Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

“Joe Biden deserved better than he got from some folks in his own party.”

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

The lights are all blinking red.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Even though I know this is a bad idea, I’m off to do it anyway!

Days Since JD Vance Insulted Women Across America: Zero

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

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Reader Interactions

124Comments

  3. 3.

    Geeno

    I love that ad. I don’t think it’ll change that many minds; I think most everyone who’d be moved by that is already on our side, but it’s a point worth repeating.

  4. 4.

    redshirt

    I can’t imagine anyone is undecided at this point, and yet objectively that must be true.

    I just wonder who ads like this one are aimed at? Supporters who might not vote? Or actual undecideds, whoever they are.

    I mean if you’re a Trump supporter, this ad is meaningless. All facts are meaningless.

  7. 7.

    Matt McIrvin

    Clinton’s challenge right now is not to convert Trumpists (that’s not happening), it’s to convert or retain basically sympathetic people who were at risk of staying home or voting third-party.

  8. 8.

    Tokyokie

    @Geeno: If it gets some people who have decided that Clinton is too untrustworthy, it may remind them that Trump is a pig, and motivate them to vote for her on Election Day rather than stay home or vote third party. (That anybody can find Trump more trustworthy than Clinton is to be in permanent exile in the Phantom Zone.)

  10. 10.

    dr. luba

    @redshirt: Millennials considering voting third party? Or anyone thinking about sitting out the election?

    ETA: slow on the draw. I see Matt McIrvin has beaten me to the punch.

  11. 11.

    James Head

    If what some political commenters are saying about the polls is true, this is aimed primarily at the Democrats and Independents thinking about third-party candidates.

  13. 13.

    RaflW

    @Geeno: I see this as a very effective ad aimed at two important constituencies: 1. folks wavering between HRC and staying home, and 2. at least some folks who are considering 3rd party but may still be getable.
    It really puts into perspective what could be enabled if staying home, or voting 3rd party, 4th party or write-in, cause Trump to eeek out a win. Shudder.

    Eta: I’m even slower on the draw.

  14. 14.

    Mr Rogers

    @Feebog: we can hope. Rest assured that someone will start saying how this add doesn’t inspire rural white men concerning their economic insecurity and therefore is indicative of Hillary’s campaign failures

    Those people mystify me as much as the thought that there are undecided voters.

  15. 15.

    Betty Cracker

    I think it’s a fantastic ad. Trump’s supporters have no minds to change, but it might get some women who are iffy about Clinton to go vote to keep that vile, sexist pig out of office. I still say women will ultimately save America from Trump. My prediction is the gender gap is going to be the largest ever recorded.

  16. 16.

    JPL

    The ad is and parents who love their children, should be appalled by Trump’s behavior. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of parents bring their children to Trump’s behavior.
    The latest article about Trump and Putin, should cause Republicans to ask him to step aside, but it won’t.
    Carter Page and the Logan Act

    The article didn’t mention the Logan Act, but if the story is true, I don’t know how they don’t prosecute.
    Of course, now Trump will deny ever knowing Page.

  17. 17.

    Geeno

    @Mr Rogers: Aggh! I can hear all the white male (and white male worshipping) pundits now.
    I say that as a white male who only has sons – sometimes things are about other people, and those things are important, too.

  18. 18.

    ? Martin

    @Betty Cracker: I think this is aimed at dads, btw. If anyone said those things to my 15 year old daughter, I’m pretty sure we’d be digging up bail money the next day. I think it will reach at least some Trump voters whose daughters see the ad and ask their dad about it.

    My daughter has previously expressed very little interest in politics, but we talk a LOT about Trump. She is legitimately scared of him winning. Not nervous. Not concerned. Not cynical. Scared. Having a scared daughter will shift your priorities.

  19. 19.

    Roger Moore

    @redshirt:

    I just wonder who ads like this one are aimed at? Supporters who might not vote? Or actual undecideds, whoever they are.

    It seems like a rally the base kind of ad rather than one aimed at convincing the undecided.

  20. 20.

    Keith P.

    OT rant just because my chest is about to explode. Been out of work for over a month after getting canned while recovering from heart failure (yes, people can do this, and I was even told by a city official that there’s nothing I can do because they can make up any excuse they want). I had a great interview a month ago, but final word got delayed and delayed. FINALLY got the OK and a start date last week. then the Friday before, my start date got postponed a week (to Monday). TODAY, I have gotten phone call after phone call about onboarding. They need this paperwork. Now that paperwork. Their entry web site wouldn’t take my SSN (web site but). Then it asked me for an access code that I was never given. Then I got a phone call asking me to drop what I’m doing and go do a drug screen (not possible; I have dialysis all afternoon). Then I got another call asking me to fill out a tax form. Then I got another call saying in addition, I needed to drive across town to provide 2 forms of ID for the tax form.
    I’ve had to repeatedly say that I do not have a free afternoon to do all this stuff (particularly with NO notice), but every fucking half hour, I get another phone call with some other errand I need to run. I can’t even go to the damn bathroom any more without my fucking phone ringing. It’s shit like this that I try to convey to people when I tell them that I doubt I will survive another year and really don’t much care about it any more. This world ain’t for me. (I’d live in the wilderness if I didn’t need constant medical care)

  23. 23.

    rb

    Good ad.

    I know and believe he will not win. But FFS, America (and specifically white America). That we let this piece of filth get that close to power is such a damning indictment.

    That and the pampered, uniformed murder squad featured in today’s other news.

  24. 24.

    Percysowner

    @redshirt: I just wonder who ads like this one are aimed at? Supporters who might not vote? Or actual undecideds, whoever they are. I think it’s aimed at undecideds and Trump supporters who have daughters. I think I read that Republican men with daughters have been more alienated from Trump than other Republican men. In the end, if a Trump supporter could see that Trump is hurting THEIR child, it might sway them. People often hold a position right until it affects them personally. See: Rob Portman deciding that gay rights might not be Teh Evil when his son came out.

  26. 26.

    WereBear

    @Keith P.: Yes. The concepts of efficiency and sense have been crushed out of business; I blame the Republicans.

    Seriously, though, I traded in my car in late August, and it took one month and a total of five hours on the phone to cancel a no longer needed subscription to a service. For the last two weeks I’ve been getting calls from my health insurance that have no connection to each other, and if I don’t get to them in time, they leave me a phone number to call back that, when I do, I’m told it is the wrong number.

    We have a girl cat who can run both of these outfits with much better success, and she can’t even speak English.

  27. 27.

    Brachiator

    @Betty Cracker:

    I still say women will ultimately save America from Trump.

    They will be very important, definitely. I will be interested to see how women vote in the swing states.

    My prediction is the gender gap is going to be the largest ever recorded.

    For white voters, yes. But even here, among white women, there is a significant difference in how well Clinton does among single women vs married women. I hope there is good exit poll data to look at all the variables that go into this election. I’d also like to know how many women who voted Republican in the last election vote for Hillary in this election.

    Also, as early voting is starting to come in, the shape of this election may be known by October 15 polls. The wild card will be how many people actually make up their minds in the last week (especially “enthusiasm gap” voters) and whether there is a significant surge of people who have not voted for years who have a stake in this presidential election.

    And yes, a lot of good data to be mined in this vote with a woman running for president. But since Trump is a weird outlier, I don’t expect the patterns here to be similar in future elections.

  28. 28.

    Trollhattan

    It works. Hillary had to put up with her daughter being called “The White House Dog” by everybody’s favorite conservative radio personality. Hardy-har. This is both on point and personal.

  30. 30.

    RaflW

    Also…

    @Deadspin
    Update: Ted Cruz officially cucked

    Trump may have just ruined Cruz’s 2020 chances. Well, actually Teddy’s own terrible instincts did it.

  31. 31.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @? Martin:

    My daughter has previously expressed very little interest in politics, but we talk a LOT about Trump. She is legitimately scared of him winning. Not nervous. Not concerned. Not cynical. Scared. Having a scared daughter will shift your priorities.

    I have a friend, single mom to two young daughters (6 and 9, I think). She told me that her daughters have come home from school several times terrified that if Trump wins, they (the girls) will have to leave the country. Leave home. Leave their mom. The reason? Their dad is half-Filipino and these beautiful little girls are slightly darker than many of their classmates, therefore they are targets according to what their friends are telling them. (The schoolfriends weren’t being mean or bullying, by the way; they were apparently very sad and concerned that this might happen if Trump wins.)

  33. 33.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Keith P.: Wow. Sorry to hear about your problems. I don’t even know what to say. Sounds so frustrating that I’d throw my hands up in the air if that was happening to me. Hope it all works out with the job and that your employer gives you a chance to get everything done in a reasonable amount of time.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    @Geeno: I am actually considering showing that video to two family members and a couple of other people I think are planning to vote for trump.

    I think that it will be harder to tune out just what kind of guy Trump is or make allowances. I don’t care whether you are republican or democrat or libertarian, Trump is a fucking pig and this would be the message to girls and women about their bodies and self-worth.

    My only question is how I will actually get them to watch it.

  35. 35.

    jl

    Good ad and good points. At this point, HRC campaign should do whatever works, and I presume they know what works.
    I want HRC to whomp Trump on issues, both in terms of Trump is bad on issues, and Trump is nuts and incoherent and ignorant on issues in addtion to HRC disagreeing with him issues.

    This type of ad might be good in the sense that going issues will get ignored by the media, whereas they love talking about this kind of thing, and whatever BS they spout, will focus attention on yet another dimension of Trump’s toxic bigotry.

  37. 37.

    Ozarkhillblly

    HALP HALP I’m being held hostage in a secret CIA black sight with a named Ayaz. I am strapped to a bed with IVs, monitor wires, and a folding wheeled table. I have been waterboarded 3 times and they are forcing ungawdly drugs into my veins while sucking copious amounts of blood from my arteries, making me breath vile gasses. A frien was able to smuggle an Ipad into my cell, but I am unsure if I will be able to get this message out. If you never hear from me again, tell the world.”

    But do it quietly, they are everywhere.

  38. 38.

    jl

    Maybe the HRC can fold everything into one theme: Trump, he has many issues! [fill in blank here with whatever works for this news cycle].

    What goes in the blank could be race/ethnic/gender/relgigious bigotry, doesn’t understand how NATO works, his foundation seems to be crooked… whatever works best this week.

  39. 39.

    Trollhattan

    @jl:
    If there’s one thing we know, it’s Hillary has All the Smart People working on her campaign. Exactly four years ago UNLIMITED CORPORATE CASH was hyperventilating as he shoved Winning Willard in our faces and Willard was a hundred times more competent than Donny.

  40. 40.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Keith P.:

    I’m sure you’ve already thought of this, but isn’t there an HR person, or at least a one-stop office, that can help streamline some of this for you? I don’t know what kind of job it is, but if they’re big enough to require all that stuff from you, they should be big enough to lend a hand and help consolidate some of the paperwork.

  41. 41.

    Keith P.

    @Patricia Kayden: I’m not sure what pisses me off more – that computerization is making things worse (I’ve been programming for over 30 years…computers *should* make things simpler, but fucking morons being allowed to program them is the problem), or that so many people just assume that I am available at their beck and call to run all over town for them and then they are the only ones up my ass to run all over town for them. I have to tell people *weekly* (usually medical staff, who are passive-aggressively ignorant of things) that they are not he only person up my ass expecting me to drop what I’m doing for them. Just sick of all of it…when did people stop leaving other people alone?

  42. 42.

    Patricia Kayden

    I love that several of Clinton’s ads use Trump’s own voice to get the point across. His last comment that he couldn’t say that he respected women says it all about what type of President he would be vis-a-vis reproductive rights and equal pay issues. Looks like he’ll only be a great President to White, cisgender males.

  43. 43.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @eric: I don’t think it will work on Mrs. Greenspan, who seems to have a pathological hatred of Hillary Clinton because Hillary Clinton is an actual Christian, while Mrs. Greenspan is Randite dogshit.

  45. 45.

    WaterGirl

    @Keith P.: I am so sorry about everything you are going through. My first thought about the way the prospective employer is acting? That they are trying to make this such a pain in the ass for you that you say “fuck it!” and walk away. Maybe someone offered you the job and someone else – maybe HR? – regrets that decision.

    It’s easy to say you would be better off without them – if you didn’t need the money. So easy for people with money to be cavalier about things because they have the option of just walking away.

  48. 48.

    Barbara

    @redshirt: If I had to guess, they are aimed at millennial women. While the end says something about “our daughters,” throughout, the women portrayed are young but look to be at least voting age. No one wants to be treated this way, no woman of any age wants any woman to be treated like this.

  49. 49.

    jl

    Attacking the sheer daffiness of some of Trump’s statements on issues should play well sooner or later. Trump can’t just say that global warming due to humans burning fossil fuels is not true, he has to say it is a deliberate hoax, and then he has to say it is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.

    Fricken nuts, he if believes it. I hope Trump expands on his theory sometime. He’ll say something along the lines of “These Chinese are crafty, and they know we have weak losers as leaders. So they cook up this warming stuff, the warming, and get us to buy it. Payoff the scientists, who are losers, they have no money. Easy marks. Get us to bargain at a disadvantage, and then they walk in the room and yell ‘WE WANT DEAL!” See? We end up with a bad deal, and we lose. Smart people like me can see that. It’s obvious.”

  50. 50.

    Calming Influence

    @JPL: After 8 years of Obama frustrating failure to unleash unimaginable horrors on the unsuspecting U.S. as the dreaded “Manchurian Candidate”, we’re poised to elect an actual Russian candidate. With actual publically available evidence to support the claim, including the candidates own statements.

    And the press says “meh”.

  53. 53.

    Brachiator

    I think the ad is good, but not spectacular. It not only preaches to the choir, it preaches to about 8 to 10 people in the third row. It’s not slick, but very high concept, and it also steps on rather than reinforces other objections to Trump.

    And yes, this obviously reflects my biases, to want more ads about policy, and more ads that answer the question “who is Hillary. How is she going to solve America’s problems.”. This ad’s message doesn’t emphasize Trump’s lack of knowledge, his lack of psychological readiness, his lack of integrity, his blatant appeal to racists, deficits which would make him the wrong choice even if he were the most sensitive, woman-positive male in America.

    And as others have noted, I don’t think this will do much for Trump supporters. Not even those with daughters.

  54. 54.

    Elmo

    Different strokes, I guess – the ad left me entirely cold. He says mean things about women. So? Do we think LBJ didn’t say similar things?
    I never heard that GWBush said nasty things about women like what was shown in this ad. So what? Didn’t make him any less a horrible President.
    Sorry, I am all on board with the idea that Trump is evil scum – I’ve broken ties with family over their support of him – but this ad is just a nothingburger to me.

  56. 56.

    JR in WV

    I saw this linked on Digby and called Mrs J over to look at it. We agreed that it is a very strong piece of work. Powerful sounds right too.

    Those girls are all, great looking, smart looking, capable looking young women, every one of them. I hope they got a little strength from being in this political art. They should, they are what makes it powerful. And Hillary, she’s powerful too.

    I also saw on Digby a piece about media coverage of Hillary, how her policy speeches are being ignored, how the only thing that excites the media enough to actually provide the population with coverage of Hillary is when she attacks Trump. Not when she tells us how SHE would handle ISIS, not when SHE tells us how she will handle police violence and murders.

    No, because that stuff isn’t important; what’s important is how this thoughtful, experienced, educated person is going to react to a crazed bigot with no knowledge of how anything works in the whole world except for sleazy real estate deals and schmoozing with the Mob.

    That’s what is important. Right!

  58. 58.

    jl

    @Brachiator: But HRC does have a traditional and competent and well funded GOTV machine, and Trump has almost nothing there. So, this kind of ad for that kind of audience is a good approach for HRC.

    I do worry that going too much this way will be attacking Trump where he can effectively counter attack, using his intuitive understanding of how to manipulate psychology, if in an underhanded and dishonest way. We’ll probably hear more stuff about Bill Clinton’s history, and garbage smears that HRC put out hits on witnesses. It will be either beside the point (Bill Clinton is not running for president, though I suppose some sexist Trumperites are sure the real plan is for Bill to pull the strings) or false. But if it works it works, and the media won’t call him on BS, so that worries. me.

    I’m pretty sure that is what will happen. Trump’s first impulse when faced with an attack he can’t answer (which is about 99% of them) is yell ‘NO, YOU ARE!’.

  60. 60.

    Barbara

    @Brachiator: Again, I think this speaks to younger women. There are so many young women who have had the experience of being told to their face that a friend of theirs is a “dog” — and these young women look so normal, so typical. The kind who thinks women are invisible unless they are perfect 10s, and then mostly has use for them only as arm candy. Do they really want to put that kind of guy in charge?

  62. 62.

    Florida Frog

    Speaking of Trump and women… A few minutes ago an angry white man marched into our little NE FL campaign HQ and waived a democratic flyer around while railing at our 90 year old volunteer at the desk that democrats had no right to send a loyal republican like him campaign literature. It was trash, pure trash and our elderly lady better make sure it never happened again. The topic of the flyer – Trump is abusive and demeaning to women. He was yelling at us without a sliver of irony! I don’t want to live in Trump-world so I signed up for another canvass shift.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    @jl:

    But HRC does have a traditional and competent and well funded GOTV machine, and Trump has almost nothing there. So, this kind of ad for that kind of audience is a good approach for HRC.

    This is narrowcasting. I’ve heard some party insiders criticize Clinton’s ads and what she is getting for her money. Again, I think this ad is symbolic and powerful, but again, preaches most to those who are already in her corner.

    I do worry that going too much this way will be attacking Trump where he can effectively counter attack, using his intuitive understanding of how to manipulate psychology, if in an underhanded and dishonest way.

    Actually, here I don’t think that Trump can get much support for a counter attack from this.

    Also, the ad is too much about Hillary and having women see their struggle in her struggle. Does she have a similar ad that features the women who worked for Trump who will not vote for him, or other women whose lives and careers he has damaged? Even a clip of Rosie O’Donnell responding to Trump’s insults of her. That would be a more hard hitting, but still women focused ad.

    I’m pretty sure that is what will happen. Trump’s first impulse when faced with an attack he can’t answer (which is about 99% of them) is yell ‘NO, YOU ARE!’.

    Trump’s gonna do what Trump’s gonna do. That is no reason for Clinton to try to soften her attacks based on what he might do.

  64. 64.

    Ozarkhillblly

    @Adam L Silverman: gloom despair agony on me,
    Deep dark depression excessive misery
    If it weren’t for bad luck, i’d have no luck at all
    Gloom despair agony on meeeeeeeee

    Went in for my shoulder surgery yesterday, they put me under GA and all went well until I was coming out of it. I aspirated some phlegm and nobody knew it. Wife and I left, stopped for lunch and a couple other things then went home. They had warned I might have some shortness of breath due to the nerve block they did on my shoulder, and I did. BUT IT WASN’T BAD. Until I got home. At which point my breathing became shallower and shallower until finally I said to my wife we had to go to the ER.

    By the time we got there, my BP was 183/135, my pulse was 131, and my blood OX was down to 82.

    Many hours, procedures, and tests later, the CAT scan shows I have pneumonia. So. Yeah, I am absolutely rocking miserable and by Gawd SOMEBODIES GONNA KNOW ABOUT IT!!! And I might as well try and make fun of this fvcked up situation. I can’t do much else.

  67. 67.

    jl

    @Brachiator: RE your first point, if the HRC campaign has good ways to take advantage of what you call ‘narrowcasting’ (turning out the base), and Trump does not, then she should use that tool, right?

    As I said, I would personally prefer that Trump be defeated on issues, but the most important thing is that he be defeated in November. If this works it works, and that is good. And the general point is good too. A guy with toxic attitudes like Trump should not be president.

  68. 68.

    philadelphialawyer

    @Elmo: Maybe it’s not aimed at you? You, with all due respect, are not the entire electorate. Many people don’t like open, outright, misogynist, sexist crap. A load of recorded, videotaped statements of said crap is probably of interest to them, given that a major party presidential candidate produced that, er, boatload.

    You want this and that. Good for you. Hillary is trying to reach women, people who respect women, and men who are the parents, siblings, spouses, children, etc of women (not saying you are not any or all of those things, by the way).

    Also, LBJ is not running, and his by definition half century behind the times view of women is not relevant.

    And, GW Bush NOT making statements like this proves what, exactly? Sure, W sucked. And so does Trump. But part of Trump’s brand of suckiness is that his contempt for women is obvious, in a way that W’s was not. Yeah, and?

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    @Ozarkhillblly: So I guess I wasn’t crazy in thinking you were talking about the surgery. But what was the waterboarding?

    Sorry you had to have surgery – I thought the surgeon thought you wouldn’t have to have surgery?

    Either way, so very glad you came through it okay. They were idiots to not have given you better information before you left the hospital.

  70. 70.

    Brachiator

    @Barbara:

    Again, I think this speaks to younger women. There are so many young women who have had the experience of being told to their face that a friend of theirs is a “dog” — and these young women look so normal, so typical. The kind who thinks women are invisible unless they are perfect 10s, and then mostly has use for them only as arm candy. Do they really want to put that kind of guy in charge?

    I don’t disagree. But I think that most of these women are already in Hillary’s corner. And there are also younger women who agree with this message, but who are neutral or lukewarm towards Hillary. What ad would be more effective in reaching them?

  71. 71.

    Tokyokie

    @The Ancient Randonnuer:

    After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.

    I would assume the news contained in that statement is that Teddy Boy has a conscience.

  74. 74.

    WaterGirl

    I am reminded of the BJ thread where someone’s husband had accidentally cut down a beloved tree when there were clear instructions to cut this one, cut that one, don’t cut this one, etc. There was much discussion of whether cutting down the beloved tree was an accident or not. As I recall, virtually every male who commented thought that it was most definitely not an accident. Opinions of female commenters were mixed, with some believing there’s no way he would have cut it down on purpose and others believing that it was no accident.

    I thought the ad was great, but in this thread I am mostly struck by all the different ideas people have about who the audience is for this ad. That in itself tells me that it’s a good ad.

    Once in a blue moon, we have a BJ thread where I wish we could go back and tag every comment by gender, and this is one of them. My gut feeling is that most of the women who commented thought this was a good ad but their was a more mixed response by men.

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    @WereBear: Thanks! I’m not sure I ever realized that Olwyn is a girl. My girl kitty definitely has different sensibilities than the boy kitty and the two boy dogs.

    Glad to see you here, hope your health situation is greatly improving!

  77. 77.

    Brachiator

    @jl:

    RE your first point, if the HRC campaign has good ways to take advantage of what you call ‘narrowcasting’ (turning out the base), and Trump does not, then she should use that tool, right?

    No. Time is running out. She needs the mount her most effective message, not just pat supporters on the back.

    There was an NBC poll a week or so ago that showed Clinton leading among single women, 73 percent to 36 percent over Trump. But married women preferred Trump 53 percent to 20 percent (with the remainder going to third party candidates).

    Seems to me that Clinton should be doing more to peel votes from that 53 percent.

    As I said, I would personally prefer that Trump be defeated on issues, but the most important thing is that he be defeated in November. If this works it works, and that is good.

    We disagree not on the message, but on the effectiveness of these ads.

    And the general point is good too. A guy with toxic attitudes like Trump should not be president.

    Not even if he were the superior candidate?

    And note that I do not think that Trump is even a legitimate candidate.

  78. 78.

    joel hanes

    @Brachiator:

    As I said, it’s aimed at normally-Republican women. Nice women who really aren’t deep bigots, but who have been Republicans all their lives, because their husbands are, or because many nice socially-prominent people whom they admire are Republican, or because their father hated Democrats. I know a bunch of them in Iowa.

  80. 80.

    Mike in dc

    They need a tax return ad that ties tied together all the stories about the shady charity, the Russia stuff, not giving to charity. “There’s only one way Donald Trump can clear all this up. Release your tax returns. You say you can’t because you’re under audit. But that didn’t stop Richard Nixon from releasing his. America has a right to know.”

  81. 81.

    WaterGirl

    @Brachiator:

    Not even if he were the superior candidate?

    I don’t think it’s possible to be the superior candidate while having that view toward half of the population.

  83. 83.

    philadelphialawyer

    @Brachiator: A cousin of mine is a white, married, female Trump supporter. She has two daughters (and a son). Her reason for supporting Trump? She met him once and thought he was “a nice guy.” (She has never met Hillary, and the devil only knows what her sources of info about her are.)

    This ad might show her that Trump is not a nice guy. And would not be a nice president, for her or her daughters.

    And might be more effective than an infinite number of the hard policy ads that you want to see.

  84. 84.

    Brachiator

    @gogol’s wife:

    Let me guess, you’re a man.

    Ya got me. Yeah, and?

    The ad is viscerally effective for people of the female persuasion.

    I never for a second said anything to deny the power of the ads, especially for women. A friend whose political judgments I deeply respect sent me an email today about how much she was moved by this ad. I said that they preach more to the already converted than to others, and this includes fathers of daughters.

    But yeah, thinking about my own argument more, Trump has been alienating more women as the campaign season continues. He has led in some polls with married white women, and this ad might cause some of them to re-examine their assumptions.

    But this ad also reminds me of the ad that the campaign ran in July.

    An ad released Thursday morning by the presumptive Democratic nominee’s campaign Thursday morning strings together some of Trump’s most controversial moments while children watch on television. “Role Models,” slated for television and paid digital ads, will run in Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, New Hampshire, Iowa, Florida, Nevada and North Carolina….

    “Our children are watching. What example will we set for them?” text on the screen reads before tossing to a video of Clinton delivering a campaign speech.

    Again, I think that these ads are too “high concept” and are pitched more to the already committed Democratic base. I hate the phony “do it for the sake of the children” crap that usually comes from the Republicans. I think it is just as weak coming from the Democrats.

  86. 86.

    Brachiator

    @philadelphialawyer:

    This ad might show her that Trump is not a nice guy. And would not be a nice president, for her or her daughters.

    It’s September. She hasn’t seen the other side of Trump already?

    And might be more effective than an infinite number of the hard policy ads that you want to see.

    I didn’t say I wanted to see just hard policy ads. But I think that even if Trump were a nice guy, he is still Sarah Palin level stupid with twice the ego. I would like to see ads that emphasize this point.

  88. 88.

    gogol's wife

    @Brachiator:

    Not everyone is glued to the political news all the time. There are lots of people who haven’t heard Trump say those things (myself included). It’s one thing to hear Megyn Kelly read them out as a laundry list at a debate and another to hear him saying them himself.

  89. 89.

    AMinNC

    @Brachiator: Actually, many younger women are soft Hillary supporters, surprisingly – flirting with 3rd party, or not bothering to vote. At least that’s the info we’re getting from our county Party chair. We are making a big effort to hand-write postcards (woman to woman) to these exact voters to encourage them to vote for the Democratic ticket all the way down, because if women vote in NC, Democrats win. I’m a middle-aged woman with two sons, and this ad spoke to me like a punch in the gut. I posted it on FB and the first person to respond to it (in a good, fired-up way) was a man with 2 daughters who was a Bernie supporter.

  90. 90.

    les

    @Brachiator:

    I hate the phony “do it for the sake of the children” crap that usually comes from the Republicans. I think it is just as weak coming from the Democrats.

    Sorry, but this is just stupid.
    1. Democrats don’t threaten children; Trump threatens women. The only phony thing here is your belief in your own omniscience.
    2. Whose highly successful political campaign are you managing, by targeting absolutely only people who are exactly like you?

  91. 91.

    Barbara

    @Brachiator: I don’t know how effective this ad (or any other would be) but I think this ad very subtly aims to raise the consciousness of young women who might have supported Bernie Sanders and who still resist voting for Clinton, or even the notion of the need for feminist solidarity. Voting for a third party candidate or staying home (and thereby possibly electing Trump) will hurt them or people they know.

  92. 92.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Brachiator: Let me ask these questions: Is there any question in your mind about how you will vote this November? Is there any question in your mind about whether you will vote in November? If the answer to both of the questions is no (as it is with me), then none of the political ads are aimed at you.

  93. 93.

    Brachiator

    @joel hanes:

    As I said, it’s aimed at normally-Republican women. Nice women who really aren’t deep bigots, but who have been Republicans all their lives, because their husbands are, or because many nice socially-prominent people whom they admire are Republican, or because their father hated Democrats.

    I can think of an ad that addressed just that point. And then went on to say, “But this election is too important to leave it to our husbands, to other people we used to admire, to our fathers who hated Democrats. We love ourselves, our daughters, our country. And we’re voting for Hillary.”

  95. 95.

    Gelfling 545

    @WaterGirl: I was just wondering what horrible set of circumstances could possibly make someone who thought that way the better candidate. I find my imagination is not good enough to envision those circumstances.

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Let me ask these questions: Is there any question in your mind about how you will vote this November? Is there any question in your mind about whether you will vote in November? If the answer to both of the questions is no (as it is with me), then none of the political ads are aimed at you.

    Irrelevant to my questions. To whom are these ads aimed? Are they effective? Are they the best use of ad dollars?

    Also, I live in California. We will get very few ads from either party. The vote here is a done deal. The parties only come to us for fund raising.

    ETA: There are a boatload of California propositions on the ballot. At least 17 statewide propositions. The ads are already crazy.

  98. 98.

    joel hanes

    @Brachiator:

    Yes, that would be a rational appeal.

    But this ain’t beanbag, and emotions overrule rationality for most people most of the time.
    Trump is a threat to the wellbeing of women in this country; those who might be tempted to vote for him may better be deterred through emotion than through rational appeal.

    The Ds have made plenty of rational appeals. I’m not sad to see them learning to play the emotion game.

  99. 99.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Brachiator:

    Irrelevant to my questions.

    Not so. You indicated that they were not the type ads you wanted to see. Now, that is irrelevant.

    To whom are these ads aimed?

    Widely addressed above.

    Are they effective?

    The women reading this blog seem to think so

    Are they the best use of ad dollars?

    “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

    – John Wanamaker (attributed)

  101. 101.

    Brachiator

    @AMinNC:

    Actually, many younger women are soft Hillary supporters, surprisingly – flirting with 3rd party, or not bothering to vote.

    Yep. This is borne out in some of the polling. My college freshman niece is one of these people. Drives her mother nuts.

    I’m a middle-aged woman with two sons, and this ad spoke to me like a punch in the gut. I posted it on FB and the first person to respond to it (in a good, fired-up way) was a man with 2 daughters who was a Bernie supporter.

    I am glad that the ad is having positive results. I note my reservations about the ad, but I never deny the power of the ad, nor would I ever state that it is categorically the wrong thing to do.

  104. 104.

    ET

    I wonder if this aimed at more at motivating those those who are all “blah” and not at changing minds.

  105. 105.

    philadelphialawyer

    @Brachiator: You would be surprised. Another person I know was unaware of Trump’s statements about McCain until she saw Hillary’s recent Veterans ad. An ad which is like this one about women and the one about Trump and children.

    Trump’s suckiness exists on a lot of levels. The personal one is actually a big deal to a lot of people. Particularly people who are more likely to be less engaged than the BJ crowd. And those same people are not all of them aware of Trump’s outrageous bullshit. Beyond the bad policies, beyond even the nasty politics, a lot of people are more about the personalities. And Trump was a TV star who a lot of people liked. But Trump has not been the target of a quarter century of attacks the way Hillary has. And there is so much in the way of non policy, non political, general, easy-for-everyone-to-understand, personal garbage that Trump can legitimately attacked on, just using his own taped and recorded words. These ads make this clear to all the folks like the ones I mentioned.

    Trump, in this case, makes asshole, male chauvanist, looksist, body shaming comments right, left and center about women, and has been doing so for decades. That is important to a lot of people, and news to them as well.

    It’s a great ad.

    Period.

  108. 108.

    Capri

    @Smiling Mortician: An important number when looking at these percentages is to compare Trump’s percentages to Romney’s. Rachael had a little spot on this last night. Romney did better in just about every demographic last time around than Trump is polling now – and still lost. If he won white men by something like 30 points and lost, how can you expect Trump to win them by 20 and win?
    Also, in more good news, the returns from early voting in NC have 10 % more Democratic returns than Republican. Sure, Democrats tend to vote early more than Republicans, but at this time last cycle, Romney was winning in NC.

  109. 109.

    Bailey

    Are there any PACs out there starting to take aim at the Johnson / Stein options? Because the stupid is starting to pile up with them and yet combined they have power to tilt election.

  111. 111.

    Bailey

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    And you are concerned, right?

    So you’re what? A professional asshole?

    Sure, I’m concerned. HRC ain’t exactly bringing home that youngest demographic. A sad mirror of Obama’s “Between Two Ferns” probably isn’t going to cut it.

  113. 113.

    Bailey

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    No, I am a very highly ranked amateur. And your concern has been noted.

    As has your douchebaggery.

    So back to that demographic that HRC can’t quite count on….and the 10-15% of vote going to third party candidates…..

  120. 120.

    JR in WV

    @gogol’s wife:

    I’m a guy who’s wife got treated badly by all but one boss she had working for a national corporation. Was called “The Bod” behind her back by the first boss, who made her take entry exams twice because her scores were so high he was convinced she cheated the first time, and so wanted to watch her take the exams a second time.

    I think that ad is great for the audience it is aimed at. Which is any female [almost all of them] ever abused or degraded by any man, and all the relatives and friends who love those women. Like me! But I’m already convinced Trump is the man to put away, not to put in office!

  121. 121.

    JR in WV

    @Brachiator:

    We disagree not on the message, but on the effectiveness of these ads.

    And the general point is good too. A guy with toxic attitudes like Trump should not be president.

    Not even if he were the superior candidate?

    I agree that his despicable attitudes toward virtually all women makes Trump unqualified for any political or public office.

    Really, I think it makes him unqualified for holding any management positions in private industry as well, but I have no influence with his employers. Yes, that is sarcastic humor, maybe his kids could get him to take up golf and leave the real estate to them.

  122. 122.

    Larkspur

    @Smiling Mortician: Ooh, not dead enough. You made me think about Paglia, now you have to listen while I tell you about how a client of mine (I walk her dogs and do errands and house-sit and generally take care of stuff) is really worried about the election. She’s a Republican, but she’s concerned about the weirdness of Donald Trump. What should I have said when I suggested maybe she shouldn’t vote for him, and she looked at me, truly concerned, and answered, “But if I don’t vote for him, it’s like a vote for Hillary!” ?

    In my head I said, “Well, yeah, woo-hoo, you’re getting there, now just vote for Hillary and skip the unnecessary non-voting dilemma and your grandkids will thank you, and you can see Mark Ruffalo be totally nekkid in his next film…” But in real life, I just nodded and said something like, “Yeah, it’s a tough one.”

    Because who am I to bully her? And she’s sensitive, and she gives me money in exchange for services, and…and…. Maybe I’m just not up to the challenge. I guess this is what happens when people who are not social equals deal with politics.

    Thank dog this thread is dead.

  123. 123.

    JR in WV

    @Smiling Mortician:

    @Brachiator:

    But married women preferred Trump 53 percent to 20 percent

    LOLWUT?

    I think this is a case of women being polled in front of their Trumpist husbands/fathers and them being unable to answer truthfully.

    My own mother asked me not to tell my dad that she voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in her last two elections because the knee-jerk anti-reproductive choice policies of the Republican candidates repelled her. She wasn’t a bit afraid of dad, but didn’t want to disappoint him.

    I think a lot of women with Trump supporters (look at who they are supporting!) in their families do fear for their safety if they admitted that they plan to vote for Hillary. Thank Dog for the secret ballot!! No one knows who you vote for, and that’s a great part of our system today.

  124. 124.

    Gretchen

    @gogol’s wife: Yes, this. This ad was a punch in the gut for me, the mother of daughters, seeing their vulnerable faces and hearing those cruel words. If it didn’t punch you in the gut, it didn’t, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a very powerful ad for half the population.

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