American Bridge 21st Century Weekly Recap: October 28, 2022
Our top moments of the week
Over 10 million Americans have already voted, and Republicans are using the final days of their campaigns to bully transgender children, ban books, and release homophobic ads.
Seems like the GOP is focused on “social issues” and not the economy. Good thing President Joe Biden and Democrats are cracking down on junk fees, defending Social Security, and accelerating our GDP growth.
Here are our top moments of the week:
1. Mehmet Oz Promoted Dubious Supplements for Companies “Operating Like a Pyramid Scheme”
According to a new report from the Associated Press, Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mehmet Oz made millions of dollars as a snake oil salesman promoting dubious supplements and working with companies that have been “investigated by federal authorities” and “accused of operating like a pyramid scheme.”
On his TV show, in his magazine, and at conferences, Oz pushed brands he secretly had a financial stake in. Oz also partnered with Vemma Nutrition, a multi-level marketing company that was sued by the FTC, accused of being an illegal pyramid scheme, and then forced to pay “$2.2 million to people who lost money.” Over the course of their business relationship, Oz spoke at Vemma’s annual conference, joined marketing calls “with the people who signed up to sell the products,” and promoted the brand on “his show, social media, and elsewhere.” In return, Vemma “gave more than $1 million to HealthCorps” — Oz’s nonprofit.
Amazingly, even while campaigning for the Senate, Oz has kept his day job promoting pyramid schemes. Shortly after winning the Pennsylvania primary, the Republican was in Florida delivering “the keynote remarks at a meeting for a lobbying group that supports multi-level marketing — a haven for pyramid schemes.”
2. Kari Lake Ad Features a Homophobic Pastor Who Called for “Submission” of Women
According to a new report from Mother Jones, Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake recently aired an attack ad that featured a homophobic and Islamophobic pastor who “heads a church that calls for the ‘submission’ of wives.”
Like the pastor, Lake also has a history of Islamophobic, homophobic, and anti-women remarks.
During Ramadan in 2016, Lake wrote, “thank God, other religions don’t use their holy days/seasons to create carnage,” and in 2017, she defended Donald Trump’s Muslim ban. On the campaign trail, Lake also stated that “women aren’t equal to men” and advocated for a complete abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape or incest.
3. Ron Johnson Goes On Transphobic Rant, Says Trans Teens ‘Think Weird Things’ and Are Going Through ‘Phases’
On Monday, Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson “baselessly claimed that Democrats are indoctrinating children in schools via repeatedly debunked hoaxes,” according to Heartland Signal.
Johnson made his comments after a caller asked about a furry litter box hoax that Republicans have been mentioning across the United States. Johnson went on to “allege that being transgender is a phase for children and blame teachers for pushing sex change operations on them.”
“Don’t accommodate the phase [for children]. Let’s work with them through it. Don’t be putting gender-blocking drugs in our children, and certainly don’t [give] sex change operations to minors. I mean, this is sick what’s happening. But yeah, I’m aware of the fact that we’ve got some teachers that are pushing this stuff on kids. I mean, kids are kids. They think weird things, you know? They go through phases. Every parent knows that.”
4. Tudor Dixon Wants To Ban Books Mentioning Divorce
This week, a new report from Heartland Signal revealed that Michigan Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon wants to ban books mentioning divorce. The GOP candidate said her daughter got anxiety from reading about marital separation — and proposed a book ban instead of doing actual parenting:
“My little girl picked that book out of the library, and her parents were not getting divorced,” Dixon continued. “And my husband and I were trying to figure out how to get her to stop worrying about something that wasn’t going to happen. And I remember he and I both going, ‘Why was this something she was just able to pick up off the shelf?’ Because it caused an unnecessary anxiety in her life.”
Dixon has previously expressed her desire to ban “pornographic” books in schools, using “a story by an anonymous source to justify banning pornographic books in school libraries.” She joins several of her Republican colleagues in a party-wide effort to ban books.
5. AB21 Builds Out Presidential Research Team Ahead of 2024 GOP Primary Battle
This week, Yahoo News, The Hill, and the Washington Examiner reported on American Bridge’s presidential research team’s work to prepare for the 2024 presidential cycle, which has begun earlier than ever before. Already, the American Bridge presidential team has hired more than a dozen research staffers, including media monitoring and tracking staff in key primary states.
Our presidential targets include Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Kristi Noem, Tim Scott, Larry Hogan, and Liz Cheney, among others. You can learn more about our presidential targets here. American Bridge’s research team has already been at work for months shaping the conversation surrounding our targets. Key examples include:
- The Intercept: Florida Contracts Go To Companies That Flooded Ron Desantis Campaign Fund
- NY Times: Democratic Group Says Trump Is Breaking Campaign Law By Not Declaring For 2024
- Argus Leader: Gov. Kristi Noem’s Out-Of-State Campaign Donors Include A Right-Wing Extremist And A Convicted Killer
- Florida Politics: Marco Rubio Pulls Two Ads Off Broadcast TV After Florida Politics Reports
