GOP to women: elections are like shopping for wedding dresses

[Moonwalk]

31. I dunno...“Nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the American public..."

—as P.T. Barnum said. I mean, Rick Scott and these others got voted in because they appeal to not-so-smart people, women as well as men. Perhaps these ads are the way to go given that they're a twist on reality shows that such people watch and love. Ones all about appearance; about getting what one wants in the here and now, with no thought to how it will affect their future.

While clearly a joke (and an insulting one for any woman with a brain), they do the trick of making the voting choice seem simple and a no-brainer (pretty dress = Rick Scott, ugly = other guy) and come across as being on the side of young, know-what-they-want women rather than the moms who lack taste and don't understand their daughters. Which is to say: No, these won't work on smart young women. And foolish young women probably won't vote anyway. But our society still does make a lot of young women dream about their wedding day and that perfect dress. And there are undecided young female voters who might, sadly, be swayed by this either because it's a humorous take on reality shows they love, or in the fact that it is about wedding dresses rather than actual, complicated issues that they don't want to think about. When they go to vote, they might well remember Rick Scott's name simply because it has been associated with a pretty wedding dress as if it he were a designer rather than a politician.

And that's all some voters need. A way to remember one candidate over another. I hope with all my heart that I'm wrong, and that young female voters are smart and will see these ads for the insult they are and backlash big against them. But I can't help but fear that what seems obvious to us may not be so obvious to the target audience.