Opinion: When politics and holidays collide: the miniseries
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Christmas season is closing in, and candidates are splurging on campaign stocking stuffers. Mitt Romney’s recent attack ad accused fellow presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee of being ‘soft on crime’ — but in the passive-aggressive spirit of the season, Huckabee has turned the other cheek with an ad play that sprinkles season’s greetings and sweeps the legs out from under Romney. The move was a pretty ‘wily’ one, says NPR:
On Tuesday, Huckabee shot back with a cheerful holiday ad with the song, Silent Night, playing in the background. Now there’s a trick: You get ahead in the polls, and then you declare Christmas!
Maybe too wily: Check out Michael McGough’s post below on the subliminal cross.
But closer to home, a Dec. 11 special election for an L.A.-area Assembly seat brought tidings of discomfort and failure. From the Sacramento Bee:
Stop by the Mike Gipson for Assembly headquarters after voting and you could win a $250 gift card. That was the none-too-subtle message delivered in a political mailer that has stirred charges of vote buying and has the state’s top elections official saying the practice should be illegal.
It’s not illegal (since the mailer, made to look like a Christmas Card, states, ‘you are eligible to win ... no matter who you vote for’) and it probably shouldn’t be — but it is in bad taste, particularly since some say it targets low-income African Americans.
Regardless, the election ended up with an abysmal 11.4% turnout, and Gipson lost. Which either means people won’t vote for love or money, or that Gipson’s tacky move lost him the election. I’m guessing it’s the former.
*Photo from the Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert