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Pete Hoekstra's viral bait

<p>Former Michigan Congressman Pete Hoekstra, a Republican, would like to replace Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow.</p>
Pete Hoekstra's viral bait
Pete Hoekstra's viral bait

Former Michigan Congressman Pete Hoekstra, a Republican, would like to replace Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow. His new strategy gets this from our pal Eclectablog:

"Twitter Pete" Hoekstra, the man who wasn't even smart enough to buy his own domain during his run for Governor of Michigan, ran an ad during this year's Superbowl that was so blatantly racist and offensive to Asians that even GOP consultants are flinching.

Featuring a young Asian woman who thanks Stabenow for borrowing so much money from Asia and sending jobs overseas, Hoekstra's ad jams an incredible number of stereotypes into just 30 seconds -- from the bicycle to the rice paddies to the accent.

The ad is classic viral bait, in which the repellant doubles as the attraction. Hoekstra's ad sends viewers to the DebbieSpendItNow.com, screengrabbed above. The site credits the Prosper Group, whose client list includes Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle, the Wisconsin GOP and Scott Brown. You want the vanilla site? OK. You want the crazy? Just send the check. Hoekstra's spot is gross, certainly, but it's also sadly usual.

(Image: Pete Hoekstra is running for Senate.)