Paranoid Campaign Ad of the Week

THE TERRORISTS ARE ON YOUR STREET!

Meet Bryce Reeves. He's a former narcotics cop. He's a Virginia state senator. He's running for lieutenant governor. And he wants you to know he's aghast at "the America Obama left behind," where masked terrorists run unchecked on our suburban streets, scaring moms into dropping their groceries:

Reeves manages to drag sanctuary cities into his pitch too. Naturally, the mini-movie peaks with the terrorist briefly making eye contact with the mom.

This stiff shot of paranoia isn't one of those deliberately loopy ads that candidates drop onto YouTube hoping it'll go viral and get them a little free media; the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that it's a bona-fide TV commercial. It's titled Safety, because of course it is.

Comments

[Dick Puller, Attorney at Law]

How Millennials see Cosmotarians

[Zeb]

I don't get it.

[OldMexican Blankety Blank]

Don't worry. He doesn't, either.

[$park? leftist poser]

And he wants you to know he's aghast at "the America Obama left behind," where masked terrorists run unchecked on our suburban streets, scaring moms into dropping their groceries

Well, looks like wareagle and WakaWaka were right. The scary antifa people really are coming for us.

[Not a True MJG]

Would.

[Hugh Akston]

He's a little chunky, but I guess he does have nice hair.

[Not a True MJG]

I like assertiveness, and the feeling that the person will keep me safe.

[Hugh Akston]

I'm sure the experience with handcuffs and batons doesn't hurt.

[Crusty Juggler aka "Chad"]

That depends on where he wants you to put the baton.

[Rebel Scum]

I watched without sound so idk if it said anything about terrorists per say. To me it looked like a run of the mill tough on crime ad, as the guys appeared to be thieves, not terrorists.

[Zeb]

He does specifically mention terrorists and does not mention burglars (though I agree that is more what it looks like).

Either way, it's pretty silly. I don't think that Virginia is experiencing a spate of daylight burglaries in nice neighborhoods.

[Meh.]

I was so focused on the absurdity that I missed the broad daylight, ha. That's ridiculous. The ISIS face coverings in lieu of ski masks were a nice touch too, just in case there was any doubt.

[mad.casual]

It's wrought with all manner of absurdity.

Presumably, they didn't run in with fatigues and balaklavas and, if the police are bearing down on them as the sirens indicate, why bother with the balaklavas? Have the neighbors never seen your faces? Assuming your neighbor doesn't own a time travelling delorean, why would terrorists rob his house (apparently unarmed)?

I thought the fatigues and masks were exceedingly ambiguously chosen. Like either nobody associated with the ad owned or knew how to wrap a shemagh or they didn't want to use that because Mexicans, Russian Chechens, White Nationalists, and AntiFa rioters don't wear them.

[Meh.]

There's a brief reference to how Americans are scared that there are terrorists living here and scared because the FBI is investigating terrorists nationwide. It's very unclear, but I think the intended takeaway is that Obama let in too many immigrants (AKA criminals!) and Reeves is the only one with enough law enforcement experience to keep everyone safe from local and national threats.

[mad.casual]

Obama let in too many immigrants (AKA criminals!)

Not that you reached the wrong conclusion, but it's actually kind of eerie how this ad is *completely* interchangeable with the right-wing militia conspiracy of the previous presidency(ies).

[mad.casual]

I watched without sound

The mother is breathless that the house will finally go up for sale.

[B.P.]

People run for Lt. Governor?

[NoVaNick]

In Virginia they do- in fact, the gov and Lt gov can be from different parties, as has happened when Tim Kaine was governor, and I think at least a few other times in the recent past.

[mad.casual]

Well, first I was gonna pop this guy hanging from the street light, and I realized, y'know, he's just working out. I mean, how would I feel if somebody come runnin' in the gym and bust me in my ass while I'm on the treadmill? Then I saw this snarling beast guy, and I noticed he had a tissue in his hand, and I'm realizing, y'know, he's not snarling, he's sneezing. Y'know, ain't no real threat there. Then I saw little Tiffany. I'm thinking, y'know, eight-year-old white girl, middle of the ghetto, bunch of monsters, this time of night with quantum physics books? She about to start some shit.

Did the masked men in fatigues run into the home with gym bags while the kids were playing soccer? I suppose that would've been too easy to construe/confuse with a no-knock raid.

[Crusty Juggler aka "Chad"]

I am glad he made terrorism illegal. Phew.

[Crusty Juggler aka "Chad"]

They look less like ISIS and more like SWAT team quickly leaving the scene of a bungled no-knock raid.

[NoVaNick]

Not that I agree with the ad-BUT, about a year ago, someone found a decapitated body on a playground about a mile from where I live, in an affluent, mostly white, suburban neighborhood. MS13 was likely behind it according to the cops.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Terrorist in the streets, jihadi in the sheets. If you know what I mean.

[Doug Heffernan]

Why is "and the Left Is Partly to Blame" missing from the title of this piece?

The blame for this ad, and everything else, lies at least partly - if not entirely - with the Left.

[Tamfang]

Dropping their groceries, eh? Any celery in there?