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



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It is a name given to political advertisements that blatantly feed fears and racial stereotypes. They are a proven method for describing a political opponent as a follower of crime. And a lot of time they work.

The "Willie Horton" campaign was advertised by George H. W. Bush supporters for his 1988 presidential campaign against Michael Dukakis.

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 knew it was powerful." Lee knew it was a liberal stereotype that would make a bigger point about Dukakis, said Bush's deputy campaign director Ed Rogers. CNN documentary "The White House Race: George HW Bush vs. Michael Dukakis."

"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."

Following the broadcast of the independent group's advertisement, the Bush campaign produced a related spot called "Revolving Door" showing convicts entering and leaving the prison. The narrator explained Dukakis' liberal positions on issues such as the mandatory conviction of drug traffickers without showing or mentioning Horton's first name.

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." . "

CNN's Stephen Collinson contributed to this report.

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