Meatballs (advertisement)
Agency | Love Advertising |
---|---|
Client | Pat Buchanan 2000 presidential campaign |
Language | English |
Running time | 30 seconds |
Release date(s) | October 9, 2000 |
Directed by | David Harrison |
Production company | VTTV, Houston |
Country | United States |
Meatballs (also known as Meatball and For Spanish Press 1) was a
The ad aired in 22 states, with an emphasis by the campaign on border states like California and Arizona.[1] The commercial drew criticism from several political figures and media outlets for its message, which some considered racist and xenophobic.[6][7] Some critics praised the ad's humor and execution.[1][7][8] The ad has been criticized in retrospect.[9][10]
Background
In the 2000 United States presidential election, former Republican Pat Buchanan sought, and ultimately received, the nomination of Ross Perot’s Reform Party. Buchanan’s campaign themes included opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement, illegal immigration, and abortion rights.[11] Because of the Reform Party’s showing in the 1996 presidential election, with Perot garnering eight percent of the national popular vote, the party qualified for matching federal campaign funds in 2000. Following a court ruling, Buchanan was awarded $12.6 million in such funds.[12] A stated goal of the campaign was to again attain at least five percent of the national popular vote, so that the Reform Party would maintain its eligibility for matching funds in the 2004 election.[13]
During his campaign, Buchanan and his running-mate, educator and activist
For their first television commercial of the general election campaign, funded partly by the federal matching funds, Buchanan's campaign hired Love Advertising, an agency based in Houston, Texas.[1][7] Its owner, Brenda Love, reported that her agency had been chosen because Buchanan "wanted a fresh approach" and an agency which would pursue an unconventional media and creative strategy.[2] Buchanan's national campaign finance chairman connected the campaign to Love.[7] The agency's creative director, David Harrison, oversaw the ad.[18] The commercial itself was filmed by Houston-based production company VTTV. Both Love Advertising and VTTV received criticism from some of their clients and Houston commentators for their involvement in an ad perceived to have "anti-Hispanic overtones".[2]
Synopsis
The 30-second TV spot opens with a middle-aged white man sitting in his kitchen, eating a meal of spaghetti and meatballs while watching the news on TV.
Analysis
The ad's "choking" plot has been interpreted as a metaphor for the idea that immigration will eventually "choke America to death".[3][10] The Houston Press suggested that the subtext of the ad is that real Americans speak English.[2] The ad's allusion to an executive order deeming English not to be America's official language was regarded as a reference to Executive Order 13166.[17] Regarding the ad's message, Buchanan himself argued that one of the greatest threats to America was its potential to "dissolve" into demographic and cultural subgroups (such as race and language).[4] He further alleged that the Democratic and Republican parties were unwilling to substantively discuss the issues of immigration and English, in spite of voters’ interest in the issue, out of interest in political correctness.[19]
The accuracy of the ad's central claim — that Bush and Gore were not committed to protecting the English language — was questioned in some analyses.[1][5] In his book Winning Elections: Political Campaign Management, Strategy & Tactics, author John Franzen noted that neither Bush nor Gore had expressed support for removing English's status as America's national language. Franzen concluded that the ad was "very funny", but unethical.[5] Similarly, CBS News deemed the claim that both Gore and Bush "are writing off English for good" to be "a stretch", although noting that both candidates had voiced their opposition to establishing English as the United States' official language.[1]
Release
On October 9, 2000, the commercial began airing in 22 states, including California and Arizona, using a portion of the federal matching funds which the campaign received.[1][19] It became the first general-election campaign TV ad released by any presidential candidate that year.[7] The ad aired primarily on cable television and during, among other programs, WWF Smackdown.[20] The ad was given particular emphasis in California, airing in every major media market in the state, with a focus on news programs.[6]
CBS News suggested that Buchanan targeted California and Arizona in particular because those two states included many voters who lived near illegal immigrants and supported more government action to combat illegal immigration.[1] Buchanan indicated that he believed the issue would carry relevance for California voters, telling SFGate that, although the issue was not top of mind for many voters, it "still resonates", also citing Proposition 187 as evidence of the issue's continuing resonance.[19][6] The ad was also aired in Maryland and Iowa media markets, particularly in areas with many immigrant workers.[21] Although it was produced by a Houston-based advertising agency, and the Buchanan campaign ran radio ads in the Houston area, the commercial was not initially aired in any Texas media markets; it was suggested that the ad's perceived anti-Hispanic message would alienate voters in the state.[2]
Reception
Political figures
The commercial drew criticism from some political figures.
Critics
Upon its release, the ad was reviewed by professional advertising critics at several media outlets.[8][20][23] A review for Slate, published upon the ad's release as part of the publication's ongoing "Ad Report Card" feature, gave the commercial a letter grade of "D", criticizing its premise as "ludicrous" and highlighting a number of perceived non-sequiturs in the ad, such as the ad's use of a food — spaghetti — associated with immigrants. The review went on to note that if the man were actually choking, then he might not have been able to speak to a 9-1-1 operator even if he had reached the English option in time.[8] Slate also proposed that another moral of the ad might be that "a foreign-food-loving social deviant got what was coming to him".[8] A review by Dan Snierson, writing for Entertainment Weekly, gave the ad a letter grade of "B" for execution and "no comment" for its message. In response to the ad's claim that "immigration is out of control", Snierson quipped that "Yeah, that’s not the only thing".[23]
Writing for Ad Age, Bob Garfield deemed the ad "sort of funny, after a fashion" to its target audience, but also denounced the ad's message as being "inherently jingoistic, intolerant, divisive and [...] racist". Garfield also observed that, whereas "extremists" running for public office often attempt to hide behind a respectable facade and use code words to convey their ideas, Buchanan's ad does not.[20]
Aftermath
The Globe and Mail described the Meatballs ad as the sole point in the campaign that Buchanan's campaign received attention, owing to the widespread backlash and condemnation directed at the spot.[24] Prior to the release of the spot, Buchanan was polling at around one percent in most polls; by the end of the campaign, following the release of Meatballs and a string of other campaign ads, Buchanan was continuing to poll at one percent, far behind Ralph Nader, a fellow third-party candidate who had spent far less money on political advertising.[1][13][21][24] Buchanan's later ads would continue to focus on issues of concern to local audiences, such as "Culture War – Boy Scouts", an ad aired in Vermont (where same-sex civil unions had recently been legalized) in which he defended the Boy Scouts for prohibiting openly gay men from being scout leaders.[21][25]
In 2001,
See also
- Pat Buchanan 2000 presidential campaign
- 2000 United States presidential election
- English-only movement
- Fearmongering
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o CBSNews.com Staff (October 10, 2000). "Buchanan serves up a "Meatball"". CBS News. CBS. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Fleck, Tim (November 9, 2000). "Of Love & Hate". Houston Press. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1498561433. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Elections 2000". Migration News. UC-Davis. December 2000. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 1590770269. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Bailey, Eric (October 10, 2000). "Buchanan Immigration Ad Met with Quick Criticism". LA Times. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Teinowitz, Ira (October 16, 2000). "Buchanan Broadside: Anti-Immigration Spot". Ad Age. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ad Report Card: Use FedEx, Vote Buchanan, or Die". Slate. The Slate Group. October 16, 2000. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Denison, Dave (December 19, 2001). "Political Meatballs". American Prospect. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Holloway, Kali (April 3, 2015). "10 of the most fear-mongering political ads in American history". Salon. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Rees, Matthew (November 13, 2000). "Put Away Your Pitchforks". Washington Examiner. New York. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Franken, Bob; Smith, Matt (September 12, 2000). "FEC awards Reform Party funds to Buchanan". CNN. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Hamburger, Tom (November 6, 2000). "Buchanan, in Reform Party Fade-Out, Is Poised to Fall Short Despite U.S. Funds". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "Pat Buchanan on Immigration". On The Issues. October 2, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ Witcover, Jules (August 12, 2000). "Buchanan gets boost in primary by e-mail". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Carlson, Peter (September 13, 2000). "Pat Buchanan's Far Right Hand". Washington Post. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Buchanan Ad Attacks Immigration". New York Times. October 10, 2000. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0190272692. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Gledhill, Linda (October 10, 2000). "Buchanan Gets Message Out In Plain English / His TV ad blasts other languages". SFGate. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Garfield, Bob (October 16, 2000). "Political Ad Review: Buchanan TV spot a sure head turner, and, oh yeah, racist". Ad Age. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Kemper, Bob (October 31, 2000). "With Eye on '04, Buchanan Maps Last-Minute Ad Blitz". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ Levey, Bob (October 31, 2000). "Q&A With Bob Levey". Washington Post. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Snierson, Dan (November 10, 2000). "Ad Shock". Entertainment Weekly. Meredith. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Koring, Paul (October 25, 2000). "Third-Party Fortunes Smile on Bush". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
- ^ "Culture War-Boy Scouts". P2000: Democracy in Action. George Washington University. October 19, 2000. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ Weigel, Dave (March 28, 2012). "Apocalypse Soon". Slate. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
External links
- View the commercial on YouTube
- View a transcript of the commercial on George Washington University's P2000: Democracy in Action