Riffing off the now-viral display from Cain’s campaign, Huntsman’s three daughters are getting in on the fun. But they have a notably tamer ‘tude.
Liddy, Abby and Mary Anne Huntsman, the former Utah governor’s 20-something daughters, have put their own spin on Cain’s smoking ad. They make no secret of their fatherly promotion, but we didn’t know they had such an affinity for Mr. Cain and his now-famous chief of staff.
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Cranking out the ad just hours after Cain’s went viral, the Huntsman daughters take Cain’s campaign manager Mark Block, the video’s star, to task. They don fake mustaches and stand in front of a bleak building that’s clearly seen better days. Their halting speech, overemphatic colloquialisms promoting their father’s policies, and even the synth-pop background music “I Am America” parrot the original, step-by-step.
Regardless, their clever sense of humor works wonders. TIME’s Mark Halperin on The Page uses the headline “Sincerest Form.” Clearly, the Cain ad has made waves for its shockingly simple production values and unconventional message. Can the Huntsman girls bring the same recognition to their father? “We are shamelessly promoting our dad, like no other candidate’s family ever has,” admits Mary Anne Huntsman, 26.
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And in what’s been a tense campaign so far, a little humor might help to brighten the mood. Mark Block said about Cain: “If I didn’t believe [in his policies], I wouldn’t be here.” On the other hand, Abby Huntsman, 25, and her sisters don’t have such mobility. “Even if we didn’t believe [in our father’s policies], we’d still have to be here,” she says in the video.
Though there is one notable departure: in what we can only assume is an effort to promote some sort of personal health, the girls ditched the smoke and mirrors of the original. They didn’t cap off their video with a sultry drag from a cigarette. Instead, they whipped out – bottles of bubbles. We hate to burst said bubbles, Huntsman girls, but your father is at the bottom of the polls, notching just 1% of voters. It may take more than a silly ad to bump him up.
Or maybe the Huntsman girls should just run for president instead.
Nick Carbone is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @nickcarbone. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.
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