Election season is in full swing, which means Americans all around the country are being bombarded with campaign ads.
Some ads are fun, some are visually appealing, some are heartwarming, some are creepy, and some are just cringe.
But it would be hard to top the level of cringe in an ad released by the Super PAC Building Back Together aimed at boosting President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
On Thursday, the group dropped an ad designed to tout the president’s student loan cancellation plan.
Building Back Together Executive Director Danielle Melfi said in a statement about the ad, “This is a game changer for so many young Americans, who will now have more money in their pockets to start a family, open a business, or buy a house. This campaign celebrates this win for working families and thanks the president for his commitment to getting it done.”
The organization explained the ad will be featured on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, ESPN, Snapchat, and Hulu. Apparently, it is targeted toward young Americans in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada.
It starts out with a clip of CNBC’s Shepherd Smith reporting on the plan as he says, “The White House kicking off its efforts to forgive loan debt.” The video then very awkwardly loops Smith saying “debt,” creating a really uncomfortable visual.
Then an electronic voice says, “Biden admin, admin, admin, admin, admin, admin, admin, $10K in my pocket, $10K in my pocket.”
Meanwhile, pictures of Biden smiling and the White House flash on the screen. It also shows a picture of Biden shooting lasers out of his eyes.
After noting the amount of debt that can be canceled increases to $20,000 for borrowers who received Pell Grants, the voice says “Pell Grant” repeatedly and switches to “$20K in my pocket.”
Watch the ad below:
NEW AD: Dark Brandon strikes again!@POTUS just delivered historic student debt relief, putting 💰 back in the pockets of borrowers across the country and completely erasing student debt for 1 in 4 Black borrowers and nearly half of Latino borrowers.
— Building Back Together (@BuildingBack_US) October 20, 2022
↘️ https://t.co/wpJwkmcb70 pic.twitter.com/XHioogQjIf
What the…
What did we just watch?
The combination of the electric dance music with the creepy British computer-generated voice gives it the vibe of some type of dystopian propaganda designed to ingrain some mantra into a subjugated people.
Then there are the creepy clips of Biden with laser shooting out of his eyes. That gives it an even more dystopian vibe as though saying, “Comply and be grateful for the magnificent Biden, or he will melt you with lasers” — or mobilize the power of the federal government against you.
Perhaps this is the style of content that the youth of Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin consume. But, uh, it’s hard to see how anyone could watch this ad and not feel incredibly creeped out and want to vote Republican instead.