When life gives you wingnuts...
In a fine example of converting garbage into something useful, the Evan McMullin "campaign" took a disgusting racist message left on the voicemail of its spokeswoman and used it in an ad, to illustrate what it warns could be a "preview of Donald Trump's America." Tell us what went down, Buzzfeed's McKay Coppins:
The ad, which will air online in select markets, features a recording of a personal cell phone message campaign spokeswoman Rina Shah received after appearing on Fox News last Friday.“You frothing, libtard piece of shit Islamic dog,” the caller, identified only as “Alan,” is heard saying in the ad, while a transcript of his rant runs along the bottom of the screen. “Vote for the pathological lying criminal you fucking piece of shit … and get out of our country … while you’re at it, got back and get fucked by your dirtbag Islamic terror scum friends. Slut.”
Ms. Shah, the ad notes, was born in West Virginia, though the significance of that fact might be lost on a supporter of a guy who calls a federal judge born in Indiana a "Mexican judge." Oh, and while she's Indian-American, she's not Muslim, another distinction that probably wouldn't impress ol' "Alan."
Shah told Coppins the voicemail was hardly a unique example, and that the calls have made her worry about what America might be like under a Trump presidency, perhaps because she hasn't read enough dystopian science fiction:
“I could send you, I’m not kidding, hundreds of email I’ve received,” she said. “You know, ‘You’re a Muslim,’ ‘You’re a C-U-N-T’ — I get a lot of, ‘Go back to your country.’” [...]“I never cry,” she said. “It’s like my rule. I’ve never been a cryer. But I think it’s really hit me this past week. … It’s just hard to imagine a scenario where it would be good for us if he were to win. And when I say ‘us,’ I mean women, young people, people of color -- because [Trump] seems to only look out for one type. If one of his supporters were to punch me in a rally, would he even blink an eye? I don’t think so.”
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Robert Charles Wilson's Julian Comstock had no comment, but were seen to be nodding vigorously.
So, here's the ad, with "Alan" in all his glory:
Let's all say it together: He seems nice.
Coppins got in touch with the caller, who identified himself as Alan Pryce, and a fun interview ensued:
He seemed at first not to remember leaving the voicemail on Shah’s phone, but after hearing a transcript of the message read aloud, he said, “Oh yeah, a few days ago? I stand by every word of it.”Informed that Shah was born in in the U.S., Pryce replied, “Really? Well, she’s absolutely a first-gen whatever. Look, I didn’t do a biography on her.”
The main problem Alan has with Shah is that she's "an anti-American supporter of a pathological lying criminal." No, not Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, although of course Shah works for Evan McMullin, that Republican splitter. SAME THING. Alan said an undocumented immigrant had disabled him -- which is clearly relevant when leaving an obscene racist rant at some dusky-hued lady you saw on Fox -- and that's why he's such a big Trump supporter. Also, no, he is absolutely not some crazy racist "alt-right" troll, no way:
Though he was strongly critical of McMullin, whom he called “the definition of the word ‘cuck,’” Pryce didn’t mind being featured in his campaign’s ad. “Honestly, he said, “I think it’s hysterical.”
Coppins noted on Twitter that "the definition of the word cuck" made him "accidentally lol" while talking to Alan. We congratulate Mr. Coppins for not openly guffawing.
We're impressed by the McMullin campaign's recycling project, although we hope it doesn't lead to a slew of more racist calls from Trump supporters trying to get featured in ads. Ha-ha, we are joking you! They'll keep flooding everyone with racist phone calls and emails and blog comments no matter what, as WaPo's Jennifer Rubin, who's no flaming libtart, attested:
So Trump really IS bringing America together. In revulsion at Trump supporters, if nothing else.
[Buzzfeed]
