Critic says ad uses negative Asian stereotypes

UNDATED -- U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra says his Super Bowl ad that portrays a young Asian woman speaking broken English is not about stereotyping Asian-Americans.

In an interview Monday Hoekstra said the ad was to "stereotype the liberal left who are jeopardizing America's future by this reckless spending."

He adds, "What this says is our reckless spending is empowering our competitors, it's making them strong. It's making our weakness that makes them strong. It doesn�t characterize them at all."

The ad is running as part of the Republican's campaign against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow.

A media consultant who has advised Democrats also thought it could prove problematic.

"Some Asian-Americans may be offended by the stereotype that is portrayed in the spot," said Robert Kolt, who teaches advertising part-time at Michigan State University and had previewed a number of Sunday's Super Bowl ads. "Pete seems like a nice guy in the ad, but I think he is wasting a lot of money now. ... It's just not Super Bowl-worthy. It's not cute, it's not funny and it's not memorable."

The 30-second ad was filmed in California and never mentions China directly.

It opens with the sound of a gong and shows a young Asian woman riding a bike on a narrow path lined by rice paddies.

Stopping her bike, the woman smiles into the camera and says, "Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie's spent so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow."

The scene then shifts to Hoekstra telling viewers near a cozy fire, "I think this race is between Debbie Spenditnow and Pete Spenditnot."

When asked specifically about why the woman in the ad spoke broken English, Hoekstra said, "This is a young woman in China who is benefiting from decisions we're making. I wouldn't expect a young woman in China to be speaking perfect English."

Hoekstra's Facebook page, which was getting a mix of praise and criticism for the ad, snapped back that those "trying to make this an issue of race demonstrates their total ignorance of job creation policies."

Democrats were quick to challenge the premise of the ad, referring to Hoekstra's 18 years in the U.S. House and the fact that he joined a Washington-based law and lobbying firm last year.

"Hoekstra's ad is nothing more than a hypocritical attempt at a Hollywood-style makeover because the fact is, Pete spends a lot," Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said. "Hoekstra voted for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and voted for trillions more in deficit spending before quitting Congress to get rich at a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm. Hoekstra is using the big game to play games with Michigan voters."

Hoekstra GOP Senate rival Gary Glenn of Midland struck a similar theme.

"Saving America from the Washington, D.C., politicians who gave us this crippling debt and deficit crisis, Republican and Democrat alike, means Hoekstra and Stabenow should both get benched," Glenn said in a release.

In response to the Hoekstra ad, the state Democratic Party launched a website, hoekstrahoax.com, as well as a 60-second Web ad Sunday that shows a 2010 campaign ad run against Hoekstra by GOP gubernatorial rival Mike Cox.

Hoekstra's hoping to get the same bump from his ad that now-Gov. Rick Snyder got with his 2010 Super Bowl ad portraying himself as "one tough nerd."

Both ads were created by media strategist Fred Davis of California-based Strategic Perception Inc.

The new ad is a twist on the anti-Republican "moving jobs to China" theme that Michigan Democrats successfully used against 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and tried to use against Snyder in 2010.

This time, the focus isn't on Republican businessmen sending jobs to China but on what Hoekstra says is Democratic overspending that has weakened the U.S. economy.

Stabenow, who's running for a third term, has pushed for trade policies aimed at China that impose duties and penalties on countries that manipulate their currency and penalize companies that steal intellectual property from U.S. companies.

When asked if he expected backlash, Hoekstra said, �Absolutely. We expected that Debbie would not like the ad at all. That, holding her accountable for her spending, would be something that she would strike back. Absolutely,�

Hoekstra's campaign is spent $75,000 to air the ad statewide Sunday.

Supporters who donated $7.50 got to see the ad online before it aired Sunday morning in the Detroit media market.

It was shown in the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas before the Super Bowl begins and during the game in the Traverse City, Flint, Lansing and Marquette media markets.

The campaign plans to run the ad over the next two weeks on cable TV shows targeted at GOP voters.

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