You can tell when a group has fallen so in love with a concept that they stopped at the conception and never thought it through. The Democratic activist group PACRONYM came up with an idea to defend the supposed threats being made to the esteemed United States Postal Service, and using Wayne Knight, the actor who portrayed the character of Newman on the hit sitcom ”Seinfeld” was a perfect choice.
So they thought. Knight is in character, and in postal togs, as he delivers a monologue about the importance of mail in voting was the best display of their message.
WATCH: "Seinfeld's" Newman accuses Trump of "premeditated assault on the US mail" in new Dem ad https://t.co/Lu8Fsp20Sc pic.twitter.com/88c3LbOEqG
— The Hill (@thehill) October 10, 2020
Wait, is that their message? Take a look at the spot and note at the end they are urging people to show up and vote in person.
Not too hard to imagine that the mixed messaging going on here is a bit muddled. Note how they resort to repeating a number of disproven claims about Trump supposedly trying to negatively impact the mail-in process; the accusations of the administration trying to slow down mail service, removing mailboxes nationwide, and tearing apart sorting machines, all in the name of stalling the vote is already a canard.
Now we need to ask, just how wise is it to defend the postal service integrity by using a character who is well known as being the embodiment of most of the worst qualities of the postal service?!
Newman was the personification of a corrupt and incompetent postal service. Have dems ever seen Seinfeld? https://t.co/k9HEReLiyH
— Dan ?? (@danieltobin) October 11, 2020
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If there were ever – EVER – anyone who shouldn’t be associated with the postal service it’s NEWMAN! What a joke. I can smell the backfire.
— Dad (@NorvR) October 11, 2020
You could not have picked a worse example if you tried lol.
— Crest (@ShaunDowley1) October 11, 2020
Not to mention, he rarely went to his job and that episode where he made Jerry do his job. His employers knew it wasn’t Newman due to him barely ever giving people their mail. That’s the irony of this whole ad. xD ?
— Dayzsa Clark (@ClarkDayzsa) October 11, 2020
The joke of his character was always that he was hiding and trashing mail, it was [is] an understood problem with USPS.
— Show More Replies ?? (@goshenhawk1) October 11, 2020
Of course, the intent here was not only undone by having a slothful character defending the service, the message itself was flawed. How do they sell the high quality of the system with this type of claim–
“When everyone knows the only person who can slow down the mail is a mailman."
?That’s what we’re worried about Newman.— IndianaTom (@TomInIndiana) October 11, 2020
In a later passage Knight is touting the wondrous service of the postal workers. He declares that ”My brothers and sisters and I in Blue will do our solemn best to make sure your ballot is delivered.” He then proceeds to illegally open someone’s parcel in his possession and begin eating the cookies contained therein.
This may personify the term ”mixed messaging”.
Well, wherever they are going to be placing these clips, I suppose their message was delivered about as effectively as we have been seeing the mail being delivered.
— MrKittums (@MKittums) October 11, 2020
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