It was only a few years ago that Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled a sitting governor, promising the end of massive budget deficits. Guess what we have in California this year? Oh, just a measly $20 billion deficit.
Our schools are closing and social services have already been slashed to the bone. And it is just the start of budget season in California. Unfortunately, because Democrats do not hold a two-thirds majority in the state legislature, a small minority of Republicans are able to hold Californians hostage, refusing to raise taxes, no matter how ridiculous the loopholes.
Even, get this… a sales tax loophole for purchasers of yachts and private jets. The Republicans have very much earned the moniker bestowed on them by the Calitics crew: The Yacht Party.
The Courage Campaign has teamed up with the California Nurses Association to create “Yacht Party 2″, the second in a series of TV ads designed to re-brand the California Republican Party. This spot is not your traditional political ad. In fact, it’s quite non-traditional. And it’s got a lot of people talking. In fact, the response to Arianna Huffington’s message announcing the ad to Courage Campaign members was so strong, we have already authorized an ad buy in Sacramento. See what you think….
To increase the pressure on Republicans in Sacramento to close this yacht tax loophole, we need to make this “Yacht Party” brand stick. If you like the ad, please contribute to help us expand our buy across California.
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first and odd.
Hasta la vista yacht loophole.
oddly, third.
That’s a brilliant ad. I hope they have a huge success with it. The GOP is going down in flames this year. They are showing themselves how out of touch they are with the majority of Americans. They are opposed to giving vets funding for college. They are opposed to helping out the unemployed and those facing foreclosures. They are showing themselves to be the party of the rich for the rich. Finally Americans are waking up to that fact and will vote their economic interests. It’s going to be a good year for the democrats.
Keep running ads like that and most young males will want to become Republicans.
My sister got her pink slip yesterday. She in an elementary school librarian in Watsonville. All elementary school libraries will close next year in this district, eliminating the need for her job (14 bucks an hour! what a savings!). These kids are high risk, gangs are exploding in popularity, and while they strive to learn, we strive to make that impossible. If you can’t afford a private school, you might as well forget a quality education. I know where I’d like to put that yacht…
This kind of makes me WANT to be a republican. Geez.
And our highways here in Monterey are so bad there going to cause more accidents. They’ve been bad for over a year now with no sign of being repaired. Not to mention the damage to vehicles.
oh please
the last time we tried a luxury tax, all that occured was that those luxury items sales dropped
the state is in a fiscal crisis for many reasons, the least being that the rich arent paying extra taxes on luxury items
i may be a lib, but i aint no idiot
Would have more effect as a :30 ad with livelier music.
I want to read further. can you link a story about the yacht tax loophole
thansk
McCain: “Vote for me and get hot bodies delivered to your door!!”
Rich @ 7:
I agree, they shouldn’t have used beautiful models in this ad, but rather what Republicans actually look like. Imagine if the guys had looked like Duke Cunningham and the gals like Jean Schmidt. Huuuuuge turnoff.
Americans are gloomier about the direction of the country than they have been at any point in 15 years, and Democrats hold their biggest advantage since early 1993 as the party better able to deal with the nation’s main problems, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
more here
Rebranding won’t work.
All that time, effort and cash and they don’t even have enough money to run it? And it’s all for one tax loophole? No wonder the reslugs don’t worry about competition.
Good luck with that guys. You’ll need it.
As far as the ad… it makes me think it’s a brief sketch from Mad TV and it’s going to be ignored.
uncle joe hussein mccarthy @ 9:
I don’t think the point is a extra tax for luxuries, but just a fairly supplied sales/state tax - same for yachts as for any other consumer product.
bad choice of actors…
they should have used old, crotchedy, flabby, ceo-type actors. not young, attractive models.
NO NO NO!
haven’t we learned anything?
The PROBLEM is and HAS BEEN that Americans idiotically vote the way they would like to be (the way they imagine themselves during the “LOTTO Daydreams”), not the way they are…
The Republicans have been masters at manipulating the masses into abandoning their CURRENT interests for some fantasy, PROJECTED interests, where everyone is fabulous and upper-class…
This ad is too smooth and will appeal to many people, for the WRONG reasons.
I think someone had too much time and not enough work. This seems like an exercise.
It will very likely backfire. (jmoho)
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what a joke of an ad.
The 1985 movie “Brazil” with Terry Gilliam did a better job at obscure elite rich character. I would have prefer using plastic surgery laden middle class grossly and detestable wealthy class on the yacht. I don’t think the ads were snobby enough, and if you switch out the music with rap then what is the difference of what we are seeing now?
Couldn’t the Republicans run the exact same ad, only without the last 3 seconds?
Woo-hoo! Tax free yachts! And sexy, sexy young people!
Hussein Bookworm @ 16:
ya….just what we need with the depression to come…an added sales tax so that people who cant afford to buy gas…cant afford to buy anything
how about we just fire the entire california legislature, who spends more time worrying about the rights of illegals than its own citizens
how about repealing the 3 strikes law which has helped to bankrupt the state
but we cant do that, cuz the prison guards union is too strong
Sadly the problem is neither Republican or Democrat. Raising taxes won’t fix the overspending problem in that state, nor was it Ahnold’s fault that he couldn’t stop the spending. The problem with state and local politics is that they’re driven by the corrupt machines of local unions and businessmen (an unholy alliance between a socialism and capitalism). No matter what party is in office, billions will be wasted in every state in the Union this year and there isn’t much anyone can do about it.
Worthless.
Only useful to bring “wannabe rich”, non-voting morons into the Rethug party.
In other news. Senate today voted 97-1 to stop filling strategic oil reserve at this time. Naturally, Bush don’t agree with them. President Deprived Of Air At Birth will see this as a mandate of course. Im curious as to who the single dissenting vote was.I havent checked yet but im thinking Ass Kissing Lieberman off the top of my head.
Conservativeslayer @ 4:
yes but first we will have to chase them out of the bushes to find any!
Thugs to their last dying breath.
This is one of the most confused, wrong-headed ads I’ve seen in a while. What this ad says to me is vote republican, get a yacht. And, by the way, I’ve already seen it, many times. But it was longer and called “The Hills” or “The Gossip Girls” or “Laguna Beach” or “Desperate Housewives” or “Hollywood 90210″ or…well, let’s just say I’ve seen it over and over because “liberal” Hollywood understands that there’s nothing that the “little people” love more than sharing in experience of being rich while they sit in front of the tube at night. Unless it’s the daytime when they share in the experience by shopping for their made-by-Chinese/and-or-Marianas-slave-worker clothing at Wal-mart (branded to Laura Conrad or Heidi Montag or whatever bubble head was on the night before). Seriously, if this ad were to work, forget the bukaki images with champagne, the seductive stroking of female flesh, and make the actors look older, less attractive, and more unpleasant.
[sorry Dick, but you know how we feel about posting in all Caps. Deleted, Site Monitor]
Ya know, I just ranted about this same thing on the national rebranding thread… I’ll say it again.. It AIN’T a P.R. problem and all the freakin marketing mavens in the whole of Madison Ave. ain’t gonna put this humpty dumpty back together again… The very idea that repub problems can be fixed by simply ‘rebranding’ is a complete farce!.. IT’S THE SUBSTANCE of the repub policies, be it national or local to Kaleefornia!!!….. The substance of these policies and what they lead to sucks for the average working American… Republicans have been working for 30 plus years to screw average Americans over and they have by and large been successful, thanks in part to the 28% ers who can safely be called stupid at this point for continuing to slavishly back these cretins in the face of reality….JD
Right you are, JD, but if repugs want to waste time & money on rebranding themselves - great!
I agree with the posters here. If you are going to use sex to sell your product. Make sure it is YOUR product being portrayed as sexy, not your competition. It is a basic concept.
What a horribly short sighted and ill concieved AD(or was it?). All it does is market to younger rich(or rather, wanna be rich), shallow, eMpTV watching, Cribs-dreaming, SweetSixteen-wishing idiots, and sells them on the usual trickle down(pissed on), fake, plastic ideals; just like those shows do.
As much great work that Courage Campaign has done why are they trying to take away the SoCal young and naive vote from the Dems?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Shaw@13 had it exactly right. Show the vile, sagging, pasty, chunky Repugs on the boat. Show Ahnuld’s man tits flopping around. Show the people exactly, rather make them feel why this is so revolting. Don’t sell it to them as a good thing. The people that this Ad is intended for do not get subtlety.
Fuck. The stupidity and inevitable backfire of this pisses me off. Are California Dems trying to lose? I think someone at Courage or Huffington has made a strong case that they should be the ones with my user name. Agent provocatuers indeed.
The mockery is too subtle. It just looks like your average Oil of Olay ad. Maybe it would work with a longer voiceover talking about various examples of Republican economic irresponsibility.
How did such an idiotic loophole get passed in the first place?
What’s the problem? This encourages competition among yacht building companies, as well as research and development of other high-priced boy-toys in the emerging yacht-building economy. Private sector indeed.
Star crossed Californians deserve this steroid saturated serial booty feeler. At a critical time for that state those dumb asses elected an unqualified dope fiend who couldn’t get the lead role in a sixth grade play. Next time left coast, be more responsible in the poll booth. AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
those are the hottest republicans i’ve ever seen!
you all are missing the point. the gop wants states to go under financially. Gorver norquist has stated that he hopes anumber of states go bankrupt. the purpose - to weaken government and get people used to the idea that government is ineffectual and not to be relied upon. the added benefit to the gop is that the common sense thing to do would be to tax the wealthy to pay for the shortfall- this short circuits the entire idea. mission accomplished!
“Rebranding the Republicans”?
Let me help you I’ve got my irons out in the shed.
That was a really stupid add.
Americans are ridiculously optimistic, most believe that they will one day be rich and famous, even when then no possible chance. When they grow up and realize they are just going to be regular people, they still don’t give up, they just assume that minorities, liberals, UN, … are keeping them down.
Republicans have consistently used this fantasy to their advantage: Repealing Estate Tax, Lopsided tax reductions, bizarre tax loop holes, reduction of regulation. These are all things that dumb optimistic Americans believe will benefit them when their strike it rich. Mean while they are voting against their current best interests.
This commercial is part of the problem and should be removed ASAP!
Yeah, it totally would have been more effective if they were 60-ish waspy men and women. Doing the same exact thing, same sexy poses, etc.
Would have been a lot funnier, and actually would have been more attention-getting than this…
Republicans as a whole don’t need rebranded or attacked. The republican leadership needs to be revealed for the hypocrites they are, while reminding our republican friends and neighbors that we’re going to stand side by side with them.
“It was only a few years ago that Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled a sitting governor, promising the end of massive budget deficits. Guess what we have in California this year? Oh, just a measly $20 billion deficit.”
Ditto the deregulation of the utilities that resulted in exorbitant utility bills orchestrated by the likes of Enron, that Houston TX based, Republican backed company whose CEO Ken Lay was actually considered by Bush to head the Dept. of Energy.
For over three decades now, a certain element within the Republican Party has been trying to push for ways to “starve the beast”, the “beast” being government. At every turn, they have advocated cutting taxes, adopting measures that block raising taxes and repeating the falsehood that lower taxes brings in more “revenue” for government. The government of the State of California has been starved to exactly where those Republicans want it: Cutting all services except for law enforcement (and then only at a bare minimum).
California is in the crux of a perfect storm. Since California legislature can’t raise taxes without a 2/3 majority, can’t raise property taxes due to their idiotic “Proposition 13″ (which they are pushing here in Arizona), as well as the fact that the $15 billion bond the voters approved to fix the last mess (which by the way, was to buy power at inflated prices because the Federal Government wouldn’t look into the matter).
The California voters need to repeal Proposition 13 and give the legislature the means to properly fix issues through tax increases, when necessary. The worlds 8th largest economy cannot falter, period.
Samson- @ 17:
“They vote the way they imagine themselves during Lotto daydreams…” Good one! True, and at the same time with a sharp satirical edge.
It’s pretty pathetic. There was a story years ago where supposedly Ted Kennedy talked of raising taxes on the rich.
This impoverished looking lady asked, “Would that mean that if I win the lottery I’ll have to pay more taxes?” Kennedy replied, “Yes,” and the lady said, “Well, then I’m agin’ it!”
uncle joe hussein mccarthy @ 9:
In California, if one purchases a yacht and sails it off to a Mexican port (like those in Baja California) and leaves it there for 90 days, you pay no taxes on it. In addition, due to the nature of the California politics (probably from Proposition 13), only half the votes in the legislature are required to cut taxes, but two-thirds are needed to raise taxes. Of 32 Republicans in the assembly, 31 have signed pledges saying they will not raise taxes under any circumstances. One state assemblyman told me that he had introduced bills to plug tax loopholes — like the yacht tax — but the Republicans view this as a tax increase and will not support it.
In the meanwhile, the state is $20 billion in the red next year. The LA Times reported that teachers are being offered jobs out of state. Public services are going to be cut. Some of the morons in Sacramento would rather see this state sink in hell than raise taxes.
There would be no greater fuck up on the part of Democrats, liberals, and patriotic Americans in general than to let the Republican party do away with the Neoconservative brand. The neocorporatist (thus neofascist) brand, We still have never challenged and treated them publicly enough, with the same disdain that we do KKK members, John Birchers, and Nazis. Equating them with that ilk is not said out loud repeatedly to the media or in the halls of Congress. They have hijacked the Republican party, the media, political thought and discussion in this country. they have tried to turn into an empire with the PNAC bible.
They need to be disgraced not only by us, but we need to set traditional conservatives, libertarians, and the average American against them as well. Give me an Eisenhower Republican to deal with any day of the week. Why the Neoconservative brand is not openly and justifiable demonized loudly is beyond me. Put the blame where it belongs. We need all Americans to tear it out by the roots and kill that wicked ideology.
DONT USE MODELS… If you are not listening carefully it looks like the GOP is the way to the good life..
I’m glad to see that a lot of people had the same reaction I did — that the ad conveyed the opposite of what was intended.
Not only were the models attractive and sexy, but they were a racially diverse lot. If I hadn’t seen this featured on Progressive blogs with the production explained, I might have thought it was a pro-Republican spot.
Vote Republican, and even minorities will live an obscenely rich life! In fact, the Republicans want you to all have tax-free yacht