Debbie Stabenow Launches Money Bomb Off Pete Hoekstra's China Ad

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is turning the tables on one of her would-be challengers, launching a money-bomb fundraising pitch in response to an ad that featured negative stereotypes of the Chinese.

The ad from former Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra, which ran in Michigan during the Super Bowl, sparked outrage -- from the left and right -- over its portrayal of a Chinese woman riding a bicycle past rice paddies and speaking broken English to "thank" Stabenow for increasing the federal debt.

"On Sunday, Pete Hoekstra spent $144,000 on an obnoxious television ad attacking Debbie on spending and blaming her for our nation's challenges with China," reads the emailed pitch from the Stabenow campaign. The effort aims to surpass that $144,000 price tag.

"Even Republicans called it 'appalling' -- not only for the ad's offensiveness, but also for the hypocrisy," the campaign argues.

Responding to the ad's charges, the email says, "Rep. Hoekstra voted for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout -- which Debbie voted against. He voted for the unfunded Bush tax cuts, the war in Iraq, and government handouts for big oil companies -- all things Debbie voted against."

"Her opponent is out getting free publicity for one of the nastiest, most misleading ads in recent memory," the appeal continues. "Michigan is better than this."

Mike Murphy, a prominent Republican political consultant who saw the spot during the game, tweeted that it was "really, really dumb," but Hoekstra told the Detroit Free Press that he was merely "taking an aggressive approach."

Comments

[bfcg]

01:29 PM on 02/08/2012

Owba posted this and I liked it so much that I copied it and pasted it here.
If Hoekstra wanted to make a non-racist comment, he could have. He might have pointed out how the Chinese have most of our debt so that they can control us ... except they don't, they have 1.1 trillion and the American people own most of the debt via Social Security bonds. He might have pointed out that his competitor voted for 3 unpaid tax cuts, 2 unpaid wars, 1 unpaid entitlemen­t, and 1 unpaid bailout ... except she didn't vote for those things, Hoekstra did.

Seems like Hoekstra has trillions of debt to account for. Just the unpaid for part of Medicare D will cost the American taxpayer $10 trillion in 7 years, and Hoekstra voted for it.

[Zenpilot]

10:30 AM on 02/08/2012

It's good to know that dumb people have dumb Republicans to pin their hopes on. Almost as dumb as the Louisiana Republican who blasted Obama over the construction of abortion factories--that he read about in...The Onion.

And lookout, here comes Rick Santorum--hero of the dim.

[Owba]

09:03 AM on 02/08/2012

If Hoekstra wanted to make a non-racist comment, he could have. He might have pointed out how the Chinese have most of our debt so that they can control us ... except they don't, they have 1.1 trillion and the American people own most of the debt via Social Security bonds. He might have pointed out that his competitor voted for 3 unpaid tax cuts, 2 unpaid wars, 1 unpaid entitlement, and 1 unpaid bailout ... except she didn't vote for those things, Hoekstra did.

Seems like Hoekstra has trillions of debt to account for. Just the unpaid for part of Medicare D will cost the American taxpayer $10 trillion in 7 years, and Hoekstra voted for it.

[HaeJee]

10:37 AM on 02/08/2012

You sound to intelligent and obviously Hoekstra doesn’t think his voting base would understand that kind of logic. He has to keep simple and insulting to a minority group to appease his voting base.

[Steele361]

08:54 AM on 02/08/2012

Let's see, Latinos, Blacks, Muslims, Asians, which race is the GOP going to alienate/misrepresent next?

[marinatha]

09:35 AM on 02/08/2012

Sorry to admit that the gop has been the beneficary of the labour of these minorities and they still insist on attacking them.The whites were not the only ones who helped make this country great.It took EVERYONE from all walks of life.The GOP of is like that relative you do not want to share with the world...

[HaeJee]

09:41 AM on 02/08/2012

You should also add gays and women who care about their individual rights.

[TerryDArc]

11:03 AM on 02/08/2012

Good point! You could in fact add nearly anyone who is not white, preferably male and lives inside 1% bubble-world.

[invmartyc]

08:12 AM on 02/08/2012

He seems to forget that it was US companies that took those jobs to China, China did not "steal" them, they were given them!

[Owba]

08:46 AM on 02/08/2012

He also seems to have forgotten his vote for tax incentives to American companies to move jobs to China. Now, if we can just get him to run for office in China instead of here .... Hope springs eternal.

[HaeJee]

09:42 AM on 02/08/2012

He also failed to mention that China is did not beg the U.S. to borrow money.......

[99er2049er]

07:52 AM on 02/08/2012

A republican candidates resorting to bigotry? No, couldn't be.

[room2talk]

06:54 AM on 02/08/2012

I worked with a Chinese man in sales, middle end and not high or low end.   The company we worked for was American. His English was so choppy that I asked him to repeat most parts of the conversation.   The majority of Asians that visited the company, only spoke to him, not in English.  Not least, when I go to CITI Bank (Chinese institution, correct?) to make a deposit, the female teller speaks "proper" English and her customer service is impeccable. I think what we have here is Americans that that are upset.  Americans who no longer understand how to put scenarios's into context. Would you feel better if she spoke in her native tongue with subtitles underneath? What Americans should be doing is not concentrating on the fact that she was not speaking exactly like them, but that she is speaking English at all, in China. How man "pretty" American women speak one of the languages of China, fluently.  Probably none.   American's should start looking at a bigger picture. Education. The American culture has been exported. Other countries are using the American and English cultures brilliantly. In the mean time, America is stuck on how someone was disrespected.   And an economy that can only be saved by inventions and innovation.  The education level in America does not support the possibilities in that area.  Half of the people in America speak broken English.  

[julescator]

07:57 AM on 02/08/2012

That is NOT what upset most people. The issue is that the Chinese woman in the Ad is an American woman who wa born and raised in the US. She actually speaks like the teller in the CitiBank. The cries of "racism" come from she was used to represent the "stereotype" of Chinese people in America. When you use a "sterotype" of an entire race to represent the race, that is racism!

Ex.The Tea Party folks representing President Obama as a African Zulu Dancer complete with face pain represents a Sterotype of how Some (racist) Americans see all Blacks - President or not.

Remember the trouble the West Va. Senate candidate go into when he "represented" the people of West Virginia as "hillbillies". He imnported 3 regular actors from Pa and told them to dress and talk like Hillbillies, thus representing the whole state of West Va as some sort of backwoods rednecks!

I rest my case!
PS. I do agree with you that we need more education in this country. We also need a heavy dose of racial sensitivity training!

[landskroon]

08:40 AM on 02/08/2012

In the country where the Hoekstra`s come from they speak their languages, Americans don`t. Most of them that think they can speak Spanish or French are a reason for great fun. What is Hoekstra thinking he can do with this ad, I think he even offends republicans

[HaeJee]

09:57 AM on 02/08/2012

Very well said!

[HaeJee]

09:56 AM on 02/08/2012

Obviously you missed the point. As an American with Korean heritage, that fact that this politician used all the stereotypes of Asians, trying to be funny was offensive. I am sure you couldn’t understand this, but try to follow me. I am just as American as you are and most likely speak more “proper” English. If we spoke on the phone, you would assume I was Caucasian and very much American. If you saw me on the street, your first thought would be that I probably can’t speak proper English and that I come from a different country. Your denied prejudice, which is very apparent from you comment here.

You met 1 Chinese man at your work that didn’t speak proper English, even though he most likely was born in China and can speak more languages than you? I also work in international business and have met MANY Asians that can speak more proper English than many Americans in this country.

In reality, people that live in rural parts of Asia near rice paddies don’t even speak any English. That commercial did not represent China, but resembled what people here believe what Asia is like…… like Vietnam movies.

This commercial didn’t just insult one person, but a large group. It is obvious that your missed the boat in education…..

[TerryDArc]

11:11 AM on 02/08/2012

Bravo!

[room2talk]

06:52 AM on 02/08/2012

Has anyone been to China Town, New York City, USA? The Asians selling "boot leg" bags from vans and lofts barely speak English and it is broken English when they speak. It is like that all over China Town. They sell boot leg DVD's on the train or they walk up you out in public. They don't bother speaking English. They know that they don't have to. They know that their fellow American wants to spend their dollar on illegal products. They just hold the item up. Speaking of disrespect...!?!? They live here which makes it worse.

[Owba]

08:57 AM on 02/08/2012

Gee, some Chinese Americans are selling knock-off products and speak with a distinct accent. I'm sure no white Americans would EVER sell knock-off products. That's much worse than selling bundled mortages that you expect will hurt the customers you sold them to, and surely it's worse than selling tobacco to your fellow citizens when you know it'll kill a third of them (if people aren't forced to buy it, it's also true that people aren't forced to sell it), and far, far worse than selling drugs to customers and hiding the research that the drug might cause heart attacks.

[HaeJee]

10:08 AM on 02/08/2012

Your example is not relevant……. again. There is a reason why it is called Chinatown.

It is obvious from your comments that you very prejudice towards Asians and who knows what other ethnicity groups. I lived near Memphis for a year to work at a large American company to work with their international groups. I met many people that were prejudice towards anyone that wasn’t from the south, white, Christian, etc. Should I assume that all southerners are this way? No, because that would be prejudice………

There are MANY second generation American’s with Asian heritage in this country. It is obvious that you haven’t been exposed to us. There are also MANY people that were adopted from Asian countries, that have white parents and grew up like you, including myself.

[room2talk]

06:47 AM on 02/08/2012

Most people in America are more abreast of who's wearing what or who's doing who.  It took watching a Supper Bowl, a past time, to experience a dialogue about where the money and jobs are.
Come on people!  Get real.

[HaeJee]

10:15 AM on 02/08/2012

I am sure that Hoekstra campaign group is paying you well……

Let him know that he doesn’t have my American Asian Michigander vote, in additional to my families and friends. I am sure he was trying to pander to the Caucasian conservative voters, but he should have been aware that there are MANY conservative’s that have adopted Asian children in Michigan, in additional to, many American Asians are conservative. I can only hope that they will realize how the Republican party has turned fiscally conservative to racially insensitive.

And yes, he should have used sub-titles. It would have been more appropriate, than having an American do a bad impression of broken English.

[twarns]

01:36 AM on 02/08/2012

This is clearly racist even though racists will continue to deny that it is. The real question is why there is no Michigan Republican other than Alice Ping disowning this ad and Mr. Hoekstra. One can only conclude that the Michigan Republican leadership agrees with Mr. Hoekstra.

Is that correct Rick Synder?

Is that correct Brooks Patterson?

[loco48]

05:51 AM on 02/08/2012

Pete ain't a racist. He has an asian friend as they say.

[je7374]

10:04 AM on 02/08/2012

He will be so easy to campaign against. He was part of the House when they spent unprecedented amounts of money and sent bill after bill that were not "payed for" to W's desk, none of which he vetoed. And I still laugh when I see that press conference of him and Santorum saying, "We found the weapons of Mass Destruction".

[FactsvsFear]

01:05 AM on 02/08/2012

These GOP guys have ZERO moral compass. This guys spending record is so massive so irresponsible. What a joke.

[Targetdog]

12:21 AM on 02/08/2012

I have question for the girl on the bike, "What were you thinking?"

[FactsvsFear]

01:08 AM on 02/08/2012

Paycheck. Needy kids? College loan? Health care for a illness a family member in desperate need. She a mindless Republican? Could be the woman was trying to survive. Not lots of work for struggling Asian actors? She is sexy. But really who knows. Bad ad. Morally bankrupt Politician and he hopefully will go away soon.

[eddw88]

12:05 AM on 02/08/2012

Hahahahahahaha............hahahahahahaha.

Backfired!!!

[mutopis]

10:12 PM on 02/07/2012

but Hoekstra told the Detroit Free Press that he was merely "taking an aggressive approach."

self-inflicting wounds are not aggressive approaches, that just masochism.

[Franciscodeflores]

09:11 PM on 02/07/2012

This was one of the ugliest political ads I've seen. Like the old saying goes: A fool and his money are soon parted.

[westuff]

11:00 PM on 02/07/2012

You cannot deny the fact that our American jobs have moved out to China, Mexico, Korea, Indonesia, Viet Nam. It has nothing to do with being Racial, it has to do with making America weaker because we are no longer self sustaining.
In my line of work the main thrust of success is sustaianability.This means you must be able to keep the boat afloat or it will sink.
America is sinking and I don't see anyone attempting to save her!

[HoustonWeHaveAProblem]

12:15 AM on 02/08/2012

And yet, Hoekstra managed to make it all about racial stereotypes. That's not a plan to change the direction American is headed, it's fear-mongering and bigotry.

[seal62]

01:10 AM on 02/08/2012

I guess you wont vote gop again .