Bring on the Propaganda: Round Two

Last week protectmarriage.com and the Vote Yes on Prop 8 aired their first major tv ad in California. I have to say, I think it is a brilliant ad. The ad starts of with a clip of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at a press conference telling the world that "this door is wide open now. It's gonna happen, whether you like it or not." The ad continues into a discussion of the legality of the California Supreme Court's decision to allow gay marriage, even going so far as to pull a Pepperdine Law Professor to talk about the possible/actual fallout of allowing gay marriage - people suing over personal beliefs, churches losing their tax exemption status, and gay marriage being taught in schools. One of the last things a viewer hears is Mayor Newsom's strident statement that gay marriage will happen now "whether you like it or not."



Basically, this ad targets the major possible fears that undecided heterosexual voters might have about allowing gay marriage, preying upon voters' homophobia. (Will the schools be turning my child gay? Will my church be compromised?) Inadvertently, I'd argue that Mayor Newsom did more damage then good with his remarks, as now the supporters of Proposition 8 have a sound byte to heighten "fear of the gay takeover" in voters. Never mind a catchy slogan, "Whether you like it or not" will continue to reverberate in a voter's head long after the ad has ended.

It is more likely that a voter will remember a frightening phrase (and let's face it, even if you like Mayor Newsom, he is a bit abrasive, then a soft spoken appeal to maternal/paternal pride. Scare tactics work better than tugging at heart strings, so at this stage I'd say the score is Vote Yes: 1. Vote No:0.

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