Well the Doc opened up the old mailbag today and here’s what poured out.
Dear Dr. Ads,
There I was, minding my own business and scrolling through Politico Playbook, when I came across this scoopy item about a new ad campaign in the presidential bakeoff.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — White Dudes for Harris is launching an eye-popping eight-figure ad campaign targeting, you guessed it, persuadable white male voters in swing states, trying to draw a sharp contrast between the so-called “toxic masculinity” Trump displays and Harris’ campaign pitch.
The ad is airing in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on YouTube, streaming and social media platforms with a buy in the $10,000,000 range. It is backed by the Beige Rainbow PAC.
Bro-tastic narrator: “Hey, white dudes – so I think we’re all pretty sick of hearing how much we suck. Every time you go online, it’s the same story: we’re the problem. And yeah, some white dudes are. Trump and all his MAGA buddies are out there making it worse, shouting nonsense in their stupid red hats and acting like they speak for us when they don’t.”
Whaddaya think, Doc – could that pitch actually work?
– White Knuckles for Harris
Dear WKfH,
First off, ten million dollars is real money, bru.
Here’s what Beige Rainbow PAC is buying with all that dough.
As the dude puts it, this “isn’t about picking teams [but] who’s got a plan that’s gonna make life better for me and my family . . . [Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz] are actually talking to guys like us — no lectures, no B S. Just real solutions that protect our freedoms and help us take care of the people who matter.”
Not surprisingly, the MAGAsphere thinks the ad is just cringe. The Twittersphere, on the other hand, likes it just fine.
White Dudes for Harris is only one of the grassroots groups jumping on the Coconut Train, as The Hill’s Judy Kurtz reports.
Many organizers credit the “Win With Black Women” call for getting the ball rolling and igniting the virtual fundraiser trend. The July event drew more than 40,000 participants.
Since then, countless other calls have been organized from a dizzying number of groups, including “White Dudes for Harris,” “Cat Ladies for Kamala” and “Comics for Harris.”
Bill de Blasio helped coordinate “Paisans for Kamala” (ciao, Robert De Niro and Nancy Pelosi!), while Swifties for Kamala was up and running well before she officially endorsed Harris.
Still waiting for Comma Nerds for Kamala (Harvard Division). Shouldn’t be long now, yeah?