Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. A Republican super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, has been using the tragic story of a 5-year-old girl’s murder in a political attack ad without the knowledge or consent of her mother, Robin Buonodono. The ad aims to defeat Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. I mean, who does that? It’s like they’re trying to win an award for most insensitive campaign tactic.
The ad describes the 1994 murder of Nicole VanNoty and implies that El-Sayed’s policies would lead to more violent crimes like this one. Buonodono said she had a panic attack when she saw the ad and couldn’t believe that her daughter’s death was being used for political gain. She even asked, “Why are you using someone’s child’s death for political gain?” Well, I think we all know the answer to that one – it’s all about winning, no matter the cost.
The Senate Leadership Fund spent at least $3.7 million on ads that recounted Nicole’s tragic story, and Buonodono said they never contacted her. I guess they just figured they could use her daughter’s death to scare voters into supporting their candidate. In fact, the SLF has spent at least $17 million on ads naming victims or perpetrators, and in at least three cases, relatives said they were never told their loved ones’ deaths would be used. That’s just heartbreaking.
The ad campaign is part of a larger Republican strategy to cast Democrats as soft on crime. But come on, using real people’s tragedies to make a political point? That’s just low. And it’s not just the SLF – other Republican campaigns are using similar tactics. I guess they think it’s an effective way to scare voters, but really, it just shows how desperate they are.
Some experts say that notifying a family before an ad airs is a matter of human decency. Daniel Kreiss, a professor of political communications, said, “You owe it to those people, that family, to give them a heads up.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s just basic human respect.
The Senate Leadership Fund didn’t respond to questions about its advertising practices, but provided a statement saying that every life lost to violent crime is a tragedy. Yeah, no kidding. But using those tragedies to win an election? That’s just wrong. John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader, is affiliated with the SLF, and I wonder if he’s proud of the way they’re using people’s deaths to further their political goals.
In conclusion, this whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Using people’s tragedies to win an election is despicable, and I hope voters see through it. As I always say, you can’t make this stuff up – but unfortunately, it seems like some politicians will stop at nothing to win. And that’s just sad. 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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