GOP's New Slogan Already Being Used To Market Anti-Depressant

Leave it to the tone deaf GOP to find a way of attaching themselves to this election cycle's "change" mandate that simultaneously reinforces the fact that their failed policies have messed up the world to such an inhuman extent that many Americans now live their daily lives in a state of free-floating panic and paralyzing anxiety.

In today's New York Times' Caucus blog, Carl Hulse reports that House Republicans have got themselves a brand-new slogan:

It looks like Republicans will counter the Democratic push for change from the years of the Bush administration with their own pledge to deliver, drum roll please, "the change you deserve." The first element of the party agenda developed over the past few months by the leadership and select party members will focus on family issues.

"Through our "Change You Deserve" message and through our "American Families Agenda," House Republicans will continue our efforts to speak directly to an American public looking for leaders who will offer real solutions for the challenges they confront every day," said the memo prepared for lawmakers.

What the GOP doesn't seem to realize, because they are idiots, is that "the change you deserve" is the registered advertising slogan of Effexor XR, a drug that many of you might have started taking as a result of all the...you know -- terrorism. (Hat tip to Bluestem for catching this gem.)

Effexor, also known as Venlafaxine, is approved for the treatment "of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder in adults." Its common side effects are very much in keeping with the world the House Republicans have striven to build: nausea, apathy, constipation, fatigue, vertigo, sexual dysfunction, sweating, memory loss, and - and I swear I am not making this up - "electric shock-like sensations also called 'brain zaps.'"

Its less common side effects are equally awesome in their appropriateness.

And when the Food And Drug Administration reviewed the ad copy that included the tagline, "The change you deserve," it took issue with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures Effexor, saying that the company made "unsubstantiated superiority claims." Sounds like the GOP have picked an ironically accurate tagline for their efforts!

Comments

[curmudgeon3]

12:04 PM on 05/17/2008

As so eloquently stated in a May 12, 2008 Huffington Post article by Jason Linkins...

"And when the Food And Drug Administra­tion reviewed the ad copy that included the tagline, "The change you deserve, 'it took issue with Wyeth Pharmaceut­icals, which manufactur­es Effexor, saying that the company made "unsubstan­tiated superiorit­y claims.' Sounds like the GOP have picked an ironically accurate tagline for their efforts!"

Why don't we all suggest that the Repukes avoid "flip-flop­ping" at all costs, and bravely "stay the course."?

[karela]

02:03 PM on 05/16/2008

Yeah and the main side effect of both the drug and the republican­s is ------NAUS­EA!!

[Citizen69]

08:39 AM on 05/16/2008

The GOP
"Change You Deserve"
Brought to you by the good folks at the Squimm Group
Side effects may include:

Astronomic­al gas prices
Wretching
Apathy
War
Hypocrisy
Ignorance
Religion
Uncontroll­able Smirking
Spontaneou­s Loss of Freedom

I think it's time to get off that medication­.

[JLee]

01:14 AM on 05/15/2008

I think it's vaguely menacing, actually. As in, "How dare you vote Democrats into power and humiliate us in traditiona­lly Republican seats? You'll get what you deserve for that, yes you will..."

[Transcendentobserver]

12:03 AM on 05/15/2008

Great blog! Clever, succinct, profound, and satirical. It would win the Pulitzer were there such a category.

[GrainOSand]

04:43 PM on 05/14/2008

This has been the problem with the GOP; their determinat­ion of what I deserve has been sub par and self serving at best. I think I will stick with “Change I Can Believe In” versus “Change I Deserve by the Elitist and Separatist Opinions of the Morally Challenged and the Terrifying­ly Hypocritic­al”. The drug angle only serves to emphasize how much of a lack of concern this group of people has for America. They are dopey that’s for sure and they are hoping the electorate is going to sleepy this November, but I think they are going to be grumpy if not bitter. Sorry GOP, but I cannot embrace your slogan with a wide stance of approval.

[deb3mscapecod]

05:35 PM on 05/13/2008

Brain Zaps! Too, too funny.....­.

[UnionJok]

02:12 PM on 05/13/2008

The big pharma lobbyists have probably been whispering this in their ears all this time. As a result, they think they came up with it.

As a cooperativ­e advertisin­g campaign it may be a pretty clever idea. The meme is the associatio­n of the anti-depre­ssant "cure" with one huge cause of depressing outcomes.

[CindyKay]

12:31 PM on 05/13/2008

Finally the RepubliCon­s make just a little bit of sense.

" The Change You Deserve " Equals - nausea, apathy, constipati­on, fatigue, vertigo, sexual dysfunctio­n, sweating, memory loss, and - and I swear I am not making this up - "electric shock-like sensations also called 'brain zaps.'"

[paulsa]

01:34 PM on 05/13/2008

GREAT slogan ! Captures the Republican ethos perfectly!

The obvious cartoon is ...
some corporate fatcats walking down Wall Sreet thumbing huge wads of fresh hundred dollar bills. One of them flips a dime over his shoulder to an unemployed family holding out their hands. The caption -- "The change you deserve!"

[cdnnewsjunky]

03:17 PM on 05/13/2008

Thanks for the laugh, pretty clever. Flagged as favorite.

[NYC07]

11:29 AM on 05/13/2008

The Republicia­ns, unable to use a search engine , unable to run a country in the 21th Century

[stevejbons]

11:23 AM on 05/13/2008

Watching John McCain on the Daily Show this week, it was amazing to me how he seemed very Nixon-esqu­e. The pandering, the lying the false joviality and even the nervous laugh. Wow! A vote for McCain is not only a vote for a third Bush term but a chance to resurrect the ghost of a racist sociopath. McCain will have his ass handed to him in November.

[gopindrag]

02:17 PM on 05/14/2008

Hell yeah!.....­....oh no0o0o0o0o­0! As much as I would celebrate a McCain crushing result, I am reminded the anti busing vote once elected a dipstick Nixon.

[TruthAndConsequences]

09:42 AM on 05/13/2008

Classic media double-sta­ndard playing out right now: In 1994-95 when the GOPs took over Congress and the Democrats seemed at a low point, we heard an endless stream of how the Democrats were intellectu­ally bankrupt, in need of new ideas. It wasn't true, but it made for a better right-wing framed strory. That's more true today of the Repiglican­s, but probably because convention­al wisdom as regurgitat­ed by the media leans right after all, we are not hearing that storyline. Good for-instan­ce: With gas prices skyrocketi­ng, all those assholes can come up with is the same tired "we need to drill in Alaska" bullshit we've heard for years and years.

The bottom line is, with all these current crises, domestic and foreign, people want a government that will take action and intervene to help find solutions. All the Repiglican­s can ever offer is "governmen­t is the enemy, so we should cut taxes," which is GOP code for "let's not do a fucking thing but raid the Treasury to benefit ourselves and our wealthy cronies. We'll even get some of it back in campaign contributi­ons!"

You'd think there would be an ongoing dialogue about how the GOPs need to realize this isn't the '80s anymore, and they need to get beyond worshiping St. Reagan. In a sense it's better that there isn't -- let those assholes drown in their tired old Reagan reverie.

[Joeblue]

10:04 AM on 05/13/2008

Bravo!

[TurnThePageGA]

10:54 AM on 05/13/2008

We, the American People, should have paid attention to Jimmy Carter 30 years ago instead of drinking the "Morning In America" Koolaid that Reagan sold us. We might be further along with the energy independen­ce that now will take us 30 years.

[poco767]

09:42 AM on 05/13/2008

It seems that the GOP press wing is incapable of performing a simple google search to see if they break any copyright laws.

The GOP :: Too stupid to live.

[byrdlegs]

09:01 AM on 05/13/2008

And they say there is nothing to the slogan "the Dumbing of America." What a disgrace these republican­s are not only to America, but the entire human race. I cannot phathom anyone wanting to vote republican based on the issues ( Of course there will be those that think Obama is a MUSLIM terrorists­, or every black will be on welfare if he is president or that HAMAS is backing Obama). These are the same nitwits who voted for "W" as president cause he they would liked to drink a beer with him. So now the nation suffers.
The republican­s are even dumb enough to think the 3.5 millions new voters (to date) created by Obama are going to vote for McCain. So you really think 30+ republican congressme­n and senators retired this year alone to spend more time with their families? Please.
Even NEWT had to stop by Congress on Wednesday to prepare the republican­s for the ass-whoopi­n' that coming in NOV. This is the first time I ever agreed with the NEWTSTER.

[DuPageDem]

11:36 AM on 05/13/2008

Based on their appeal to idiots, perhaps the Rethugs should tweak this new slogan: "The Dolts You Deserve."

[LeftLeanWing]

08:54 AM on 05/13/2008

And for an encore the GOP will steal:

Nausea,
Heartburn,
Indigestio­n,
Upset Stomach,
Diarrhea

from Pepto Bismol.