Ah, presidential election cycles. Nary does one pass without first unleashing drama, betrayal, scandal, and intrigue into the political arena.
A Rolling Stone article published last Wednesday quoted a not-so-kind Donald Trump. Chronicling the campaign life of the mega-millionaire, the article captured what were reportedly disparaging remarks about fellow presidential contender, Carly Fiorina:
When the anchor throws to Carly Fiorina for her reaction to Trump’s momentum, Trump’s expression sours in schoolboy disgust as the camera bores in on Fiorina. “Look at that face!” he cries. “Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!” The laughter grows halting and faint behind him. “I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”
When the article went live, Cable News seized the opportunity to capitalize on a candidate cat fight, and “look at that face!” then found its way to the far corners of the internet.
Wednesday evening, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly asked Fiorina what she thought Trump meant when he said, “look at that face!” To which Fiorina responded, “You know, honestly Megyn, I’m not gonna spend a whole cycle wondering what Donald Trump means. But maybe, just maybe, I’m getting under his skin a little bit, because I am climbing in the polls.”
With the dumpster fire ablaze, Trump told Fox New’s Greta Van Susteren Thursday that he was an entertainer.
“Many of those comments are made as an entertainer because I did The Apprentice and it was one of the top shows on television,” he said. “Some comments are made as an entertainer and as everybody said, as an entertainer is a much different ball game.”
Which bring us to today.
CARLY for America, a pro-Fiorina SuperPAC, released an ad called Faces.
“Look at all of your faces. The face of leadership. The face of leadership in our party, the party of women’s suffrage. The face of leadership in your communities, in your businesses, in your places of work and worship. Ladies, note to Democratic Party, we are not a special interest group, we are the majority of the nation.This is the face of a 61-year-old-woman. I am proud of every year and every wrinkle.”
Rather than giving him any direct airtime, the ad simply takes Trump’s quotes and turns them into a positive message of empowerment.
Faces is multifunctional. Trump aside, the ad’s message runs contra to that most beloved fairy tale of modern Democratic women — the story of a War on Women. In the fictitious War on Women, women are subjugated, weak, and perpetual victims deserving of a government mandated hand-out.
But strong, independent, hard-working women? They fare just fine on their own.
And so, what began as a pot shot, resulted in a positive, narrative-busting ad.
More of this, please.
Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye
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