The Republican party is out to remind people in the ‘home of the brave’ that they need to be afraid of terrorists and therefore vote Republican in the upcoming mid-terms. A new TV ad shows al-Qaeda leaders with captions of threatening statements while the sound of a ticking time bomb plays in the background gradually getting loader.
In itself this isn’t really that noteworthy. Scared people are easy to control and therefore it’s hardly surprising that the Republicans are looking to remind people they need to be afraid (for afraid read vigilant). But my friend Christine in Oregon points out something funny about the ad in a post she recently made on her Xanga. The TV ad is concluded with the statement which could be viewed in a rather unfortunate manner for the Republicans behind the ad.
“The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.”
Well if the republicans can admit that, who am I to argue with them.
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Christine’s post.
BBC news story about the ad
Wrote the following comment on Oct 21, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Yes they are responsible, responsible for the resevoir of resentment that has built up toward Americans. This add comes across as very opportunistic. There is a threat out there, among certain extremists, and I am sure they would love to effect more damage on American soil, but to say that the Republican party is the only party that can address this issue (or complex inter-related issues) is to capitalize on unfortunate circumstances. Moreover, the unilateral approach, that Republicans seem to specialize in, only aggravates the situation and ironically puts us more at risk. Honestly, as an American, I want America to be strong, but I also want us to be wise, generous and truthful.