Well, it's an unusual campaign ad...

March 9, 2006 9:33 PM

Vernon Robinson is a Republican candidate for Congress in North Carolina's 13th District. This is his campaign ad. (Links to 2MB Quicktime movie). Both bitterly racist and homophobic, it's straight out of, err... The Twilight Zone. (Via WFMU)
posted by huskerdont (101 comments total)

Wow. That's creepy in a whole bunch of unintended ways.
posted by amery at 9:39 PM on March 9, 2006

Had a good laugh until I realized it wasn't satire.
posted by bcveen at 9:43 PM on March 9, 2006

Gotta love the closing.

Traditional American values = "Leave It to Beaver."
posted by ericb at 9:43 PM on March 9, 2006

Lots of people are asking if he cleared the clips. I find it very hard to believe that the licence holders would permit them to be used in this way. If he didn't clear them properly, he's toast.
posted by unSane at 9:44 PM on March 9, 2006

It's, uh, well-made...
posted by luftmensch at 9:46 PM on March 9, 2006

Here's hoping they didn't bother to secure the rights to the sounds/images and get their asses handed to them for the American values of copyright infringement.
posted by dobbs at 9:49 PM on March 9, 2006

It's like the evil alien parasite that lives in Ann Coulter's head has a twin.
posted by slatternus at 9:50 PM on March 9, 2006

Traditional American values = "Leave It to Beaver."

And Vernon Robinson sitting in the back of the bus.
posted by bcveen at 9:50 PM on March 9, 2006

look out for the HOMO ATHEIST REDS!!! give me a fucking break
posted by visit beautiful mount weather! at 9:50 PM on March 9, 2006

McCarthy would be proud
posted by visit beautiful mount weather! at 9:51 PM on March 9, 2006

The leave it to beaver clip really says it all. Let us "return" to a fictional world that only existed on television. That seems to be the conservative agenda in a nutshell. There's no reasoning with these people. I would just as soon get on with the inevitable violence while I'm young and fit enough to take some heads.
posted by 2sheets at 9:51 PM on March 9, 2006

Thank goodness someone is returning our nation to its traditional American values.

God is a Dike? A long wall built to keep out the sea?
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:57 PM on March 9, 2006

I like the part where he was the last man on earth and his glasses broke.
posted by Falconetti at 9:57 PM on March 9, 2006

"Why should I listen to you? YOU'RE HITLER!"
posted by 235w103 at 10:00 PM on March 9, 2006

TRADITIONAL AMERICAN VALUES
posted by stenseng at 10:01 PM on March 9, 2006

The sad thing is, this add will work. There are racist, homophobic, xenophobic, close-minded, reactionary, fantasy-land cretins out there in droves, lining up right now to vote for this disgrace.
posted by teece at 10:12 PM on March 9, 2006

Very creepy. How and why do people like this get into power?
Is there really that many people with similar "values"?
posted by shnoz-gobblin at 10:12 PM on March 9, 2006

And here's to you, Mr. Robinson. Jesus loves you more than you will know . . .
posted by spock at 10:18 PM on March 9, 2006

I bet his dad was a gay, Mexican-Negroid, Islamic Democrat who beat him as a child.
posted by roguescout at 10:25 PM on March 9, 2006

How many Republicans already think like this, but are more subtle about how they make statements?
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:30 PM on March 9, 2006

Of course the traditional American past he's selling never existed, but I guess that's why they call it the American Dream.
posted by gallois at 10:36 PM on March 9, 2006

I... I... don't know what to say. That was horrible, yet unsurprising. Should I be outraged, or should I just sigh in resignation?
posted by brundlefly at 10:39 PM on March 9, 2006

Vernon also tried this crap in 2004, but lost the Republican primary runoff 55 - 45 to conservative Virginia Foxx, who went on (in a heavily Republican district) to take the U.S. House seat vacated by now-Senator Richard Burr. I think Vernon will get even fewer votes this time; his schtick is getting old.
posted by mediareport at 10:49 PM on March 9, 2006

This ad was from his 2004 campaign, but he's running again, this time against Democrat Brad Miller.
posted by maryh at 10:50 PM on March 9, 2006

That ad is so jaw-droppingly beyond the ... uh ... pale that I had to check its authenticity. Here's the best part of his campaign site:


posted by rob511 at 10:50 PM on March 9, 2006

I'm amazed on several levels + I thought he was white. Even after I saw him at the end.
posted by matkline at 11:03 PM on March 9, 2006

From mediareport's link:

They've filled our criminal courtrooms and invaded our school. They sponge off the American taxpayer by clogging our welfare lines and our hospital emergency rooms. They've even taken over the DMV. These aliens commit heinous crimes against us, like Maximiliano Esparza, who raped a nun and strangled her with her own rosary -- illegally.

(excerpt from Robinson's immigrant baiting radio commercial)

posted by maryh at 11:04 PM on March 9, 2006

Oh. My. God.
His current radio commercial, "Jesse Helms is Back".
The announcer's little chuckle at the end just sells it.
posted by maryh at 11:08 PM on March 9, 2006

That was really funny. Honest, it was.

Could an American please explain whether this is a credible sort of candidacy? Ie, is this is hilarious outburst of someone with a bunch of money and no clue, or is it something that will really appeal to a broad constituency and work for Robinson?
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:12 PM on March 9, 2006

this time against Democrat Brad Miller

Oh, I didn't realize he'd switched this year. For what it's worth, Brad Miller chaired the NC Senate redistricting committee that drew the districts now being used in North Carolina. In fact, Brad Miller drew his own district.

Vernon doesn't stand a chance; he's obviously running just for attention and is well on his way to becoming a classic perennial loser in North Carolina politics.
posted by mediareport at 11:25 PM on March 9, 2006

(Oh, and for what it's worth, I think it sucks that Brad Miller drew his own district.)
posted by mediareport at 11:26 PM on March 9, 2006

It's times like this that I wish I remembered where I got the phrase "Leave it to Beaver cultural stalinism" from. So magnificently appropriate.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:03 AM on March 10, 2006

i really dont get what the big fucking deal is. robinson is an unusual character, but he's doing his own thing. the commercial is creative, straight-forward, unapologetic and yes, controversial.
i can understand a certain amount of shock, hysteria, uneasiness, but lets face it, you people live in a fucking bubble. and as far as silly, suggestive shit goes, huskerdont trumped the ad by adding that robinson is both bitterly racist and a homophobe. you may find this to be true, but lets not pretend like this is anything more than your personal opinion, and more likely than not, a baseless exaggeration intended to humiliate both robinson and his beliefs in front of the metafilter peanut gallery in a way that pleases your internet ego.
posted by phaedon at 12:05 AM on March 10, 2006

phaedon, I wish I knew how to quit you.

This can't be for real, can it? And really, you do Jesse Helms a disservice by likening him to Robinson. He's more like the black Lyndon LaRouche.
posted by bardic at 12:18 AM on March 10, 2006

omfg.

Y'know, I thought working in a retail store in a black ghetto for two years would completely cure me of my White Liberal Guilt (tm), but this just brought it right back. BRILLIANT WORK, SIR. Bonus points for being non-white!
posted by neckro23 at 12:28 AM on March 10, 2006

How is the commercial or this person racist?
posted by shoos at 12:29 AM on March 10, 2006

Huskerdont?
posted by shoos at 12:33 AM on March 10, 2006

shoos, I couldn't agree more. This is the most enlightened, progressive commercial evar in terms of taking complicated issues like race, homosexuality, and illegal immigration and offering a communal space for calm, rational discussion.
posted by bardic at 12:43 AM on March 10, 2006

couldn't agree with what? so can you answer the question I posed to huskerdont?
posted by shoos at 12:44 AM on March 10, 2006

dumbass?
posted by shoos at 12:50 AM on March 10, 2006

He will be finger-banged by the invisible hand of the electoral market.
posted by Moistener at 1:22 AM on March 10, 2006

[expletive deleted] I always preferred the phrase "cultural communism". Technically what these people are hoping to institute is closer to Stalinism than communism, but I prefer to use "communism" because Joe Kneejerk doesn't really understand the difference and he's been conditioned to think that communism == evil.

All you have to do to make any kneejerk Republican's head explode is use their own conditioning against them. Point out that "you know, what [insert Republican leader here] is doing looks awfully communist to me" and watch the fireworks. Sometimes its even an effective tool to starting *real* discussion by forcing them to do something other than parrot what Rush said.
posted by sotonohito at 3:05 AM on March 10, 2006

Christ, what an asshole.
posted by Tommy Gnosis at 3:08 AM on March 10, 2006

He clearly forgot to run his commercial through the republican code phrase encoder ring.
posted by srboisvert at 3:20 AM on March 10, 2006

Holy shit. This guy's running in my district.
posted by EarBucket at 3:27 AM on March 10, 2006

From his website:

Without the immediate and generous financial support of you and folks like you, I won't have the resources to bypass the liberal media and communicate directly with the voters through TV, radio, and mail. If you and I allow that to happen, the closest I'll get to Congress will be watching it on C-SPAN.

From your lips to God's ears, Vernon.
posted by EarBucket at 3:30 AM on March 10, 2006

Holy shit. Are we sure this isn't some kind of weird performance art?
posted by EarBucket at 3:33 AM on March 10, 2006

EarBucket, that audio ad was money just from hearing that whiter than white guy say, "yo dawg, peep my bling-bling." I was rolling after I heard that.
posted by Tommy Gnosis at 3:37 AM on March 10, 2006

I know. It's like some kind of weird political version of The Producers.
posted by EarBucket at 3:40 AM on March 10, 2006

Meant to say "whiter than white voice-over guy". Sorry. It was almost as funny as that ghetto Delta Airlines parody ad I heard a while back.

Seriously, though. What is it with these reactionary fucktards? They control both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Executive, and still they bang the drum that America is under control of some super-powerful liberal cabal. Does anyone actually buy this shit anymore?
posted by Tommy Gnosis at 3:45 AM on March 10, 2006

lets not pretend like this is anything more than your personal opinion

Let's not pretend that this commercial is not bigoted propaganda that hits on pretty much every least common denominator xenophobic and irrational fear held in the public consciousness today. I grant you the echo chamber in hear can sometimes get out of hand, but this kind of it's-no-big-deal dismissal is almost as corrosive as the ad content itself. From a free speech standpoint, Robinson has every right to say (or endorse) something as controversial as this, but from a human standpoint, any decent person has every bit as much right to ridicule him for putting it forward.
posted by psmealey at 4:18 AM on March 10, 2006

Blimey. If the BNP tried something like that in a Party Political Broadcast slot here, there'd be an uproar.

I wonder what US elections would be like if television and radio advertising was banned, and the two parties were allowed limited but equal time to make broadcasts. (Not much different unless news programmes had to be balanced too, I suppose.)
posted by jack_mo at 4:40 AM on March 10, 2006

Jack_mo, and to think I got upset over the racist undertones of the UKIP PPB that I saw a few years back...

A bit too "we're not racist, but..." for my liking.
posted by slimepuppy at 4:47 AM on March 10, 2006

For what it's worth, I'm glad to see this. It's far more entertaining than the usual boring-ass political commercials (so perfectly parodied by Mr. Stewart at the Oscars). It bodes well for election season here. Plus, it's a much more honest look at what the candidate believes than you usually get, which is great. After all, the only people who'd actually vote for this guy after seeing this are the nutty 20% or so who'd vote for Mussolini as long as he ran as a Republican. Better a fascist than a faggot, after all.
posted by EarBucket at 4:50 AM on March 10, 2006

Great. Between this, Clay Aiken, Jesse Helms, and the battle over how the lottery came to be, NC is a mini US backing up to the dark ages.
posted by yoga at 4:51 AM on March 10, 2006

Has to be a fake. Has. to. be.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:58 AM on March 10, 2006

slimepuppy said 'Jack_mo, and to think I got upset over the racist undertones of the UKIP PPB that I saw a few years back... '

I remember that one - I kept imagining someone walking casually into the frame with a placard saying 'Pakis out!'
posted by jack_mo at 5:00 AM on March 10, 2006

Reminds me of this bit from Futurama...

"Do you remember a time when chocolate chip cookies came fresh baked out of the oven? Pepperidge Farms does. Do you remember a time when women couldn't vote and certain folks weren't allowed on the golf courses? Pepperidge Farms does."
posted by clevershark at 5:26 AM on March 10, 2006

shoos, I want to reply to the advert (the linked one) being racist:

Watch the section about about mexicans. The money quote is "...by the millions." Just after it, you'll hear the dun-dun-DUN that can only be seen as implying that millions of mexicans in the country must be feared like the plague.

I won't debate immigration policy here, but, um, why should the Mexicans (and Guatemalans and Hondurans) be feared? Is there some rational basis for this fear? Is that rational basis stated in the ad? No, it's not.

I won't even get into the comparison between aliens from outerspace (clearly something to be afraid, or at least aprehensive of) and illegal immigrants. Immigrants just want to vaccumm your office, wash your car, and water your lawn. They're not eating Christian babies you know.
posted by zpousman at 5:31 AM on March 10, 2006

Vernon Robinson's latest release is the feel good hit of the political season! Here's what the critics saying:

"I bet his dad was a gay, Mexican-Negroid, Islamic Democrat who beat him as a child."

"He will be finger-banged by the invisible hand of the electoral market."

"... the only people who'd actually vote for this guy after seeing this are the nutty 20% or so who'd vote for Mussolini as long as he ran as a Republican. Better a fascist than a faggot, after all."

"He clearly forgot to run his commercial through the republican code phrase encoder ring."

"And here's to you, Mr. Robinson. Jesus loves you more than you will know . . ."

* * * Now playing on a web browser near you. Don't miss it! * * *
posted by a_day_late at 5:32 AM on March 10, 2006

Tommy Gnosis writes "What is it with these reactionary fucktards? They control both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the Executive, and still they bang the drum that America is under control of some super-powerful liberal cabal."

Well they have to invent *some* excuse for constantly fucking things up.
posted by clevershark at 5:40 AM on March 10, 2006

Hey, this guy's stealing Dave Chappelle's bit.
posted by edverb at 5:48 AM on March 10, 2006

I think you can probably sum this ad up in one line:

"Vote for me, because I don't like people who aren't like us."
posted by Tommy Gnosis at 5:57 AM on March 10, 2006

seriously, I still doubt that the ad is legit.

and even if it is, IF YOU CRITICIZE IT YOU'RE BEING SHRILL
posted by matteo at 6:26 AM on March 10, 2006

Unfortunately this guy is representitive of the polarizing character of politics these days. Whacko from right or left is still whacko, and the people they both appeal to are scary.
posted by a3matrix at 6:28 AM on March 10, 2006

I am surprised no-one else picked up on bcveen's wicked and insightful comment:

>Traditional American values = "Leave It to Beaver."
>
>And Vernon Robinson sitting in the back of the bus.

bcveen wins the thread.
posted by kcds at 6:32 AM on March 10, 2006

These traditional American values? Oh to return to those happy 1950s.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:48 AM on March 10, 2006

You can be black and racist against mexicans at the same time.
posted by delmoi at 7:05 AM on March 10, 2006

How is the commercial or this person racist?
posted by shoos at 12:29 AM PST on March 10

Huskerdont?
posted by shoos at 12:33 AM PST on March 10

couldn't agree with what? so can you answer the question I posed to huskerdont?
posted by shoos at 12:44 AM PST on March 10

dumbass?
posted by shoos at 12:50 AM PST on March 10

Hey shoos sometimes people need to get a coffee or do the dishes or go to a meeting so maybe they won't check for your insightful comments every four minutes. I know, I don't see how they could deny themselves the pleasure of replying to your wit and wisdom immediately but life is tough.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 7:40 AM on March 10, 2006

Hey, it's still better than Crash.
posted by Artw at 7:46 AM on March 10, 2006

But.... that ad's a joke, right? A Daily-Show type satire? Huh? I mean... this is some kind of hilarious joke candidacy performance piece, yeah?

*looks around nervously*
posted by jokeefe at 7:49 AM on March 10, 2006

You can be black and racist against mexicans at the same time.
posted by delmoi at 10:05 AM EST on March 10 [!]

Trust me, being anti-Mexican is the hot ticket here in NC at the moment. The letters to the editor especially are an eye-opener, (because the letter writers feel no need to hide their ignorance or bigotry) letters like the woman who wrote into say that she hates that Spanish is being "shoved down her throat" because when she goes to the supermarket, Spanish appears on some labels.

Funny how seeing Spanish makes me nostalgic for California.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 8:13 AM on March 10, 2006

Per maryh's comment, I can't believe that mexican guy raped and strangled that nun illegally. I mean, really. The nerve.
posted by psmealey at 8:15 AM on March 10, 2006

why should the Mexicans (and Guatemalans and Hondurans) be feared?

[futurama]
They're not from here! They've got their own customs! Look at their crazy passports!
[\futurama]

Robinson can't hold a candle to James Hart, the anti-Christian Nazi eugenicist who snuck onto the ballot in TN last cycle. Moral of the story: make sure you have at least one real candidate running in every district to keep jackasses from stealing your party label.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:30 AM on March 10, 2006

psmealey: If he had just gotten a doe license, it wouldn't have been illegal.
posted by Captain_Tenille at 8:31 AM on March 10, 2006

Look at their crazy passports!

And their money! Look at their crazy money!
posted by kirkaracha at 8:37 AM on March 10, 2006

It's quite nice, actually.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:37 AM on March 10, 2006

Well, it is North Carolina. Beautiful state, nice people, but full of nutjobs. Only place in America where I couldn't sit on the beach without some guy coming up to proselytize to me.
posted by fungible at 8:49 AM on March 10, 2006

I'm Laughing. Really.
"To defeat the enemy you must first learn his song". The guy is a black republican in a south where you can no longer reliably count on "the black vote" (shaddup, I'm black), new immigrants are scaring the good ole boys just like them terrirists a-rabs. He's even in black and white to minimize his otherness to the people he's appealing to. Does he hold views this extreme? Who can say, but he knows how to speak the language that will get him attention and possibly a following.

Another edit from his site : "My candidacy offers the voters a mainstream alternative to a radical incumbent with too many kooky and extreme positions on the issues.”

Teh Prosecution rests, your honor.
posted by djrock3k at 8:50 AM on March 10, 2006

When did they let nigras on television?!? This must be stopped.
posted by digaman at 9:08 AM on March 10, 2006

He needs to get together with Alan Keyes. They'd be like two precious unicorns, two precious gay-baiting immigrant-hating crazy unicorns...
posted by maryh at 9:29 AM on March 10, 2006

Over at Crooks and Liars:

"This is isn't a joke or a parody commercial. It's just insane. Robinson is running for Congress in North Carolina and he uses the Twilight Zone theme to attack gays, judges, African Americans and just about anything or anyone else you can think of.

This guy is like James Dobson, Kate O'Berine, Tom Tancredo, Michael Ledeen and William Donohue all rolled into one."

posted by ericb at 9:39 AM on March 10, 2006

I love how he says that gay people are "mocking marriage" -- an oft-used Rovean trope.

Kinda like Rosa Parks "mocking" mass transit, you goddamned Uncle Tom.
posted by digaman at 10:04 AM on March 10, 2006

There is a weird kind of racial self-loathing undertone to it all, isn't there? It feels like he's afraid Republicans will notice he's black, so he's working very hard to reassure them that he isn't really black--he just has "a very good tan."
posted by EarBucket at 10:26 AM on March 10, 2006

I love how he says that gay people are "mocking marriage"

On "Real Time With Bill Maher" last March 11, Barney Frank said it well:

"I try very hard to be a responsible citizen and as a gay man I try very hard to keep track of the marriages I have destroyed, and there really aren't that many. I may have some secret admirers out there and I may have wreaked more havoc than I realize, but they haven't called."

posted by ericb at 10:31 AM on March 10, 2006

Well Shoos, thanks for calling me a dumbass. I'm honored. Really. Just for posting something on MeFi and going out for the night. Really.

And how is the ad racist? I dunno, but comparing Mexicans to aliens invading in UFOs seems pretty racist to me. So does linking affirmative action to mid-1980s era Al Sharpton. Y'know, it's funny like that.

The thing that surprises me is that the first rule of campaign ads is not that you should NEVER, EVER GIVE YOUR OPPONENT AMMUNITION TO CRITICIZE YOU WITH. And Robinson... Well, he's running with a major party for a congressional seat and is receiving the funding to make well-polished, professional television ads. Yet the well-polished ads make him look just one hallucinogenic cocktail short of being Lyndon LaRouche.

In all seriousness, I love this country. It never stops making me smile, kids.
posted by huskerdont at 10:40 AM on March 10, 2006

Oh my god, I thought I was going to pee, his radio ads made me laugh so hard. I know he's "for real", but I still wish this was all some kind of performance art, because it would be *brilliant* if it were. Instead, it's just kind of bizarre and funny as hell.
posted by davejay at 11:10 AM on March 10, 2006

Oh, and about the second radio ad linked in the comments above: the "peep my bling bling" line is going on my cell phone.
posted by davejay at 11:11 AM on March 10, 2006

huskerdont, to split hairs, "dumbass" was actually directed at bardic. Maybe Robinson hates himself, maybe he's a retard, maybe he's a klansman in (half)blackface. Whatever. But I don't see any evidence in this commercial that he's racist. Mexicans are by far the largest group among the people illegally entering the country (although he didn't mention that fact), and almost invariably they enter through the Mexican border (which is all he said about Mexico or Mexicans). Is it not possible to want enforcement our immigration laws without being racist? And why does any dialog pertaining to race so often end up at the lowest common denominator (ie unfounded accusations of racism)?
posted by shoos at 12:28 PM on March 10, 2006

/adds shoos as "friend" on profile.
posted by bardic at 12:45 PM on March 10, 2006

Looks like Vernon has pulled the links to his ads from the site. The ads page now just says "Coming soon!"

I can't wait.
posted by EarBucket at 12:50 PM on March 10, 2006

"District 12 congressional candidate Vernon Robinson joined University of North Carolina at Charlotte Republicans on [February 28] to protest affirmative action.

They made their point by selling cookies and baked goods at different prices based on their colors and shapes."

[News 14 | February 28, 2006]
posted by ericb at 12:55 PM on March 10, 2006

For those of us not in the USA (or, at least, those of us in Canada), it is downright bizarre how much political advertising you US Americans have on the tube. They never STFU down there, do they?
posted by five fresh fish at 1:08 PM on March 10, 2006

artw wins!!! i loved that comment.
posted by phaedon at 1:26 PM on March 10, 2006

It looks like something out from the Colbert Report
posted by Skeptic at 2:17 PM on March 10, 2006

Wait a few days, I'm sure they'll be on it.
posted by mediareport at 6:17 PM on March 10, 2006

five fresh fish:

There really isn't that much except in the closing months of big elections.


What happens though, is a controversial ad gets replayed on the news programs, essentialy giving free publicity.

So, asshats make an ad like this they know will offend simply because it will reach a larger audience than they can possibily afford.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 7:36 PM on March 10, 2006

What happens though, is a controversial ad gets replayed on the news programs, essentialy giving free publicity.


Methinks there will be very few -- if no -- television news stations who will comment and air this advertisment. He is a fringe candidate and hardly worthy of consideration on the national stage.

The only 'play' regarding his advertisment has been on blogs. As a result, today, he removed the ad from his website.

Checking Google News -- at this time there are no references to the advertisement.

This, too, shall pass.
posted by ericb at 8:15 PM on March 10, 2006

unSane, you're correct, he didn't clear the clips. I noticed that he was using one of Philip Greenspun's photographs of a New York pride parade, and Greenspun confirmed that Robinson didn't have permission to use the photo.
posted by bpt at 9:59 PM on March 10, 2006

Thanks, bpt, that's a great tidbit. Again, this is an old ad from a guy who 1) lost his last bid at national office and 2) has to use desperation measures to get any kind of attention. Taking him as an exemplar of North Carolina values is bigotry just about on a par with, er, Vernon Robinson's bigotry.
posted by mediareport at 10:09 PM on March 10, 2006

Next ad will feature a shot of his opponent in the House of Representatives set to "It's Hard In There for a Pimp".
posted by spock at 8:35 PM on March 12, 2006