National Republicans Are Bringing Back Willie Horton-Style Advertisements In Wisconsin

[Poiuyt]

On Sept. 2, the National Republican Senatorial Committee began airing a $1.2 million advertisement online and television attack ad against Mandela Barnes, the Democratic for Senate candidate in Wisconsin, with powerful footage that was likely painful for many people in the state: a car plowing into a crowd gathered for a Christmas parade in Waukesha last winter. Six people died and 62 were injured.

The ad’s exploitation of the tragedy was in service of attacking Barnes for his stance on eliminating cash bail for certain crimes — falsely. And the slow-motion images of the suspect in the case, Darrell Brooks, who is Black, in an ad attacking Barnes, who is also Black, outraged some Democrats who likened the spot to George H.W. Bush’s infamous Willie Horton ad in 1988.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mandela-barnes-ad-willie-horton-wisconsin-crime_n_63226fcce4b000d98857c4de

[andym]

1. Their attack ads work

The original Willie Horton ad worked very well against Dukakis in 1988-- and Barnes is now even or trailing against Johnson after the GOP ad campaign went into effect. Previously, last month Barnes was leading, with the most of the change coming with Independents.

[MagickMuffin]

2. It's to be expected because the gop ARE RACISTS!

So, it seems only fitting they'd go there.

[gab13by13]

3. Polls are done for propaganda purposes,

I don't bother with them.

[luv2fly]

4. So far I've only seen positive Barnes ads

Whereas Ron Johnson is already going low. There is so much material out there to paint Johnson as a lunatic, but I have yet to see one ad attacking him. I hope that changes.