The worst ad of the year?

The worst ad to hit the airwaves this political season belongs to Bob Corker of Tenesse. The ad, called racist by even Chris Mathews, the noted Republican tool, can be seen here. While I'm not sure that I agree that the ad itself is racist, it certainly appeals to racist sentiments. Also, it lies about Ford's record and distracts voters from the real issues.

What follows is my analysis of the script:

WOMAN 1: "Harold Ford looks nice. Isn't that enough?"
[Racist appeal. This woman is black. Message: Black women are superficial, and if solid white people don't rush to the polls, the black women of Tennesse are going to elect this guy for superficial reasons.]

WOMAN 2: "Terrorists need their privacy."
[Mischarecterization: Liberals don't think terrorists "need" privacy. They think that the best way to fight terrorism is by fighting the terrorists; therefore we can't understand why Republicans insist on skipping the step where the government explains why they think the person they have incarcertated is actually a terrorist, and not someone who was arrested by mistake.]

MAN 1: "When I die, Harold Ford will let me pay taxes again."
[Distraction: 99 percent of the people in TN aren't wealthy enough to worry about estate taxes.]

MAN 2: "Ford's right, I do have too many guns."
[Lie: Nothing in Ford's voting record suggests he'd try to force someone to give up a gun that had been legally purchased.

WOMAN 3: "I met Harold at the Playboy party!"
[Racist appeal: (1) This woman is white. Not long ago, black men in TN were lynched for consorting with white women. This segmant of the ad is meant to tap into those anxieties. (2) By mentioning the Playboy party, the women reminds voters in TN that black men are thought to be sexually irresponsible; meanwhile, (3) the segment suggests to black women that Harold Ford prefers white women and imagines himself "too good" for women fo his own race.]

WOMAN 4: "I'd love to pay higher marriage taxes."
[Lie: Harold Ford voted YES on permanently eliminating the marriage penalty. (Apr 2004]

MAN 2: "Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy."
[Distraction: The Bush administration has no plan for North Korea; moreover North Korea became a nuclear power while Bush was distracted by Iraq and their non-existant WMDs/Al Queda ties]

MAN 3: "So he took money from porn movie producers. I mean, who hasn't?"
[Distraction: The RNC is a regular recipient of contributions from one of the largest producers and distrubors of gay porn in the world. In other words, this ad was likely puirchased with money collected from porn movie producers. Racist appeal: Again, the voters are reminded that black men are "sex-crazed"]

ANNOUNCER: "The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising."
[Gives Corker deniability. Now he can claim that the ad was awful, but he had nothing to do with it. Which, in fact, is exactly what he did.]

WOMAN 3: "Harold, call me!"
[Racist appeal: (1) This woman is white. Not long ago, black men in TN were lynched for consorting with white women. This segmant of the ad is meant to tap into those anxieties. (2) By mentioning the Playboy party, the women reminds voters in TN that black men are thought to be sexually irresponsible; meanwhile, (3) the segment suggests to black women that Harold Ford prefers white women and imagines himself "too good" for women fo his own race.]