Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra's racist ad in his Senate campaign against Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow drew quick Republican disapproval, with one Republican consultant labeling it "really, really dumb" and another saying "shame on Pete Hoekstra for that appalling new advertisement. Racism and xenophobia aren’t any way to get things done."
But it's not just the ad—the accompanying "Debbie Spend-It-Now" site is even worse, doubling down on every bit of ugliness in the ad and then, for good measure, referring to the ad's Asian-American actress as "yellowgirl" in the HTML code. (Yes, it subsequently says "yellow-shirt." No, I don't think that means "yellowgirl" is innocent.)
Still, inevitably, some defenders are coming out of the woodwork. Fox Business Network television host Lou Dobbs is a fan, for instance:
“People that are concerned about a racial implication of some sort are missing the point entirely,” he said.
“This is about the results and consequences of public policy choices,” Dobbs said. “I think that Hoekstra is doing a terrific job at defining that.”
Of course you would, Lou. Because you're a racist. There's a lot to criticize about U.S.
trade policy with China, but that can be done without racism. If you have to resort to racist imagery to do it, that just says you want to make a racist appeal, not that you have anything particularly strong to say about trade policy with China.