Pete Hoekstra's Super Bowl ad: "We take your jobs"

**internet_pseudopod** · February-06-12, 02:25 PM

The thing that makes this ad so racist is that Hoekstra could have stopped at the Asian girl. He could have stopped at the bicycle. He could have stopped at the rice paddy. He could have stopped at the gong and bamboo hat. But no, he had to take a young lady who seems like a native English speaker and make her use pidgin english in order to make a "ha-ha funny only to him" joke. Shameful.

**sycloneman** · February-06-12, 02:28 PM

To send the signal that racism doesn't work in MI, I'll be voting for Stabinow [[which I was not going to do...).

To send a signal that people should always give others the benefit of the doubt and be given second chances, I'm writing in Kwame Kilpatrick for mayor of Detroit.

Racism won't be the only thing not working in Michigan if you vote based on your gut reaction over a single advertisement.

**mwilbert** · February-06-12, 02:35 PM

Racism won't be the only thing not working in Michigan if you vote based on your gut reaction over a single advertisement.

Someone who really believes that Hoekstra would be a better Senator than Stabenow [[or who is convinced that it would be better to have the Republicans in control of the Senate than the Democrats) should still vote for Hoekstra irrespective of this advertisement.

However, people who are less sure of that might think that opposing Hoekstra sends a useful message about questionable ads of this sort. And of course, the ad might make someone who was not a true believer question whether Hoekstra [[and/or the Republican Party in general) is really who you want in the Senate. Or, since there is a primary, whether Hoekstra is the specific Republican you want.

**jolla** · February-06-12, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by sycloneman

To send a signal that people should always give others the benefit of the doubt and be given second chances, I'm writing in Kwame Kilpatrick for mayor of Detroit.

Racism won't be the only thing not working in Michigan if you vote based on your gut reaction over a single advertisement.

If you feel people should always be given the benefit of the doubt and be given second chances, then by all means, do that. You'd be an idiot to feel people should ALWAYS get the benefit of the doubt and ALWAYS be given second chances, but that's the beauty of America, the freedom to be stupid.

Anything Hoekstra would do 'better' is not worth the acceptance of racism, xenophobia, and scapegoating. [[Hint: not much is.)

**sycloneman** · February-06-12, 02:50 PM

I am not pushing for one candidate over the other. I am neither pushing pro-Republician nor pro-Democractic and I certainly hope that making a decision on one of them would entail more research than watching a 30 second spot ad.

**coracle** · February-06-12, 02:53 PM

Wow! what a fabulous on the nose ad. It obviously works because all the looney left have bit the bait and called it racist which is their default position on anything that illustrates their failures. None of them would ever vote for him anyway so who gives a shit for their opposing opinions? Let them bleat.

**gnome** · February-06-12, 02:59 PM

Q.Where in Michigan do we have rice paddies?

A. We don't.

Q. Does that mean Pete took Michigan dollars to Asia to shoot this?

A. Maybe so.

Q. Pete hired foreigners to shoo his spot?

A. Looks like it.

Q. Isn't he sending money overseas, just like Debbie?

A. oh shit

**canuck** · February-06-12, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by FlyingJ

eh, would a Troy motel callgirl be more effective?

If looks are for anything, yes.

**sycloneman** · February-06-12, 03:33 PM

Q. Does that mean Pete took Michigan dollars to Asia to shoot this?

A. Maybe so.

Q. Pete hired foreigners to shoo his spot?

A. Looks like it.

Q. Isn't he sending money overseas, just like Debbie?

A. oh shit

All assumptions. Actually what should make you more upset is that he spent that much money for an ad during the SUPER BOWL!!!! If you think about it that way HE is actually the "spenditnow"

**southen** · February-06-12, 03:46 PM

i think it is insensitive to chinese people, but to me what's more offensive is how lame the campaign is. he really couldnt come up with anything better than that? yeesh.

**Scottathew** · February-06-12, 03:51 PM

Wow.

This is just racist an inexcusable.

**ejames01** · February-06-12, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by coracle

Wow! what a fabulous on the nose ad. It obviously works because all the looney left have bit the bait and called it racist which is their default position on anything that illustrates their failures. None of them would ever vote for him anyway so who gives a shit for their opposing opinions? Let them bleat.

I'm a registered Republican and it is offensive to me. And that doesn't even touch the fact that the message is absurd. If he really believes this, he doesn't need to be in congress.

**jolla** · February-06-12, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by sycloneman

...I certainly hope that making a decision on one of them would entail more research than watching a 30 second spot ad.

This 30 second ad is so effective, I don't need to do anymore research. Thanks Pete!

**DinNC** · February-06-12, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by coracle

Wow! what a fabulous on the nose ad. It obviously works because all the looney left have bit the bait and called it racist which is their default position on anything that illustrates their failures. None of them would ever vote for him anyway so who gives a shit for their opposing opinions? Let them bleat.

I could turn FOX news and Rush radio on any day of the week and here this same old crap. I havn't even seen the commercial because I live in NC, but when someone uses "looney left" you know that common sense is not there.

**j to the jeremy** · February-06-12, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by internet_pseudopod

The thing that makes this ad so racist is that Hoekstra could have stopped at the Asian girl. He could have stopped at the bicycle. He could have stopped at the rice paddy. He could have stopped at the gong and bamboo hat. But no, he had to take a young lady who seems like a native English speaker and make her use pidgin english in order to make a "ha-ha funny only to him" joke. Shameful.

Yep, that's the kicker.

**coracle** · February-06-12, 04:49 PM

The bleat goes on!

**Cinderpath** · February-06-12, 05:01 PM

What a complete butt-nugget. Sorry Pete, as the father of an Asian daughter, this moron panders to every stereotype about Asians possible. And sorry those folks in Asia are not peddling around some rice-paddy, they are building your iPhone, and loaning us money to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

**thnk2mch** · February-06-12, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by sycloneman

To send a signal that people should always give others the benefit of the doubt and be given second chances.

So I take it you are voting for Obama?

**Patrick** · February-06-12, 05:24 PM

Ha, that ad could have only come from the west side of Michigan anyways.

**Roq** · February-06-12, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by jolla

This 30 second ad is so effective, I don't need to do anymore research. Thanks Pete!

Exactly. Did no one on his team say "Hey Pete -- that might alienate, oh, about 98% of the voting public. We might wanna come up with a new concept"? That they allowed this speaks volumes.

**Whitehouse** · February-06-12, 07:06 PM

Asshat Hoekstra, I feel a little shame he's of Dutch origin, fails to realize it's Republican policies like deregulation the leads to off-shoring jobs. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot....

It was clever though of his campaign to switch off the like/dislike button and replies. I think we all know what would have happened...

I think someone should repost it with those options open. See what happens. I think I will do that tomorrow.

Look at this Google search using the words "Pete", "Hoekstra", "Superbowl", "Racist".

**rjk** · February-06-12, 07:10 PM

I suppose all of you who are outraged by this ad were also outraged when Virg Bernero [[The guy many of you probably voted for) made his chief chicken-little and bows and arrows comments? Talk about stereotyping.

The funny thing about racist comments is that many people's degree of outrage usually depends if they agree with the politics of the person who made the comment.

Occurrence · February-06-12, 07:13 PM

The ad is so bad it's actually kind of funny. Some of the over-sensitive people crying racism need to lighten up and laugh a little. This Hoekstra guy is an idiot, don't let anything he does bother you. Isn't he one of the nut jobs who claimed he saw "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq?