Posted on 10/16/2018 1:18:41 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Michigan Republican Senate candidate John James has been taking heat for an ad that his campaign ran earlier this week showing an image of a swastika. According to Detroit Free Press, James says that the image was included in error after he and his campaign team failed to catch the swastika before airing the ad.
“I need to fess up and admit this was a terrible error on our part. We should have caught this error and we didn’t and there is no excuse. I’m responsible for everything that our team does and fails to do, and I will do everything in my power to make sure this never, ever happens again,” said James in a news conference.
John James’ team ran a TV ad a few weeks ago titled “Ready to Serve.” In it, the candidate walks down a school hallway talking about failing schools. Near the ten second mark, the camera passes a bulletin board with a black, white and red swastika on it, while James’ voice continues over the footage.
A few people picked up on the image, including advocacy group Progress Michigan. They brought the presence of the swastika to public attention, saying that whether it was an error or not, avoiding this type of imagery should be a “basic” part of running political ads.
“His team is either too lazy to spot check their ads or they’re willfully pushing out this type of imagery,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Either way, it’s a problem and shows James’ lack of preparedness for the United States Senate.”
The candidate claims that the school scene is from stock footage. At a news conference to address the issue, which the candidate posted on Twitter, James denounced racism in all forms. He then went on to denounce his opposition for making an issue out of the image, saying it is indicative of”how low people are willing to go.”
“Senator Stabenow will say and do anything to get re-elected,” said James.
ETC..
I didn’t see it in the ad...where was it?
The campaign used stock footage, and someone in the stock footage selecting process just happened to miss the the Swastika.
It could happen to any campaign.
No be deal.
I smell sabotage. I hope he keeps on campaigning. Don’t wilt.
The Dems in Michigan are as thick as thieves, and they consider those voters as their property.
End justifies means, they will convince themselves.
Investigate the school. Why isn’t that a No Swastika Zone?
Pretty sure that that the black gentleman is not, in fact, a Nazi.
P.S. American indians (unlike warren) used the symbol throughout history.
Looks out of place . . Most likely a plant by Evil Dims
Yes, but this whole thing is such a crock. The bulletin board in question (on the wall of a school hallway, apparently) has numerous flyers all over it. I had to watch several times before I even noticed the flyer with a swastika on it. No one seems to know what the flyer represents (it may well have been a left-wing Antifa type group denouncing the swastika etc, we don’t know yet).
It is certainly careless video editing by the ad agency and campaign, but it is utterly ludicrous to suggest it represents anything substantive about John James or his campaign. It is a brief glimpse of something on a school bulletin board. If anything, people should be condemning that SCHOOL for having a swastika-bearing flyer on their bulletin board, huh?
Upon rereading the story, I’m even more confused. The candidate is walking the school hall, but it’s “stock footage”? Why didn’t the camera crew see it, I’m sure he walked that same path numerous times in filming the ad.
“I smell sabotage.”
How does one sabotage stock footage?
And just like that Stabacow eat a cow gets another 6 years.
Definitely smells of sabotage. Someone in the ad agency had to choose that footage, and some ppl in the ad agency surely went over the ad frame by frame before it was released. The campaign should have caught it, but sabotage must be suspected.
“The candidate is walking the school hall, but it’s “stock footage”?”
The candidate is not walking down the hallway.
First, it is the USE of the stock footage in the ad that is suspect. Never should have been used. Any ad agency that has not scrutinized every frame and every inch of visual material it plans to release is simply incompetent.
2nd, with video editing the stock footage certainly could have been altered. Very strange that the “flyer” seems to contain nothing but the swastika, so far as I could see (I don’t see any text on it, such as some historical lesson or announcing a film on the 3rd Reich etc.). So why is it there? The whole incident definitely stinks, but it says nothing whatsoever about the ideas or character of John James.
The ad company could have used stock footage they knew had a swastika.
He is not walking in the school hallway, it is a voice over talking about failing schools (perhaps having a swastika flyer on the school’s bulletin board actually does illustrate that, but it does not appear to have been intended in any way by the John James campaign).
Sabotage probably it will become a big deal probably destroying what slim chance he had. Stabenow is vile but looks like we’re going to be stuck with her for another 6 years ugh.
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