What was the worst immigration ad in the 2008 campaign?
America's Voice has put together a compendium of the worst campaign ads of 2008 that were focused on immigration.
You can choose from three:
Obama's Plan: Driver's Licenses for Illegals
The National Republican Trust PAC spent launched this ad attacking Barack Obama for supporting driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants and linked this policy to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in an ad that fact-checking sites called "terror-pandering."
Elizabeth Dole - Days B
Dole's provocative ad blamed immigrants for lost wages and runaway spending: "… here they came. Costing us a billion dollars each year. Billions in lost wages."
[SEN-LA] NRSC: Fence
The NRSC attacked incumbent Senator Mary Landrieu (LA) for being on the "wrong side of the fence" on immigration, and lambasted her for this vote and others that were no more "extreme" than Senator McCain's.
The Border is Broken
"I'll get tough on illegals," says congressional contender Jay Love, in an ad that invoked both high-tech surveillance images and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
David Woods for Congress
Alabama congressional contender David Woods put out this ad depicting what are presumably undocumented immigrants swimming across the border. The ad states that he opposes "amnesty for illegal aliens."
You can see them all and vote here.
These ads were most notable for helping drive Obama's victory (and that of Democrats generally) by alienating Latino voters. As AV notes:
Despite spending significantly on immigration ads, most candidates airing them lost. Of the 218 ads aired by Republicans or Democrats in races that have been decided, only 69, or 32%, favored a winning candidate.3 GOP candidates, party committees, and outside group allies sponsored 78% of the immigration-related ads in races that have been decided. Only 17% of these ads were placed by winning GOP candidates and their allies.
Now, will the right-wing nativists get out of the way and let progressives solve this problem? Not likely. But it's time for us to do it anyway.
It's more American than apple pie and mom.
Why is that dingleberry Campbell Brown dirtying my computer screen? What's next? Ads for Lou Dobbs? How about Bill O'Reilly?
The one with Speedy Gonzales zipping over a border wall?
Ariba...ariba...ariba!!!
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
In my opinion, there was only ONE candidate with a tough record on illegal immigration.
Hilary Clinton.
Why?
'Cause she took [Deleted-Sitemonitor] Elian Gonzalez out of the country at gunpoint!
All the Republicans cried like babies about how he should stay.
Do the google. McCain, Romney, Giuliani. They all wanted him to stay.
Cost the Dems the Florida vote, too.
Hilary Clinton. Tough on illegal immigration.
The gunpoints would've been unneccessary had the family got him ready. They were called in advance to get Elian ready. Instead they wanted to stage grand theatre. And with Cuban crowds surrounding the house the soldiers didn't know what to expect.
Elian probably wouldn't have been sent home if he had no home to go to, but he had a father. I think it's time to retire this anachronism of the Cold War, the Cuban Embargo, and allowing refugees in simply because they reached our shore. If Cubans knew it didn't matter whether they reached our shores or not, they'd be sent back, they may not make the attempt, and open themselves to punishment in Cuba. And Fidel has outlasted 8 and 1/2 presidents of the US.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
That time was around 1964, and in lieu of, any point in time thereafter.
Amazing what a few rich, vocal hate- and fear-mongering assholes can do for nearly 50 years.
me-oww!
Although this shouldn't be a part of the deliberation the Cuban community in Florida vote constantly for the Hard Core Cold Warriors.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
[Deleted. Read this-Sitemonitor]
Elizabeth Dole participated in both immigrant bashing and non-Christian bashing with her "Godless" ad. She's the lowest of the low as far as I'm concerned.
What do all these ads have in common? All Republicans from southern states appealing to reactionary white southern bigots.
Obama is going to take the reins from Shrub.
Don't expect too much change.
That's exactly why I'm expecting a lot of change.
I didn't vote for any of the worst videos in the world because they all sucked in their own perfect way.
When you say "The worst immigration ad" do you mean just not a good ad as in quality or the vulgarity of it all? If the latter, I can't vote. They're equally tasteless and I don't think one should be put above the other. They all should get equal time as being racist and playing to racist for a vote.
is intended to be a factual statement
building a fence is pretty cool. Hope those illegals dont find out about tunnels.
they just hate minorities...
not one ad about going after employers
btw, the economy has basically ended border crossings...and many illegals are now self deporting
problem solved
As a Dem, I have to say 'good luck' to the "progressives" on "solving" the immigration problem.
I don't consider 'guest worker' or amnesty as solutions to the problem, and neither do many other Dems who actually work for a living; unlike the Limousine libs who think they represent the party.
Note that it took getting the illegals out of the N.C. hog factory to get the union in. Hmmmm...illegals are bad for the standard of living?
You don't say.
This isn't about race, it's about facing economic reality. If illegals aren't costing you money, that's great, but for many Americans, these illegal workers are taking bread off their tables. Note that the illegals at the hog plant were replaced by African Americans. I guess there are Americans who want to do 'those' jobs.
I'd really love to know.
As for immigration, how could you not expect people who work 100 hours a week for $1.40/hr to say to themselves, "Hey, if I cross the border, I can work many less hours for $9.00/hr! I would be stupid not to try to go." So would you. SO I ask you, if you were faced with that situation, would you be all patriotic and say, "Oh no. I will slave my ass off for nothing and let my children go hungry instead of violating the imposed economic borders in this world." You know, I keep hearing this notion that these "illegal" workers are taking "bread from your table" but I just don't buy it. Why are farmers screaming for workers? Is it beneath you? They do work that no one else wants to do in so many cases, yet you complain that they're there at all. Makes no sense to me.
You're all missing the worst one of them all! Tom Tancredo's "Tough on Terror" ad from the primaries. How can you top ending with a nuclear explosion blamed on illegal immigrants?
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