Sharron Angle Immigration Ads Prey on Fear, (Recycled) Racial Stereotypes

America's Voice Blog

Posted 10/06/10 at 01:05pm

In Nevada, Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle has released one of the most offensive television ads of the 2010 election cycle. With only four weeks to Nov. 2, that's saying a lot.

The controversial ad uses immigration as a wedge issue, attacking Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) for his support of federal immigration reform legislation, including (one assumes) the DREAM Act.

The ad features three dark-skinned actors sneaking by a chain link fence. These images of "scary aliens" are contrasted with images of white college students and workers as the narrator asks, “What does Harry Reid have against you?” The ad does nothing to promote real solutions to our immigration crisis, but it does prey on emotional stereotypes.

Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, said:

This ad will go down in history as one of the most blatantly racist television ads of the 2010 cycle. Unfortunately, we’ve seen it before – politicians stirring the pot and stoking racial fears to scare up votes in the final weeks of an election. It brings back bad memories of the Willie Horton ad in 1988. The parallels between her campaign and that of former California Governor Pete Wilson are striking—and will do irrevocable harm to the Nevada Republican Party with Latinos for generations to come.

The good news is, Sharron Angle's camp recycles -- maybe they're going green?

Think Progress' Andrea Nill points out that one image of menacing Latino "Illegal Aliens" in hoodies and backward caps (at right) is the exact same stock photo seen in an attack ad from Sen. David Vitter (R-LA). Apparently, racial stereotypes are expensive, folks. Better to buy in bulk.

But this ad is hardly the first to make waves. In September, Angle released an ad accusing Reid of being “the best friend an illegal alien ever had.” Worse than the blatant use of fear-mongering that relies on racial stereotypes, these types of ads distort the immigration policies that a majority of Americans support, to send a clear message to Nevadans: vote for me, or the state will be “overrun” by Latinos.

Last week Tibi Ellis, the chair of the Nevada Republican Hispanic Caucus, who sometimes serves as a spokeswoman for Angle, condemned the candidate’s immigration ads, saying:

I condemned this type of propaganda, no matter who is running them, where they blame Mexicans as the only problem and where they attack them as the only source of illegal immigration. I don't agree with that.

Ironically, this in-your-face approach is likely to alienate the growing Latino voting population in Nevada that is poised to make a difference in the close race between Angle and Reid. Latinos comprise 12.4% of the electorate in Nevada and Latino voter turnout has grown 164% from 2000 to 2008. Meanwhile, Senator Reid has been a strong advocate for immigration reform policies that are supported not only by a clear majority of the broader electorate, but an overwhelmingly majority of Latino voters.

The Wonk Room also points out Angle's hypocrisy, linking to a RGJ.com report from September that her campaign was working to court "endorsements from Hispanic leaders and...to air Spanish-language ads." The report quotes Angle's campaign manager Jarrod Agen as saying, "Her feeling is she needs to bring together all groups."

Angle's latest fear-mongering ad does just the opposite.