The newest entry in the Republican campaign to insult women voters comes from the College Republican National Committee, and boy is this one ever successful. If the goal is insulting women, specifically young women in this case. Where a previous Republican ad described Barack Obama as a
bad boyfriend, the new series of ads is
a take-off on the wedding reality show Say Yes to the Dress—but, in a super-clever twist, the dresses represent gubernatorial candidates.
The College Republicans are very serious about these ads, launching a nearly $1 million digital campaign around them. To repeat: The College Republican Republican National Committee is spending nearly ONE MILLION DOLLARS to run ads in which a young woman gushes about one wedding dress named after a Republican gubernatorial candidate, "the Tom Corbett is perfect. Tom Corbett is becoming a trusted brand. He has new ideas that don't break your budget," then is pressured by her mother to go with the more expensive, less fashionable dress that doesn't fit her, named of course after a Democratic candidate.
All these ads have to say about Pennsylvania's Corbett, Michigan's Rick Snyder, or the other Republicans touted is that they have "new ideas that don't break your budget." That's it. But:
“How do you reach the generation that has their earbuds in and their minds turned off to traditional advertising?” [CRNC chair Alex Smith] said. “It’s our goal to start the conversation by presenting ourselves in a culturally relevant way.”
And wedding dress shopping—or at least reality shows about it—is totally culturally relevant to young women, right? What better way to open a conversation about who will run their state governments! Weddings are all girls care about, after all. Everyone knows that, and the girls will surely appreciate being portrayed as savvy wedding-gown-governor shoppers who only need to see a dress that fits and be told that Republicans have new ideas that don't break your budget.
Fight back in the War on Women by contributing to strong women candidates, not falling for insulting wedding-dress videos.