nerve
AP News Break: APNewsBreak: Super Bowl ad hits Sen. 'Spenditnow' (at Deseret News)
On Hoekstra and Solyndra : Pete Hoekstra Predicts Michigan to Elect New Senator.
Web site Fred Davis Strategic Perception
