September 29, 2016

The "Party in the U.S.A." ad is "a little weird, a little off" and "agressively American," but does that work to make millennials anti-Trump?

Here's "an advertisement intended to convince young voters not to vote for Donald Trump, conceived and produced by the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, 'the nation’s largest grassroots anti-Trump organization'..."



"We wanted it to be a little weird, a little off — why am I seeing ISIS and neo-Nazis celebrating over ‘Party in the U.S.A.’? I guess we worried it was a little too poppy at one point, but it’s just so perfect — aggressively American, and a young song that you literally party to."

Yeah, well, you never know when these things will backfire on you. What you mean to be anti-Trump could just as well work pro-Trump. You're showing the enemy, and that could make people feel that they want the strongest opposition to the enemy. Also, "Party in the U.S.A." could mostly stimulate an amorphous pro-U.S.A. feeling, and I think Trump has pretty successfully merged his brand with the general idea of America. Hillary Clinton seems to have more of the Obama-style modesty about America, more reaching out to globalism. Yesterday, I was watching TV, just casually seeing some promotional ad for tonight's Dolphins/Bengals game that had an American flag mixed in with the football images and I felt that, subliminally, this was working pro-Trump. There's no reason why images of the flag and men in football costumes running about makes any kind of an argument for Trump, but I think he's managed to make pro-America feel pro-Trump.

So you can try to influence millennials (or other groups) with flashing images and sounds, but how are you predicting what will go on in their limbic system? You can just take a chance and stimulate and see what happens. Ironically, I think that's what Trump has been doing. And it's out of control. Why not jump in?

It's the political equivalent of treating kidney stones with roller coaster rides.

75 comments:

Owen said...

"...I think he's managed to make pro-America feel pro-Trump."

Very interesting but not a proposition that lends itself to falsification, therefore just an intriguing kind of BS.

Still, I kinda like it. If Trump has somehow infiltrated every view by every one of us, of every flag waving across this great land, he should rock the vote.

Brando said...

Do most swing voters associate "Trump" with "America" or is that just your feeling? Because it doesn't really matter what "pro-Trump" and "pro-Clinton" voters associate for that ad, but rather how it plays with the voters they're trying to reach.

I'm sure Clinton fans see it and think "Trump is the guy who would rather hand everything over to Putin, I love America so hooray Clinton". I'm also sure that like you, most Trump fans see it and say "this is why we need Trump--we have enemies!" But how about those who don't buy into either of them? What do they think when they're reminded of foreign threats?

rehajm said...

One of the tewntysomethings in the Clinton millennials strategy group vaguely recalled something about images of tanks causing electoral victory and they all ran with it.

Static Ping said...

The chutzpah is palpable. One would have to be an extremely low information voter to find this convincing in any way.

Kate said...

Whoever made this is bipolar. That's a certifiable level of manic/depressive.

Ken B said...

What I see is a woman *making light of ISIS and terrorism* as a way to convince us she's the serious one on ISIS and terrorism.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

...football costumes...

football costumes...

football costumes?!?

Eric said...

These people--campaign pros of all stripes--are really despicable morons. That Trump relies less on them is a plus for him.

BarrySanders20 said...

Immediate reaction from a Jockstrap (Johnson supporter):

The people in the video are not in the USA. They are in shitty parts of the world where they don't like us right now. Whether we have a party in the USA won't matter to them.

Putin is laughing at something but it isn't our election outcome.


FWBuff said...

Wow! Admittedly, I'm not one of the targeted millennials, but I had completely the opposite reaction to this ad. I see today's threats in the Middle East, Iran, North Korea, and Russia portrayed as already out of control, and the bad actors partying now over US weakness. I was shocked that the tag at the end said the group was anti-Trump. I wouldn't at all have been surprised if it had been sponsored by a pro-Trump group. Maybe it will hit millennials differently, but it looks like a major backfire.

Paddy O said...

If you get a chance to watch the most recent episode of New Girl, it's a very nice balance of political activity that goes in interesting directions. Seems pro-Hillary at times but it creates a nice exploration of how intention doesn't always work out the ways expected.

Those sentences are how academics sell things. This is why our books don't sell well.

Better: Jess and Cece try to get out the vote in a sorority party!

Rosalyn C. said...

Meanwhile I just listened to President Obama at a town hall meeting explaining to a Gold Star mother why he doesn't say "Islamic terrorism," deliberately employing a false analogy. He asked her, what if a Christian terrorist group claimed to be acting in the name of Christianity? He'd be opposed to calling that "Christian terrorism."

The difference however is that there is nothing in Christianity which commands a Christian to fight the non-believers until they all proclaim Christ is the messiah. The Koran does that regarding Allah and his prophet Mohammed, and Islam is not just like the Christianity. Our president is telling people a lie in very convincing and measured tones. He's more concerned with not offending our Muslim "allies" and protecting the feelings of peaceful Muslims than telling the truth to the American people. He believes that's best for us, but that is debatable.

Speaking of which, when are we going to have actual presidential debates where there is a proposition and the candidates actually present their case? Like a debate about "Islamic terrorism" for example, or our energy policy or public education, etc.?

Nonapod said...

Keep it up. These desperate attempts to appeal to millennials probably do more to push them away than actually get them to vote for Clinton. Just as there's nothing lamer than old people trying to act young, it's also pathetic when pure politicians and professional campaign creatures try to appear hip and cool.

The paradox of the youth vote is that in order to appeal to them, you have to be cool, but the harder you try to be cool, the more uncool you seem. Bernie appealed to young people because he was an outsider who advocated radical solutions. But Clinton is very much an insider in every conceivable way. She doesn't represent change, just continuation.

Ann Althouse said...

"Very interesting but not a proposition that lends itself to falsification, therefore just an intriguing kind of BS."

It would be pretty easy to design a test. Show one group a montage of non-political America things — the flag, the anthem, soldiers looking serious, amber waves of grain, mom with her pie, whatever. Show another group a montage of things that are equally interesting and attractive but devoid of identification with America — penguins, whatever. Then poll them about who they're voting for in the election.

Ann Althouse said...

...football costumes...

football costumes...

football costumes?!?


This is an old Althouse blog topic. Thanks for noticing the topic... but it would be better if you showed that you know that we've already discussed this. It's just a shout-out to long timers.

Brando said...

"If you get a chance to watch the most recent episode of New Girl, it's a very nice balance of political activity that goes in interesting directions. Seems pro-Hillary at times but it creates a nice exploration of how intention doesn't always work out the ways expected."

I like how they played it out that the Hillary supporters were sort of silly, and that Schmidt was just holding out for Paul Ryan.

MacMacConnell said...

I agree with the Professor. Democratic Coalition Against Trump is the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Everything they attempt becomes nada. For instance, the Bondi contributions, Ivanka' s immigrant status,Trump exciting violence. I guess violence by Clinton supporters, they have no self control. Tops is Trump calls for the assassination of Hillary. All filings with the FBI.

This ad is a great basis for a great Trump ad. I hope his campaign is listening.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Ann Althouse said...soldiers looking serious, amber waves of grain, mom with her pie

I appreciate and understand what you're saying here, Professor, but it should be pointed out that right now, in 2016, "mom with her pie" and something as benign as "soldiers looking serious" or even just an image of a waving US flag are not "non-political American things." Not even close.

Captain Drano said...

"Grassroots" my ass. More like sorosroots:

"[The] Keep America Great PAC is the fundraising arm of the Democratic Coalition Against Trump. All money raised will go towards making sure that Donald Trump is NEVER President of the United States.

Paid for by Keep America Great PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."

And when you click to donate at the "Keep America Great" (again, the "fundraising arm" of the Coalition against Trump) it goes to ActBlue:

"Paid for by ActBlue (actblue.com) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Contributions or gifts to ActBlue are not deductible as charitable contributions for Federal income tax purposes."

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/keep-america-great-pac

Isn't ActBlue (if not founded by) heavily funded by a Soros front???

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Hell, I can remember when the left sputtered and shook with rage at the very suggestion that people supporting George W. Bush would imply that non-Bush supporters were "helping the terrorists" or weren't sufficiently patriotic or weren't "with us" in some way.

Now associating pictures of ISIS fighters with support for a Republican president is super-cool, though. Neat.

machine said...

hello fantasyland!

where everything is good for Mr. Palin...and Cuba.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

So highlighting all of Hillary/Obama's failures is somehow anti-Trump?
It actually plays as anti-Hillary to me.

Anyway, you know it's a joke any time you see leftist group with a name containing the word "Democratic".

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Thanks for noticing the topic... but it would be better if you showed that you know that we've already discussed this.

I was actually aware that you've already discussed this, but you are correct, it would have been better if I had shown it.

Fine. Call them costumes. From now on I'm calling the thing the speaker stands behind a podium, and I'm calling the outwardly visible lady-bits a vagina. That's what you garner for calling uniforms 'costumes'.

Bill Peschel said...

This would have to be aimed at lower than low-information voters, like those who don't know that the Dems have been in charge of foreign policy for the last eight years.

I'm assuming they're Doonesbury readers.

chuck said...

"Grassroots"? There is no such thing as a Democrat grassroots organization, they are all astroturf, the best manufactured plastic money can buy.

Ann Althouse said...

A costume is "The style of clothing appropriate to a particular occasion, season, activity, etc.; frequently with modifying word; also in extended use. Also: an example of this; an outfit designed or worn for a particular occasion, activity, etc."

Known Unknown said...

Terrible ad, given what's officially happened on Clinton's and Obama's watch.

Was just watching a crazy conspiracy video about the debate but did notice that when Hillary is ending her 'shimmy' Trump says the word "seizure" under his breath. It's really interesting, and I'm not sure most people watching initially would've caught it.

mikee said...

The Democratic Coalition to Stop Trump has as its leader one Tom Burke, who is a socialist activist. http://www.keywiki.org/Tom_Burke The group is about as "grass roots" as the Democrat Party itself.

ASTROTURF. Professionally manufactured outrage is not outrage at all, it is just professionally manufactured.

Matt Sablan said...

"e. Also: an example of this; an outfit designed or worn for a particular occasion, activity, etc.""

-- After reading this, I kind of want to call a bride's wedding dress her wedding costume one day.

But, I also don't want to be murdered.

Known Unknown said...

Mr. Palin

This is the best you can do? Really? Sad!

Yancey Ward said...

This is a terrible ad if you are wanting Clinton to win. The problem with it is that most people do know who has been president the last 8 years, and they do know that Clinton was the primary architect of foreign policy for half of that time.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

A costume is "The style of clothing appropriate to a particular occasion, season, activity, etc.; frequently with modifying word; also in extended use. Also: an example of this; an outfit designed or worn for a particular occasion, activity, etc."

All I can say is whoever came up with that definition probably spends most of the superbowl in the kitchen chatting with the wives while sipping a nice chardonnay.

buwaya said...

"All I can say is whoever came up with that definition probably spends most of the superbowl in the kitchen chatting with the wives while sipping a nice chardonnay."

That resembles me.
BTW, you shouldn't be watching the NFL anyway.
It belongs to the enemies of the people these days.

Francisco D said...

That seems like a remarkably stupid ad aimed at remarkably stupid people. In other words, it will probably work with remarkably stupid Millenials.

The Baby Boomers (of which I am a member) are so much smarter and more sophisticated ...

... Well, maybe not as much as we think. I'm thinking of Gene McCarthy, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Brown, the Clinton Crime Family, Barbara Boxer and others too numerous to name.

At least Abbie had a sense of humor.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

I actually think it's a great ad if your looking to highlight all of Hillary's foreign policy failures.

Captain Drano said...

So the long-time dem operator that started this "grassroots" org started with Obama for America, then worked on several other dem campaigns and/or org's.

Then, from an FEC filing , it appears maybe mommy(?) (A Miriam Lerner, 58, who lives somewhere on this road in Vermont, loaned him 5k to give to this bulldog group, that raises money exclusively for democrats and progressives. I guess that's how they call it grassroots.

(That FEC site is a hoot to look through! Check this one out!)

Wilbur said...

If there was a place I could contribute to ensure that ad runs on TV, I'd do it.

Anonymous said...

Brando: Do most swing voters associate "Trump" with "America" or is that just your feeling? Because it doesn't really matter what "pro-Trump" and "pro-Clinton" voters associate for that ad, but rather how it plays with the voters they're trying to reach.

Exactly. (Any voters who who are still available to be, er, garnered will probably be thinking..."wtf?")

Yancey Ward: This is a terrible ad if you are wanting Clinton to win. The problem with it is that most people do know who has been president the last 8 years, and they do know that Clinton was the primary architect of foreign policy for half of that time.

Do most voters really know that? I'd like to think so, but I suspect a lot of voters' notions of what's going on in the world out there are as inchoate as that ad. You'd be surprised at the number of people I've run into who've been convinced that Trump is the scary war-monger who's going to start wars with everybody, while knowing absolutely nothing about Hillary's glorious foreign policy record.

Anonymous said...

buwaya: BTW, you shouldn't be watching the NFL anyway.
It belongs to the enemies of the people these days.


Ha. I've been telling my kinfolk this, but their sportsball addiction runs too deep, alas.

Dave in Tucson said...

Althouse: This is football players in costumes.

This is football players in uniforms.

dreams said...

"At least Abbie had a sense of humor."

The crybaby liberal eventually off himself, a liberal loser.

BN said...

"...but how are you predicting what will go on in their limbic system?"

"limbic"? I can't garner any support for using that word here.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Ann Althouse said...
A costume is "The style of clothing appropriate to a particular occasion, season, activity, etc.; frequently with modifying word; also in extended use. Also: an example of this; an outfit designed or worn for a particular occasion, activity, etc."

9/29/16, 1:18 PM

OK and,

A vagina is "That thing that women have so men will talk to them."

khesanh0802 said...

@ Dave in Tucson Well done! I am anxiously awaiting Ann's response.

khesanh0802 said...

Terrible ad. Other than the last graphic I could be easily convinced it would be pro- Trump. Perhaps the music has some significance to millennials that makes it all sensible. The only thing the ad seems to prove is that it is a lot harder to make a meaningful ad than it appears to be.

khesanh0802 said...

Dave You were particularly wise to use the Packers photo for uniforms. The Packers wear costumes? Never!

Gospace said...

Meeeea already said it:

"Grassroots" my ass. More like sorosroots:

There isn't anything grassroots about any pro Democrat party group nor any anti Republican Party group and there hasn't been anything grassroots about either in decades, at least. Democrats follow the Communist playbook perfectly, like all the anti-war, pro-Soviet, don't execute the Rosenberg groups were all Communist front organizations.

The TEA Party was the last major genuine grassroots U.S. political movement. Look how hard the Democrats tried to prove it wasn't grassroots, and look how hard establishment Republicans tried to make it go away. Democrats were projecting, since if it were THEIR movement, it would somehow be directed from on top, and establishment Republicans were worried it might be successful at wrenching party control away from "moderates" willing to compromise, compromise being the establishment Republican term for roll over, play dead, and do what the Democrats want.

BN said...

FD, 1:36: "The Baby Boomers (of which I am a member) are so much smarter and more sophisticated ...

... Well, maybe not as much as we think. I'm thinking of Gene McCarthy, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Brown, the Clinton Crime Family, Barbara Boxer and others too numerous to name."

Uh... the only baby boomers named here are the Clinton Crime Family, and they are just barely (1946, 1947). Abbie Hoffman was born in '36! McCarthy was born in 1916!!! Brown in '38, Boxer in '40.

Demography isn't yer thing maybe, but I do appreciate the sarcasm toward the Baby Bummers (of which I am a member).

BN said...

FD 1:55 i meant.

Time isn't my thing maybe...

Kirk Parker said...

Althouse,

No.

Your source for 'costume' is simply wrong; 'costume' does NOT include working apparel.

Thus we don't have doctor's costumes, nurse's costumes, police costumes, army costumes, etc.

Unless you're wearing the above for Halloween.

BN said...

Costmaytoes or unifahtoes?

http://thesheaf.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Lingerie-Football_John-Pozadzides-flickr-copy.jpg


Sayyid said...

This was already a Trump ad, right down to Putin laughing at the end. The only changes they made were adding more footage of our enemies to lengthen the ad, stripping out Hillary barking like a dog, a new soundtrack, and a "Democrats" logo at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17EOM3RTD1Y

tim maguire said...

If we have dangerous enemies do we want pro-America Trump or nuanced citizen of the world Clinton?

Ironically, you could also phrase it, in a dangerous world, do you want war monger Clinton or tough negotiator Trump?

Trump wins either way.

tim maguire said...

"an advertisement intended to convince young voters not to vote for Donald Trump, conceived and produced by the Democratic Coalition Against Trump, 'the nation’s largest grassroots anti-Trump organization'..."

George Soros wants his money back.

tim maguire said...

Althouse said...
A costume is "The style of clothing appropriate to a particular occasion, season, activity, etc.; frequently with modifying word; also in extended use. Also: an example of this; an outfit designed or worn for a particular occasion, activity


Reminds me of the scene in Office Space where they try to figure out how to launder the stolen money by looking up "money laundering" in the dictionary.

mockturtle said...

Sadly, the average millennial has the brain of a turnip. This is probably due to overuse of cell phones but who knows? I think it shocking they are even permitted to vote.

dreams said...

I think most people will think that Putin is laughing at Obama, that crooked woman, Hillary and the USA.

HT said...

"Wow! Admittedly, I'm not one of the targeted millennials, but I had completely the opposite reaction to this ad. I see today's threats in the Middle East, Iran, North Korea, and Russia portrayed as already out of control, and the bad actors partying now over US weakness."

This was my feeling too, to some extent. The only anti Trump part that I saw was Putin laughing at the end. But ISIS and NK seem to be partying right now as we speak. Just how much life ISIS has left in it, I guess is something that we can't know with precision at this point in time. But I would score this one as a miss. There's so many other ways to portray a nightmare Trump administration...

HT said...

I had a good run predicting winners of pro football games by asking those wanting to put money on the line which team was wearing white jerseys, closing my eyes, and meditating on the game and the teams' uniforms/costumes until coming to an answer based on the more dominant uniform. It was a good little run for a while and I was famous in that particular little circle of gamblers.

n.n said...

The Party started with premature evacuation, progressed to the Libya-ISIS Affair, and culminated in in a global humanitarian disaster, with an interlude in numerous violent coups, bringing a reformed dictator (and American ambassador) to [social] justice through sodomy and abortion, and resetting the cold war with Russia and every other world power that observed Obama and Clinton's aggressive behavior.

Michael K said...

"What do they think when they're reminded of foreign threats?"

Safe Spaces and puppies.

I think it is kind of cute that machine has a periodic petit mal seizure and posts something nobody can understand.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

It's so unprofessionally done that the two uses of the word 'win' don't match; one is capitalized while the other is not.

My fifth grader wouldn't produce such crappy work. Amateur hour.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Although given the deep pockets behind it, I guess it's made to look rough and 'grassroots.' How sad that you have to make things look shitty to suggest they're the work of the man on the ground.

buwaya said...

"I think it is kind of cute that machine has a periodic petit mal seizure and posts something nobody can understand."

I do that all the time. Whatever else may be wrong with machine, that sort of thing is not unique to that entity.

Jupiter said...

I'll tell you who are America's enemies; the Invade The World/Invite The World vermin who made that sad-sack video.

buwaya said...

"and the bad actors partying now over US weakness."

The biggest party is hosted by the Chinese in the Far East. That's where the collapse in US prestige has gone furthest. Not mentioned in this thing. That airport business in Beijing was shameful.

Big Mike said...

What you mean to be anti-Trump could just as well work pro-Trump.

I agree heartily with FWBuff upthread; the ad makes me think of voting for Trump, not against him.

Sammy Finkelman said...

This is designed to make people scared of thrid parties - in general.

Sammy Finkelman said...

The Administration is trying to avoid a new cold war wih Russia - that's why they are not accusing Russia of hacking.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/651702/obama-white-house-reportedly-pushed-delay-congressional-statement-russian-hacking

And why they are not attacking Russia like they should about the bombing of Aleppo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/world/middleeast/russias-brutal-bombing-of-aleppo-may-be-calculated-and-it-may-be-working.html

Original Mike said...

Wow. That's a Hillary ad? I would have guessed Trump. If the current world situation is scary (and it is) that's on Hillary, not Trump.

Unknown said...

the Obama-style modesty about America

Aka distaste for America.

David Begley said...

That ad TOTALLY backfires. Complete fail.

ISIS is our mortal enemy. Even the most whacked out Badger college kid knows that.

Read John Hinderaker's daughter's piece in the Star Tribune.

David Begley said...

Only 3100 views. How did Althouse find that?

The whole country needs to see that ad. The Dems are insane.

Darrell said...

Yet. the real ISIS types, are posthumously found to be Hillary supporters. And Democrats still write love letters to Stalin.

Mister DA said...

Easily the most offensive PAC ad ever. The only thing that would be better for Trump is the candidate's voice over "I'm Hilary Clinton and I approve this message."

Trump could easily use the exact footage and tag it "A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote ISIS" and flash a clip of a Saudi Prince in full regalia instead of Putin.