NRSC Pulls 'Hicky' Ad in West Virginia Senate Race

At ABC News, "NRSC Under Fire for West Virginia Ad Casting Call Looking For 'Hicky' Look" (via Memeorandum):

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is pulling its "Stop Obama" ad off the air in West Virginia amid a controversy over the casting call which reportedly asked for actors with a "'hicky' blue collar look." GOP Senate candidate John Raese called the ad ridiculous, in an attempt to distance himself from the hullabaloo.

"The ad is ridiculous and I am happy to say that no one with the Raese campaign had anything to do with it. As a matter of fact, we asked that it be taken down long before it went public," said Raese's spokesman Kevin McLaughlin. "But this campaign isn't about TV ads, it's about the 7,169 West Virginia seniors who are being told they are losing their health coverage because of Obamacare that Joe Manchin rubber stamped."

The ad's existence was first reported by Politico's Mike Allen. According to his report, the casting call for the ad asked for actors with a "'hicky' blue collar look ... think coal miner/trucker looks."

It's not unusual for ads to feature actors; the "Stop Obama" ad included professional actors and was made in Philadelphia. But it was word of the casting call's language that particularly fired up Democrats.

Gov. Manchin, whose standing in the polls has plummeted amid an anti-Washington wave, called the ad insulting to West Virginians and demanded an apology.

"Not only have they been spending millions to try and buy this election with lies and distortions, we can now see once and for all what he and his friends really think of West Virginia and our people," Manchin said in a statement. "It's offensive and it only proves that John Raese has spent too much time in the state of Florida, living in his Palm Beach mansion, and doesn't know, understand or respect the great people of this state, and what we stand for."

Or, it's bigoted. NRSC has indeed pulled clip at YouTube. It's interesting that it's the Dems once again with the outcries of "stereotyping." But it's totally cool when they do it (or sponsor it on their blogs). Enough with all of these "racist" allegations. Sheesh.