Here's the announcement of 30-year-old Willie Horton, whom everyone is talking about today.

Horton, an African-American, was a convicted murderer. He had raped a white woman and stabbed her partner while he was released from prison under a Massachusetts program put in place when Dukakis, the Democratic candidate, was governor.

Television advertising is now considered one of the most racist divisions in modern political history because it has contributed to white fear and African-American stereotypes. In this one, an off screen narrator tells the story of Horton 's crimes, while images of Bush and Dukakis as well as a threatening shot of Horton' s parade at the door. screen. The narrator notes that Bush supports the death penalty for the murderers.

"Dukakis is not only opposed to the death penalty, he has also allowed first-degree murderers to get their pass on the weekend," the narrator said.

The advertisement ends with the slogan: "The weekend prison passes, Dukakis to crime".

A potentially explosive attack

Bush campaign strategist Lee Atwater knew that talking about Horton could be devastating for the Democratic candidate.

"Lee also knew that it could be radioactive with Bush, that if it was not handled properly, Bush would not use it, Bush would declare it forbidden."

Susan Estrich, campaign manager at Dukakis, later stated that the Horton advertisement had helped achieve the GOP's goal of "making Willie Horton the vice-presidential candidate." Presidency of Dukakis ".

Both advertisements erased Dukakis with a sweet label on the crime that he could shake. Bush won a landslide victory in November.

Trump's current advertising

The new Trump campaign ad features Luis Bracamontes, a Mexican who had been deported but returned to the US and was convicted in February of killing two California MPs.

"I'm going to kill more cops soon," Bracamontes says with a smile, as legends scroll down on the screen: "The Democrats let him in. The Democrats let him stay." . "