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Go Home Four Legs Good, Taxes Baaaad

JONATHAN CHAIT FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Four Legs Good, Taxes Baaaad

BY JONATHAN CHAIT

Carly Fiorina, running for the GOP Senate nomination in California, attacks Tom Campbell:

The funny thing about this ad, aside from the clumsy over-the-top quality, is the metaphor. The message of the ad is that Campbell is an ideological deviant. All the other Republicans signed Grover Norquist's no-taxes-ever pledge, but Campbell refused. Campbell went off on his own and made a budget deal in order to prevent a fiscal collapse. And what's the metaphor the ad uses?

Sheep. But not in a disparaging way. The good politicians are sheep, doing what Grover Norquist tells them to do. Campbell, the ad tells us, is only pretending to be a sheep, but he's really a wolf. So vote for the sheep.

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19 comments

Points to Fiorina for honesty in describing conservatism. Though the metaphor isn't perfect: Whenever I try counting Republicans to help me sleep, I wind up suffering insomnia, nightmares -- or both, which is to say, late-night reruns on Fox News.

- rhubarbs

February 3, 2010 at 3:51pm

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I guess this commercial confirms Stephen Colbert & John Slattery's view of what conservatives really want from this world (besides gold and women).

- wildboy

February 3, 2010 at 4:02pm

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Jonathan, are you missing the metaphor (though who really knows)? Maybe the idea is that Campbell is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

- robertgorton

February 3, 2010 at 5:48pm

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@RGorton: I'm pretty sure Mr. Chait realizes there are multiple metaphors involving sheep.

- bcbaird

February 3, 2010 at 5:54pm

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My bad, I've reread the post. But I still don't understand the criticism. The intent of the ad is presumably to suggest that Campbell is really a wolf (bad guy, a closet Democrat who's not fiscally conservative) passing himself of as a sheep (good guy, runs as a Republican).

- robertgorton

February 3, 2010 at 6:14pm

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My bad, I've reread the post. But I still don't understand the criticism. The intent of the ad is presumably to suggest that Campbell is really a wolf (bad guy, a closet Democrat who's not fiscally conservative) passing himself of as a sheep (good guy, runs as a Republican).

- robertgorton

February 3, 2010 at 6:16pm

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My bad, I've reread the post. But I still don't understand the criticism. The intent of the ad is presumably to suggest that Campbell is really a wolf (bad guy, a closet Democrat who's not fiscally conservative) passing himself of as a sheep (good guy, runs as a Republican).

- robertgorton

February 3, 2010 at 6:18pm

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Except that in the metaphor of the wolf in sheep's clothing, the sheep aren't the good guys, and the metaphor is not told from the point of view of the sheep, as the commercial imagery suggests. The shepherd is the good guy, the wolf the bad guy, and the sheep merely property the be contested through theft or defense. In no circumstance in American language is the phrase, "You people are like sheep!" anything other than an insult.

- rhubarbs

February 3, 2010 at 6:22pm

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Fine. So the good shepherd is the worthy Republican voter, who is being sold a bill of goods by the dastardly Campbell.

- robertgorton

February 3, 2010 at 6:36pm

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Look, we don't need to deconstruct this ad like a bunch of sophomore psychology majors.* The idea that Republican representatives are all white and prone to flocking is certainly not the intended meaning. Rather, it is a consequence of the white color and flocking behavior of sheep. I'm sure every culture that raises sheep has some metaphor implying that sheep are not intelligent and tend to do what the shepherd (and/or sheepdog) prods them to do.** It's just a bad premise for an ad, plain and simple. *I will anyway. **This can be extended to voters, as voting Republican is often a mindless act.

- bcbaird

February 3, 2010 at 6:43pm

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Also - what kind of sheep or sheep/wolf hybrid* would sell something to the shepherd? Is putting a clip-art sheep on a Photoshop pedestal animal abuse? Also, why is Ratner so quiet on this issue. Is he hiding something? *Or robotic man in wearing an old wool rug.

- bcbaird

February 3, 2010 at 6:50pm

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The ad is amusing because Firoina wants to deploy metaphor A (wolf in sheep's clothing) but runs the risk -- or doesn't see the risk, or both -- of lurking metaphor B (Republicans are a bunch of sheep) taking over. Jeez!

- ironyroad

February 3, 2010 at 7:07pm

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Well, deconstruction never made the same inroads into psychology as it did into other academic groves. But setting that aside, the ad, whatever particular hermeneutics we might propose, is obviously suggesting that Campbell is deceptive. Since the image manages to convey that message, tell me again why the premise is bad.

- robertgorton

February 3, 2010 at 7:14pm

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Yes, the former HP CEO who was fired because the merger with Compaq that she pushed for didn't go so well. Just what California needs in the Senate. And didn't she have a comically inept website rollout that was at the level of this bizarro ad?

- JEFF FREY

February 3, 2010 at 7:15pm

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Jeff, the only thing ANYONE running against Fiorina needs to remind people of is this famous statement: "There is no job that is America's God-given right anymore. " While that may be true, coming from someone who is the poster child for CEO arrogance and greed will make her an easy target. Her entire tenure at HP was one of arrogance and destruction but she walked way quite rich for it when she was fired. Her successor had to work a long time to rebuild what she tore up quite nicely. The few HP'ers I know still curse her name with a venom I'm not used to hearing. I hope her GOP competitors eat her alive. I will rejoice seeing this woman destroyed in public.

- tnmats

February 3, 2010 at 8:07pm

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"Well, deconstruction never made the same inroads into psychology as it did into other academic groves." Whatever. The fact is, we're talking classical rhetoric here -- be aware that connotative language may contain unintended meanings.

- ironyroad

February 3, 2010 at 8:55pm

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And the cheese is just punctuated by the worst campaign slogan ever: "Might there be a better choice?" What, "Say there, if it's not too troubling, would you mind considering the possibility of thinking about a situation where you might be persuaded to mull over supporting me" was voted down?

- primwallflow

February 3, 2010 at 11:07pm

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Tom Campbell, on the other hand, always struck me as being a decent politician and I even voted for him when I lived in his district, despite the R after his name.

- JEFF FREY

February 4, 2010 at 1:09am

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Good point, prim. Perhaps Fiorina is taking the Dos Equis approach: "I don't always vote, but when I do, I prefer Carly Fiorina." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1imLlJzcfY

- rhubarbs

February 4, 2010 at 8:40am

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