The ad, which was only aired in Michigan, was certainly one of the more talked-about ads even if it wasn't one of the exciting ones. Personally, I think there's a bigger backlash against it than necessary, but that seems to be the way with everything these days. I have to admit the broken English was a bit much, as I'm sure there are plenty of people in China who know how to speak English--and probably better than their American counterparts.
What I find interesting is that even though Hoekstra has removed the ad, he is still valiantly defending it as not being racial in any way, shape or form. Why is he bending to such pressure then if he still thinks he made the right call? Obviously he's trying to please both sides by catering to ethnic groups' whims on one hand and conservatives who hate the policies in place with China, but sooner or later he'll have to take a side. (Also, please. No, the ad's not as racist as having someone dress up pretending to be Chinese, but the background images and broken English clearly imply stereotypes that are reflected as being negative. There could've been a different route taken.)
Hopefully the situation will resolve itself quickly so we don't have to hear about it any more (though admittedly it hasn't gotten much Michigan press) and the action groups who are protesting the ad can find better examples to devote their time to. I'm sure they'll have plenty of work to do; people are always being insulted in one form or another.
