I live in South Mississippi where the ads for Wicker and Musgrove have been relentless. The Wicker campaign has been especially negative in their ads, but this latest one takes the cake.
RogerWicker Ad on YouTube
Roger Wicker has a new negative campaign ad out that is not only reprehensible but a diversion from the topic at hand. We are in the middle of the most serious economic downturn of our lifetime. Voters want answers not false ads filled with stereotypes. Not only is the ad patently false (in what seems to be the GOP tactic of the moment), it is also offensive. One does not have to wait for the credits to know this ad did not come from the NRSC. Even the NRSC would not navigate the murky waters of this campaign ad. Cotton Mouth: Jeff Walters
Running this type of ad is playing on the assumptions that Mississippians are bigots only concerned with "the gays" and abortion. All of my Mississippi friends, which are usually as liberal as I am, were completely shocked by the audacity of this ad. The ridiculous stereotyping of homosexuals in this ad as being dressed like The Village People is offensive on many levels. It is sad to think that they believe that people in Mississippi will be swayed in their favor by this ad. I certainly hope that it is not the case.
I find myself disillusioned by my state all the time, but I hope that this time it has gone too far. We were the last state to jump on board with civil rights (rather forced to, truth be told)and I suppose now we must pick on homosexuals. Don't get me wrong, there is still just as much racism permeating in the heart of many white southerners, but they can't be so blatant with it anymore. Well, I wish they could not be so blatant at making fun of homosexuals, either.
By sitting by and letting this type of ad run, we are condoning discrimination. What if you were a gay person living in Mississippi and you saw this ad? It is bad enough trying to live and get by here without getting fired and blackballed. I have a friend who is gay and luckily was a theater person in school. So, when he goes to work out on the oil field, he can use his acting skills to be a macho, straight man. It is only when he is home, amongst friends that he can relax and be himself.
It is very sad that we will allow such open discrimination and hate against a group of people. When will we get past this kind of thinking? I will not abandon my state. I will stay and try to make it better. I will teach my son not to hate.
Roger Wicker ad on YouTube