Dem
51
GOP
49
We had an item earlier this week about Ron DeSantis' new campaign ad, in which he tries to paint Donald Trump as a "woke" LGBTQ advocate, while presenting himself as a fierce anti-LGBTQ crusader. If you haven't seen the ad already, you really should take a look. We wish we could find a copy that's not posted to Twitter, but apparently it's been banned by social media platforms not owned by Elon Musk.
We have seen a lot of campaign ads, and this one might well be the most bizarre we've ever seen. For those who don't care to watch, the first half (roughly) uses several video clips and statements, mostly taken out of context, to frame Trump as a modern-day Harvey Milk. That part is backed with cheesy electronic/disco music, which is historically correct, at least, since disco emerged from the LGBTQ community (and the Black community).
The second half of the ad, meanwhile, utilizes music of the sort that you'd use for the climactic scene of a gladiator movie. That serves as accompaniment to a jarring juxtaposition of clips and images, including: (1) a bunch of headlines reporting on DeSantis' anti-LGBTQ "accomplishments," (2) noted homophobe and transphobe Matt Walsh ranting and raving about... something, (3) clips from various movies, including Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders, (4) images underscoring DeSantis' alleged manliness and toughness, and (5) a few beefcake photos of bodybuilders. Seriously; take a look at the image at 1:11. We'd understand if it was DeSantis' head grafted onto a "ripped" body, but it's not. It's just a very fit bodybuilder, inserted in between a drawing of the Governor as a werewolf and a clip of him dressed up as a fighter pilot. We just don't understand what is going on there. Also, does DeSantis' campaign know that, in American Psycho, Bateman is a literal serial killer? One who presents a polished public face, but chops numerous women into pieces in private?
Actually, we assume they do know that, since the obvious point of the ad is to appeal to male grievance, at least as DeSantis understands it. He's going after the incel crowd, along with other men who are confused, frightened and angry about changes in gender roles and gender rules over the past several generations. The ostensible message is that Trump may have a "manly" image, but he's actually part of "the problem." On the other hand, DeSantis allegedly "gets it," as he realizes how sick and twisted LGBTQ people (especially T people) are, and—as a hyper-masculine fellow—he also apparently knows how to destroy his enemies and how to "handle" women.
Put another way, it's just another exhibit for the "Ron DeSantis doesn't get it" file. The ad is reprehensible, of course, but we also struggle to see how it helps him politically. Trumpers, even when presented with direct evidence of behavior from Trump that they do not like, are very, very good at finding ways to ignore that behavior. We very seriously doubt that any of them are going to be won over by such an obviously dishonest presentation, especially since Trump also has plenty of anti-LGBTQ stuff on his record. Meanwhile, many non-incel Republicans have loudly condemned the ad, along with DeSantis' new anti-LGBTQ edge.
What we have, then, is an ad that is not going to win DeSantis many voters, but is certainly going to lose him some. Last we checked, that's not what ads are supposed to do. And this is just in the primaries; if DeSantis were to somehow become the GOP nominee, the Democrats would have a field day reminding people of his various ads and statements. Given the blowback, the wise course of action would seemingly be to back off, and to come up with some sort of excuse, like "My staff put that out there, and once I saw it I ordered it taken down." That would not be true, but it would allow him to back off. Of course, DeSantis and his campaign are never, ever wrong, and never, ever make mistakes. So, he has predictably doubled down on this line of attack, accusing Trump of being "a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream." C'mon, Ron. Is there anyone who is going to buy that?
Also, as a side note, you can probably guess that DeSantis' campaign did not get permission to use the movie clips they used. After all, laws are for other people, not the Governor. The owners of those copyrights could sue, but that would likely mean spending a lot of money for a limited recovery, while also giving DeSantis a lot more opportunity to do anti-woke/anti-Hollywood posturing. So, those lawsuits are not likely to be coming down the pike. That said, the creators of Peaky Blinders put out a statement expressing their unhappiness with the misuse of their intellectual property. And this isn't the first time this has happened. Not long ago, the DeSantis campaign used the Disney signature font without permission. In that case, a lawsuit may very well come to pass, as the Mouse does not mess around when it comes to intellectual property.
The bottom line is that DeSantis continues to show himself to be a clumsy, ham-fisted, ineffectual campaigner. At the same time, he also continues to remind us that he's a frightening and dangerous man. Is there any group he will not scapegoat, if he thinks it will aid his rise to power? Is there any law he won't break, as long as he thinks he can get away with it? Is there any circumstance where he will change his mind, when presented with evidence that he erred? It certainly looks like the answer to all three questions is "no," and if so, well, that bodes ill for a hypothetical DeSantis presidency. (Z)