The fresh faces in the House majority are excited to cast their vote against Obamacare…for the 37th time. And they’re also fans of Arrested Development.
The House Republican Conference jumped on the banana stand bandwagon Wednesday, posting a parody of the Netflix series called “Arrested Economic Development” on their Facebook and YouTube pages. The digital ad attacks Obama for taking over the healthcare industry while the economy “lay in shambles,” echoing old refrains that Obamacare will raise healthcare costs for Americans despite promises of lowering them.
“‘There’s always money in the banana stand,’ they thought. His allies were all aboard,” the ad begins. But despite the support of the “president’s magician alliance”—Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden—some Democrats are starting to see the error of their ways. “I have made terrible mistakes,” the ad concludes.
Of course, that sentiment of regret comes not from a Democrat discussing Obamacare, but from a press conference of disgraced former-Congressman (and potential New York City mayoral candidate?) Anthony Weiner, who did make some terribly unforgettable mistakes during his time in Congress.
The Arrested web advert comes at a time when the GOP is rebranding to appeal to a younger audience. The National Republican Congressional Committee has “Buzzfeedified” their site, complete with anti-Obamacare explainers like “13 Animals That Are Really Bummed On Obamacare’s Third Birthday” and “The 11 Worst Things Your Tax Dollars Are Being Wasted On,” while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has tried to GIF and meme his way to re-election.
The House GOP wants to find criticism in the banana stand. But it’s going to take more than a jab at Joe Biden with a water gun to get young’uns on board.
Ali Vitali is MS NOW's senior congressional correspondent and the host of "Way Too Early." She is the author of "Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House … Yet."