Biden campaign faces backlash for TV ad depicting Michigan tech CEO as struggling bar owner
From WWW.FOXNEWS.COM
The Biden team is under fire for releasing a TV campaign ad last week depicting a Michigan bar owner struggling to keep his business afloat during the pandemic.
What the ad fails to mention is the man is actually a wealthy tech investor who made contributions to the former vice president’s campaign. He also supported Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home orders that kept businesses shuttered longer.
The ad, which was posted to YouTube on Thursday and aired Sunday on CBS during NFL games, features Joe Malcoun, who is listed as the “co-owner” of The Blind Pig, a once-popular bar and music venue in Ann Arbor, Mich. Malcoun blamed his business’ economic downturn on President Trump’s COVID-19 response.
“For 50 years, The Blind Pig has been open and crowded – but right now it’s an empty room,” he says in the one-minute ad, showing the empty venue. “This is the reality of Trump’s COVID response.”
“We don’t know how much longer we can survive not having any revenue. A lot of restaurants, bars that have been mainstays for years will not make it through this. This is Donald Trump’s economy," he continued. "There’s no plan, you don’t know how to move forward. It makes me so angry. My only hope for my family and this business and my community is that Joe Biden wins this election. That’s the kind of person we need.”
The ad also featured the song “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys, marking the first time the group licensed one of its songs for use in a political advertisement.
What Malcoun doesn't say in the ad is that there’s a small chance he’ll face financial ruin if The Blind Pig goes under, given he’s a prominent “angel investor” in several local tech companies.
In an April tweet Malcoun also praised Whitmer, arguing “she’s doing it right” by continuing the state’s stay-at-home order, which sparked protests and forced businesses like The Blind Pig to remain closed longer.
Earlier this month, the Michigan Supreme Court struck down Whitmer's orders to continue extending Michigan's coronavirus-related state of emergency without legislative approval. The initial state of emergency was set to end on April 30 and Whitmer used executive powers to extend it.
The Blind Pig briefly reopened in June, adhering to strict requirements such as requiring masks, enforci... (Read more)
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