Who breaks up with the President of the United States right before he accepts his party’s nomination? Man, that’s a really important speech. He’s going to be so down.
In an ad released by the Republican National Committee (RNC) this morning, a woman breaks up with a cardboard cutout of the President.
(WATCH: Yes, There’s a Cat Video Promoting the DNC)
“It’s been four years. You’ve changed,” the woman says. “Your spending is out of control…your jobs council says you haven’t even showed up in six months. It’s not me, it’s you.” She finishes, “I think we should just be friends.”
The ad then refers viewers to BreakUpWithObama.com, where viewers can compose their own “Dear Barack” letter. It’s a canny strategy that targets Obama where his support is weakest, among Americans attracted by his hope and change rhetoric in 2008 but disappointed by the results. Making the ad’s protagonist female and Hispanic doesn’t hurt when it comes to those critical voting blocs, either.
An RNC official told Talking Points Memo:
“It’s a lighthearted ad to show how millions of Americans feel about President Obama — he’s not the person we thought he was and it’s time to break up with him.”
(WATCH: Obama Girl is Back)
But as BuzzFeed’s Zeke Miller points out, the ad’s star is no recovering Democrat: she’s actually the RNC’s Director of Hispanic Outreach, Bettina Inclán.
Inclán is a former spokesperson for Florida Governor Rick Scott and California gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner, and also worked on the McCain and Bush/Cheney campaigns. She also co-hosts the Sirius XM show “Power Play,” a politics program hosted by Latina political operatives. Just last month she was named one of the country’s 20 Latino political rising stars by the San Francisco Chronicle.
One Democratic staffer said to Miller:
“They couldn’t find anyone to say anything nice about Mitt Romney at their convention and now they can’t find anyone but an RNC staffer to star in their anti-President Obama web video during the Democratic convention. It might be time for them to have “the talk” with Mitt Romney.”
This breakup video isn’t the first anti-love song that the RNC has composed to the Democrats. Every year on Valentine’s Day, its website offers up snarky ecards that you can send to your GOP sweetheart. This year, one “from Anthony Weiner” said, “If anyone asks, I didn’t send you this Valentine.”
Who breaks up with the President of the United States right before he accepts his party’s nomination? Man, that’s a really important speech. He’s going to be so down.
In an ad released by the Republican National Committee (RNC) this morning, a woman breaks up with a cardboard cutout of the President.
(WATCH: Yes, There’s a Cat Video Promoting the DNC)
“It’s been four years. You’ve changed,” the woman says. “Your spending is out of control…your jobs council says you haven’t even showed up in six months. It’s not me, it’s you.” She finishes, “I think we should just be friends.”
The ad then refers viewers to BreakUpWithObama.com, where viewers can compose their own “Dear Barack” letter. It’s a canny strategy that targets Obama where his support is weakest, among Americans attracted by his hope and change rhetoric in 2008 but disappointed by the results. Making the ad’s protagonist female and Hispanic doesn’t hurt when it comes to those critical voting blocs, either.
An RNC official told Talking Points Memo:
“It’s a lighthearted ad to show how millions of Americans feel about President Obama — he’s not the person we thought he was and it’s time to break up with him.”
(WATCH: Obama Girl is Back)
But as BuzzFeed’s Zeke Miller points out, the ad’s star is no recovering Democrat: she’s actually the RNC’s Director of Hispanic Outreach, Bettina Inclán.
Inclán is a former spokesperson for Florida Governor Rick Scott and California gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner, and also worked on the McCain and Bush/Cheney campaigns. She also co-hosts the Sirius XM show “Power Play,” a politics program hosted by Latina political operatives. Just last month she was named one of the country’s 20 Latino political rising stars by the San Francisco Chronicle.
One Democratic staffer said to Miller:
“They couldn’t find anyone to say anything nice about Mitt Romney at their convention and now they can’t find anyone but an RNC staffer to star in their anti-President Obama web video during the Democratic convention. It might be time for them to have “the talk” with Mitt Romney.”
This breakup video isn’t the first anti-love song that the RNC has composed to the Democrats. Every year on Valentine’s Day, its website offers up snarky ecards that you can send to your GOP sweetheart. This year, one “from Anthony Weiner” said, “If anyone asks, I didn’t send you this Valentine.”