Watch: GOP Releases Toughest Political Ad Since the 'Daisy Girl' in 1964
There is little argument that the left has become increasingly unhinged since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, reflexively lashing out in hateful opposition to virtually everything said or done by Trump and his administration.
That opposition, perhaps best known by the hashtag #Resistance, is little more than emotional outbursts fueled by the blind rage of leftists who still haven’t accepted the results of an election that took place more than a year-and-a-half ago.
Evidence of the unhinged nature of the left has been displayed for all to see by countless liberal celebrities, elected Democrats and partisan pundits in the media, all of whom appear wholly consumed by their hatred for Trump.
The Republican National Committee recently compiled numerous examples of the left’s unhinged behavior into an incredibly tough and hard-hitting political ad ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, one that immediately gained notice and could have a significant effect on the electorate.
The ad begins with self-declared socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ voice running over scenes of Inauguration Day violence. It shifts to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi discussing the need for “uprisings” in the streets before showing Democrat California Rep. Maxine Waters urging supporters to harass any Trump cabinet officers spotted out in public.
The ad then showed “comedians” launching disrespectful personal attacks on the women of Trump’s administration, HBO’s Bill Maher calling for an economic recession to weaken Trump’s support and celebrities calling for assassination attempts.
The closing image is of rapper Snoop Dogg mimicking shooting a Trump-like clown in the head.
The ad ended with the powerful words, “The Left in 2018: Unhinged,” which pretty much speaks for itself.
The ad is incredibly powerful in large part because while it puts forward factual examples of leftists behaving in an unhinged manner, the ad relies more on the emotional response viewers will no doubt have to the shocking compilation of violent incidents and malicious thoughts.
Such a play on the emotions of viewers hearkens back to the “Daisy Girl” political ad of the 1964 presidential election, in which Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson played on the fears of a potential nuclear exchange to undercut support for Republican nominee Barry Goldwater, according to a history of the famous ad by the Smithsonian.
That black-and-white ad — which only ran one time — featured a young girl counting petals on a daisy. Her innocent counting was soon transformed into a countdown that led to a massive nuclear blast and mushroom cloud. Though the ad never mentioned Goldwater, it clearly implied that the risks of nuclear war would be greater if he were elected.
That ad signaled a turning point from stiff political ads that featured politicians delivering dry policy speeches to ones that targeted an emotional response, a trend that has certainly continued and played a key role in this RNC ad.
This RNC ad is also probably the toughest ad put forward since the so-called “Willie Horton” attack ad of the 1988 presidential election, which saw GOP nominee and Vice President George H.W. Bush attack Democrat nominee Michael Dukakis over his “weak” stance on crime.
PRI detailed how that powerful ad highlighted how a convicted murder named Willie Horton had received weekend furloughs from then-Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis and had stabbed a man and raped that man’s girlfriend while out of prison on one such furlough — evidence that Dukakis would not be strong against crime and criminals.
That same sort of message resonates in this ad from the RNC, which no doubt plays to the emotions of a Republican base watching unhinged leftists threaten and actually perpetrate criminal acts of violence that are dismissed or even heralded by Democrats … not a good look in the run-up to a major midterm election.
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