You can’t have much more of a #FAIL (in Twitter-speak) than the Missing Village Idiot’s latest ad. The Perry campaign called this rotting pile of dog excrement “Strong,” but it’s actually about the weakest, lamest, and also most disgusting ad you’ve just about ever seen from a major party presidential candidate (although Perry’s run other pathetic ads, like when he lied about Barack Obama supposedly saying Americans had gotten “lazy” about competing in the global economy — he absolutely did NOT say that!). No wonder why on YouTube, the ad has garnered 133,311 “dislikes” and just 3,121 “likes” in just over 1 day. Also, no wonder why the Perry campaign has disabled comments for the video. If they hadn’t, they might have received comments like the ones on Too Conservative:
*”It’s insane to think there’s a ‘war’ on Christianity in America.”
*”If he wins the nomination Obama is going to get another 4 years.”
*”What happened to the the Republican gene pool?”
*”Sure is a steep hill he’s on. I wonder if it’s a slippery slope…”
*”Trite, disingenuous, backwards, and desperately untruthful. That’s what I say. This guy makes Herman Cain look presidential.”
*”Wait, kids can’t celebrate Christmas? What? When did that happen? Oh … he’s actually lying.”
My comments? This ad is utterly despicable, vicious, heinous, and a few other choice adjectives to compare the issue of gays serving openly in the military to “our kids” not being able to “openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.” First of all, the former is blatant homophobic bigotry, and also blatantly false (if he’s implying that there’s something damaging about gays serving openly in our military), as the end of “don’t ask don’t tell” is going very smoothly so far, from everything I’ve read).
Second, the latter comment by Perry, about kids supposedly not being able to celebrate Christmas or pray in school, is COMPLETELY, unequivocally false (and also unAmerican religion baiting). Kids have always been able to pray in school, and in fact they do so every day in the United States with absolutely no problem at all. There are also Christmas parties, sometimes called “holiday parties” simply because there are many non-Christians in this country, in offices and schools across America. This nonsense about a “war on religion” or a “war on Christianity” specifically in America is complete nonsense, as there’s never been one, never should be one, and almost certainly never will be one.
Ironically, about the only “war” on religion being waged in this country right now comes from members of Rick Perry’s party who continually berate the religion of millions of Americans (Islam), oppose Muslims building mosques, etc. Also, I’d point out that many in Rick Perry’s party have great antipathy to atheists, agnostics, and other non-“Judeo-Christian” religions. Even more despicable are Perry’s phrases, which roll like honey off his forked tongue, “Obama’s war on religion,” and “liberal attacks on our religious heritage.” That’s nasty Culture War stuff right there, wildly divisive, completely unpresidential (and ungubernatorial for that matter) demagoguery that should have no place in America. Ever. Get this guy OUTTA here!
P.S. Also in the running for horrible campaign ads of 2011 — Mitt Romney’s “Pants on Fire”/5 “Pinocchios” ad that blatantly misquoted Obama, who was actually quoting the McCain campaign)
P.P.S. The other “war on religion” in this country, one that’s a gigantic elephant in the room, is that of our capitalist system on everything people hold sacred, such as the total commercialization of Christmas (now starting BEFORE Thanksgiving’s even over!!!). Of course, we never hear anything from Republicans on that subject. Shocker, huh?
UPDATE: You can flag the video as “inappropirate” on YouTube, which I encourage everyone to do. Also, you can contact Rick Perry’s campaign and let them know what you think of this slime-sucking monstrosity.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
