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And this is the real stuff—straight George Corley Wallace with more than a hint of 1932 NSDAP seasoning as well. It was hard to find a link that told the truth about the ad and that didn't directly include the ad itself—because fck him, that's why—so bravo, CNN.

This is the most clearly racist political commercial since the Willie Horton ad that was used against Michael Dukakis in 1988, and this one is infinitely worse because it's already been seen by over two million people. (The Horton ad was primarily propagated by its coverage in the mainstream press—as, I suppose, to an extent, this one is, too.) The media landscape has changed mightily since the Horton ad aired only on what was then an embryonic critter called cable television. But the sewage flowing through this latest appeal has its source long ago in the history of this republic.

For example, from The Atlantic.

And this.

Also, too, from the Smithsonian.

And, finally, a classic.

We're supposed to be smarter than the people who fell for this swill back then. Our democracy is supposed to have evolved into something more mature. The old dog is supposed to be snoozing on the porch, not hunting again. God help us if this ad works and we find out we're wrong.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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