Military Vet Mom MJ Hegar Is Running for Congress in Texas's District 31

June 24, 2018 3:45 PM

And she might just break the internet with the most persuasive political campaign ad ever created. (SLYT)
posted by bologna on wry (44 comments total)

I don't have any clever critiques or insights into the politics of her area. I just want to say - hell yeah that was a helluva great campaign ad.
posted by solotoro at 4:07 PM on June 24, 2018 [8 favorites]

That might be the most inspiring political ad I've ever seen.
posted by Ickster at 4:11 PM on June 24, 2018 [6 favorites]

She has vowed to take zero corporate PAC dollars. Zero.
posted by bologna on wry at 4:12 PM on June 24, 2018 [10 favorites]

So well done. Love this-thanks for posting!
posted by sundrop at 4:15 PM on June 24, 2018

And an interesting instrumental of "Gimme Shelter" as the soundtrack.
posted by stevil at 4:55 PM on June 24, 2018 [7 favorites]

Yeah, not only was that amazingly inspiring and moving, it was really well structured and shot. I hope a lot of the women running this year (and Democrats generally) are getting to work with really good teams to produce their ads, like this one.

(And now I'm regretting skipping over an ad mentioned in one of the politics threads for a woman running in ... Brooklyn, maybe? someone mentioned a shot of her taking off a shoe on a subway platform? And of course now I can't find it ... anyone know which ad I mean?)

Thanks for posting this, bologna on wry! (Seems like this could have the HopefulSummer tag? Sure gives ME hope!)
posted by kristi at 4:57 PM on June 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Heckin sweet.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 5:16 PM on June 24, 2018

That's the one! Thank you, lalex!
posted by kristi at 5:19 PM on June 24, 2018

Yes! Tag added! Thanks!
posted by bologna on wry at 5:28 PM on June 24, 2018

Maybe I'm the only one, but the "inspiring life story" thing has never done much for me, and I'm also not sure that it has the power to break through political polarization. I care more about what you stand for than who you are, but I assume there's plenty of research showing that this type of ad is effective.

Either way, I would probably have put a lot more focus on the fact that her opponent blatantly doesn't give a shit about non-donors, and I'd have spent more time defining her opposition to that—touting her rejection of corporate campaign money, for instance. I would also have tried to show more of her role in that court case—I was left unsure of how much her work actually had to do with the final decision.

Don't get me wrong, she sounds like a damn impressive person and I like the way the ad was edited. I assume that the purpose of this ad was mainly to introduce her to voters, and that future ones will work harder at ginning up a little constructive outrage among local Democrats and at highlighting her experience and policies. This particular ad seemed a little fluffy to me though, and I felt like it could have packed more of a punch while still being basically the same ad.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:36 PM on June 24, 2018

Maybe I'm the only one, but the "inspiring life story" thing has never done much for me, and I'm also not sure that it has the power to break through political polarization.

I'm not sure it can break through the polarization either, but while "inspiring life story" can be hit or miss for me in evaluating a candidate, when that life story centers around "fuck the man" tenacity, then yeah, I'm sold.
posted by Navelgazer at 6:43 PM on June 24, 2018 [15 favorites]

Oh, and I think if I were the director I'd have tried to coach her to show a little more emotional range. I know she's not a professional actor, but she was talking about some really heavy stuff in a pretty uniformly cheery tone of voice. The pacing and music and even the cinematography seemed pretty bouncy and upbeat as well, which didn't mesh well for me with stuff like witnessing her mother being abused, getting shot and having her helicopter shot out from under her and then returning fire while strapped to the pontoon of the heli that rescued her, or suing the Pentagon for discrimination and having your congressional rep tell you to fuck off when you asked for help because you're not mega-rich. That's some crazy shit and some of it is pretty fucking impressive as well and I'd have tried to imbue those parts of the ad with a little more gravitas if I'd been directing it.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:43 PM on June 24, 2018

I think that it's pretty clear that what she stands for and who she is are the same.
posted by jonathanhughes at 6:44 PM on June 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

(I assume the "uniformly cheery tone of voice" was what the director asked for by the way, not trying to criticize MJ herself for that.)
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 6:45 PM on June 24, 2018

As someone who lives in TX-31, I'd appreciate seeing policy positions on her site. I'd also like more engagement with the Williamson County side of the district, but she/her campaign may be correct in focusing on the Ft Hood area. Several members of the local Pantsuit group have been attempting to reach out to the campaign since February, but no one has received a response.
posted by bradf at 6:53 PM on June 24, 2018 [4 favorites]

I think it's very powerful, it's not ideological, not even partisan until she explains that her "you're not a donor" is a tea-party incumbent. She'll have the ear of pro-military folks maybe until Panetta shows up; she may bring some with her. I think it's great.
posted by conscious matter at 6:54 PM on June 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

This is my district. I'll vote for her and certainly wish her luck but this is unfortunately Texas...
posted by jim in austin at 6:58 PM on June 24, 2018 [3 favorites]

Who directed that? I don't know her politics but that was extremely smooth and compelling for a political ad.
posted by latkes at 7:26 PM on June 24, 2018 [4 favorites]

As a non-American, the military shit really falls flat for me, but in this case it was really well played. There's basically no ideological content here, but I'm interested enough now that if I were a voter, I could easily find out about that.
posted by klanawa at 7:39 PM on June 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

Yes.
posted by Toddles at 8:10 PM on June 24, 2018

This is shit-hot.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:21 PM on June 24, 2018

Oh good, I love hearing critiques about the proper tone of voice an accomplished woman, veteran, and bona fide ass-kicker should be using. Please tell me more.
posted by mochapickle at 8:24 PM on June 24, 2018 [31 favorites]

Has anyone shown this to Scorcese yet?
posted by Fupped Duck at 8:25 PM on June 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

Come on mochapickle, I tried to be really super clear about critiquing this as an ad, something that was professionally scripted and directed, and that I wasn't aiming my voice criticism at the candidate. I would definitely feel the same way if it were a male candidate ever-so-blithely relating a time when his dad hurt his mom. I know all about misogynistic criticisms of a female candidate's voice, and have spoken out against them many times including here on this very forum. I was definitely explicit that while I didn't personally find the ad itself compelling, I thought the candidate seemed like an extremely impressive individual.

Do you really have to ignore all that and take the least charitable interpretation possible, in service of such a cheap shot? We are both on the same side here, and both Mefites—you're someone I recognize, and think well of. The mere fact that Hegar is a woman and a Democrat doesn't automatically shield everything she is involved in from even polite and limited criticism.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:44 PM on June 24, 2018 [7 favorites]

I shouldn't have been so harsh on you. I'm sorry about that and you deserved a more thoughtful response than my kneejerk grar.

And I know you're keenly aware that women in politics are picked apart for every little thing. If she'd been too somber, she'd be criticized. If she'd thrown down a litany against the incumbent, she'd be criticized. If she came across as too pro-woman, she'd be criticized. If she came across as not pro-military enough, she'd be criticized. It's such a fine line, right?

I just hated that something like tone of voice was an issue enough to comment on. I personally don't care if she'd delivered the whole message through a cloud of helium. She's pretty amazing, and she'd be a positive force in Congress.
posted by mochapickle at 9:37 PM on June 24, 2018 [18 favorites]

This is the metafilter I want to see more of.
posted by bologna on wry at 9:42 PM on June 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

The ad was directed by Cayce McCabe of Putnam Partners, more about the actual advertisement in Adweek.
posted by el io at 9:42 PM on June 24, 2018 [3 favorites]

Holy cow, that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ad! Thank you so much for sharing. I seriously just got goosebumps.

I feel so hopeful, y'all. Dare I even posit that through this divisive and partisan stalemate of a shitshow that is our US political landscape we might actually be getting fed up enough as a collective humanity that we are perhaps forging a brand new political party that disavows corporate interest and greed in favor of basic human rights and dignity for everyone?

Shhhh. Don't wake me, anyone. Just let me dream.
posted by bologna on wry at 10:04 PM on June 24, 2018 [1 favorite]

Oh, and I think if I were the director I'd have tried to coach her to show a little more emotional range...That's some crazy shit and some of it is pretty fucking impressive as well and I'd have tried to imbue those parts of the ad with a little more gravitas if I'd been directing it.

It's pretty clearly a stylistic choice for the whole video that she says amazing or outrageous stuff in a no-big-deal casual voice and then you're supposed to say, "Wait, WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY?" She does it for you 3 - 4 different times.

This is not an ad designed for viewers who are half-paying attention during a time-out at the football game. It's designed to be linked to on Facebook (or MetaFilter) with a breathless This Veteran Mom Just Made the Most Persuasive Political Campaign Ad Ever Created tagline so people will go watch it on YouTube. I think it's masterfully done.
posted by straight at 11:03 PM on June 24, 2018 [20 favorites]

This is a proud vet making an incredibly pro-military and pro-war ad. Is that the future you're all keen on?
posted by AnhydrousLove at 2:02 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

Only Nixon could go to China.
posted by saucysault at 2:56 AM on June 25, 2018

It's cool mochapickle, I totally understand why it's such a fraught issue. I was more than a little hesitant to go there, but I'd like to think that this is a place where we can have these kinds of conversations even when they're a bit of a minefield. I felt like in the specific context of a political ad, rather than something less heavily scripted like a debate or even a speech, tone of voice is a stylistic choice (and one probably not made directly by the candidate) that can be a legitimate subject for critique, just like editing style, or soundtrack, or whatever else. Others are free to feel differently and that's OK. For what it's worth, it's not a critique that I'd have made in a more general setting, because I get that it's a pretty fine distinction I'm making and there aren't a lot of spaces where I'd feel I could trust people to recognize that distinction (even if they disagree with it).

I get that it's hard to be nuanced, too, even here. Hegar is on Our Side, and we're at a moment in history where it's super important that people on Our Side take power back because the folks on the Other Side are doing some pretty atrocious things and it's got to be stopped. I accept that we're going to need to vote for some folks who I personally think are less than perfect—not that I actually care about things like tone of voice when it comes to actual voting. She could communicate entirely through a series of clicks and squeals and it would 't lose her my hypothetical vote. If I were in Hegar's district, I'd vote for her so hard it'd break the machine—even though the main thing I know about her is that she's a war hero, and frankly I'd like less of that sort of thing in politics. She can still be on my team though, because we're all in this together and I recognize that many of my fellow Democrats do value that kind of history in a candidate, especially in Texas. And the alternative is just so, so awful.

But this was a post about an ad, and in that context I think it should be OK to critique the ad. I personally did not find it to be "the most persuasive political campaign ad ever created," and I thought I'd try to articulate why. My critique is just my opinion and I don't expect it to carry any more weight than that, I just wanted to share it.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:43 AM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

That was amazing, and brilliantly crafted. When I saw the opening "Round Rock" text I sat up a little straighter; that's my neck of the woods, and turns out it's my district.

So I looked at the Wikipedia page, and the incumbent has walked all over every Democratic challenger ever fielded by massive margins. It's gonna be a tough run for her. Still, she has my vote and my voice. Many thanks for posting this.
posted by ZakDaddy at 7:58 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

If anyone has some insight into her positions, I'd appreciate a link. Someone sent me this ad earlier and, yeah, it's a great piece of advertising and I understand a military career is a good option for a lot of people, but looking at the time and money that went into the ad, I'm a little wary of how little info the Google has about her stand on issues and what she hopes to do in office.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 8:45 AM on June 25, 2018

The production of it is good.

The message, however, is exactly the opposite of what is really needed.

Surely the World should be looking towards people who are good at NOT using or promoting violence as a thing to be good at.

I know that is wishful thinking, but a some Philosopher once said "Every journey starts with a single step".
posted by Burn_IT at 9:18 AM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Anticipation, I disagree with your criticism about Hegar's voice and emotional range. Democrats all over this cycle are positioning themselves as the more optimistic and hopeful candidates, as a contrast against Republicans' fear-mongering. I think this ad captured that optimism perfectly, and I think it did a good job of both communicating her story, as well as the underlying message -- as your representative, I will fight for your rights and interests in ways that the current representative is not. It's not a specific policy position, but it's a great message for a first ad.

Like others, I admit to being a little uncomfortable with the fact that we as Democrats seem to be putting up a lot of veterans lately, and I wonder whether that is having or will have an effect on the party's positions with regard to the military. Taking this ad on its own, however, I'm very impressed with her story and would happily vote for her if I were in her district.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 10:57 AM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

Like others, I admit to being a little uncomfortable with the fact that we as Democrats seem to be putting up a lot of veterans lately, and I wonder whether that is having or will have an effect on the party's positions with regard to the military.

It's not like the chickenhawks that have been pushing America into pointless wars for the past 30 years have been mostly veterans.
posted by straight at 11:16 AM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]

Because imperialism just feels better when it's got that feminine touch.
posted by jcrcarter at 1:06 PM on June 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

Like others, I admit to being a little uncomfortable with the fact that we as Democrats seem to be putting up a lot of veterans lately, and I wonder whether that is having or will have an effect on the party's positions with regard to the military. Taking this ad on its own, however, I'm very impressed with her story and would happily vote for her if I were in her district.

If there's a benefit to Veterans in office, it's that if they've seen combat they KNOW the very last thing on the checklist should be combat. Just as "there are no atheists in foxholes", there's no-one in a foxhole who wouldn't rather be ANYWHERE else than in that foxhole.
posted by mikelieman at 1:19 PM on June 25, 2018 [6 favorites]

Not to abuse the edit...

And knowing how shitty it is to be in a foxhole, they're really against sending kids into them unless it's REALLY necessary.
posted by mikelieman at 1:21 PM on June 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

Mod note: Comment removed. If you've got a question about moderation it's totally fine to drop us a line at the contact form, but getting into "why was my x deleted" metacommentary in a thread isn't the way it works on MeFi.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:21 PM on June 25, 2018

Ben Trismegistus, I don't have a lot to say sbout your disagreement because it seems like a perfectly reasonable difference of opinion so what's to be said, but thank you for being so gosh darned reasonable about it. In our current climate I personally would prefer a candidate who shows a little more fire, but I get where you're coming from. And st the end of the day it's just one ad, and it's just a matter of rhetorical style rather than anything substantive. After hearing about the things Hegar has seen and done, I'm confident that she knows how to bring the fire when she wants to.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:18 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

And you know, maybe this ad just wasn't made for me, far-left white guy from New England. Perhaps this resonates a lot better with, say, college-educated white suburban women (a coveted swing demographic right now) in the Austin metro area. I could see that.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:27 PM on June 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Loved this ad, but the backing music track is trying to copy Gimme Shelter SO BAD.
posted by daHIFI at 8:54 AM on June 29, 2018