The National Republican Senatorial Committee took a musical jab at an incumbent Democratic senator from Indiana.
The publicity stunt involving an authentic five-man Mexican mariachi band was captured on video that the NRSC shared Wednesday after trolling incumbent Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly at a campaign stop north of Indianapolis.
“Joe Donnelly kicked off his campaign…so we welcomed him with a special gift,” read the caption at the start of the video featuring the senator who has been dubbed, “Mexico Joe.”
Donnelly, who is seeking reelection in 2018, has been battling accusations of hypocrisy after he publicly denounced outsourcing of jobs while his family’s business privately sent jobs to Mexico, according to the Washington Examiner.
Mariachi band to troll #MexicoJoe ✔️
it’s gonna be a fun cycle, @SenDonnelly #INSenhttps://t.co/uAyRdednrI— Caitlin Gallagher (@CaitGalla) August 23, 2017
“Joe Donnelly can try to make Hoosiers forget about his family business’s outsourcing controversy,” an NRSC spokesman said in a press release, “but we’ll make sure it’s the first thing on voters’ minds when they head to the polls in 2018.”
Donnelly won 50 percent of the vote in 2012 when he was elected, but in a state where Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 20 percentage points, things may not be looking so promising for the Democratic senator.
He seemed a bit confused as he and his supporters noticed the mariachi band, accompanied by men holding signs that read “Made in Mexico” with “USA” crossed out and “Outsource Donnelly out of DC.”
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota couldn’t be more frustrated with panel that won’t bite on her anti-Trump bait
The Donnelly campaign told the IndyStar that the musicians had to be told to leave the property twice. The group was told they could not be on private property and moved to a public area, according to Gary Bronkella, a trustee at the union hall location. They were asked to leave again, he noted, when they returned with their video cameras to the parking lot.
Despite how it appears in the video, the senator reportedly never even saw the band, Donnelly’s campaign manager Peter Hanscom said, according to IndyStar.
Naturally, Democrats and other Donnelly fans condemned the stunt on social media.
Oye @NRSC this is #racist. Do you think that is ok for a bunch of white people to use #Mariachi music as an attack? #WhitePrivilege ? https://t.co/LL9IVQgvnB
— Jorge_Silva (@Jorge_Silva) August 23, 2017
Roy Moore in AL, Kelli Ward in AZ, NRSC hires mariachi band IN, VA GOP neoconfed. It isn’t just Trump. This is what the party is becoming.
— Jay Cobb (@JayWCobb) August 23, 2017
NRSC got a mariachi band to play as Donnelly (D-IN) launches re-election bid. If there’s a non-racist point to this, please enlighten me https://t.co/ouriIojcrf
— Jessica Schulberg (@jessicaschulb) August 23, 2017
VA GOP going Lost Cause on twitter, NRSC deploying a Mariachi Band. Party message is becoming Trumpier despite dissent from individual pols. https://t.co/fi7mo1mJvm
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) August 23, 2017
Between the VA GOP’s twitter feed & the NRSC’s mariachi band stunt today, getting the feeling there might be a racism problem in the GOP
— Jeb Fain (@JebFain) August 23, 2017
they greeted a man who supposedly outsourced jobs to Mexico, with a Mariachi Band, and it’s supposed to be funny
NRSC is trash and corny— Miss Gillette (@angelaliz_) August 23, 2017
Could you break down the decision to hire a Mariachi band to be used as an insult? I’d love to understand the thought process.
— Katy Matthew Perry (@beetkid) August 23, 2017
Odd that you used a Mariachi Band as a prop to troll? I understand the frustration of outsourcing but optics are strange #INsen
— Daniela González (@DGonzalezMaria) August 23, 2017
But others saw the stunt as appropriate and even funny.
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They are satirizing outsourcing jobs to a foreign country. If he outsourced to a white majority country, what would your angle of attack be?
— Ryk Comerford (@Truth_Quest30) August 24, 2017
Like come on, it’s a mariachi band, everyone loves those!
— Naomi Weinroth (@nwei746) August 23, 2017
I honestly thought this was a Democrat trolling a Republican for anti immigration views.
— Grumbholdt (@Grumbholdt) August 23, 2017
I enjoy a good mariachi–you can’t help but be cheered up around them!
— Kate (@KateCounter) August 24, 2017
Everything’s racist to these white progressive kids. Or Russia. https://t.co/xf9ubEDfBB
— Christopher Salupa (@taotao_salupa5) August 23, 2017
Americans love Mexicans & Mexican culture. But when our elected reps put another nation’s interests ahead, use it to shame! It’s hilarious.
— Eternal Wisdom (@Disraeli_27) August 23, 2017
Awesome
— Kris Griffith (@thefunkris) August 24, 2017
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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