Thursday, September 19, 2013

Don't Call Him Shirley



By Jeff Simpson

We have been here once before, but as the "great spender" once said - "There you go again".

Earlier in the year the Wisconsin Tourism Department gave big money to the Zucker brothers who hail from Wisconsin to produce a tourism ad for Wisconsin.   Since the Zucker's are well known for making spoof films in the 80's, it is only fitting since Scott Walker's version of government is also a spoof from another era.   

While we have made record cuts in public education, the one area that has made out like bandits is the Tourism budget.  The Walkerites raised it from $9.9 million to $12.3 million in Walker's first two years alone!

Walker and Department of Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett said it's important to increase the tourism budget, even while other departments are seeing cuts, because tourism creates jobs. Tourism is Wisconsin's third-largest industry, drawing $12.3 billion in spending in 2010.

Yes, tourism "creates jobs", unless of course you have no idea what your doing, then it turns into a big waste.  See when looking for someone to give our hard earned money too - the one criteria apparently was they had to be republicans.   So the Zucker's fit the bill!   Now that we found someone who fit the bill, let the silliness begin. 

First off the produced this little fishing video that showed the wold that Wisconsinites are imbeciles:



 Then reality hit and as so often is the case under Walker, the people were leading the way. While we were paying big money in wing nut welfare to the Zucker's to produce "tourism" video's that no one saw, Scott Walker was directing his own video's right in the Capitol that the whole world was able to see

Strike one ....so the Zucker's took another swing at it:

 
 
When trying to persuade people from IL and MN to come visit WI who better to use than a Packer....o wait.  The Viking and Bears fans hate the Packers!   Strike 2!  

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Mike Huebsch was producing and Chief Erwin directing their own WI tourism ad that the world was able to watch:


With two strikes against them and lots of our money in their pockets, the Zucker's tried again.   This time Scott Walker used it as a nice vacation get away (on our tax dollars) to CA to play in Hollywood.   The Governor tweeted this pic today:








Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Hayes recreate their Airplane! scene with help of WI natives David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams to promote tourism in Wisconsin. Nice cheesehead!

Because what shows the true beauty of Wisconsin better than a blow up doll with a cheesehead hat on?  

This from Stephanie Klett our Director of Tourism:



 

On cloud nine! The Wisconsin Department of Tourism just hosted a press conference in Hollywood that is making pop-culture history. We are reuniting two of the stars of the movie Airplane, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Hays (Ted Striker,) with the three writers/producers and directors David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for our next 3 Wisconsin Tourism commercials. The press was insane, with CBS, TMZ, Getty Images, Yahoo Travel and Splash to name a few. We are filming on the original airplane Cockpit set now!
 O great, as if we did not have a bad enough stereotype of the people in WI, we just handed them one of us all wearing cheeseheads, while watching 80's movies and pretending they are new and relevant today.  Next thing you know they will have our most recognizable athlete do an a with the Chicago Bear superfans, who ceased to be funny or relevant the day Ditka left the Bears(1993 for those scoring at home).  

Instead of focusing on our world class educational institutions, our beautiful lakes and wildlife.  The fact that Madison is perpetually in the top 10 places to live rankings.  The beauty of Milwaukee in the summer,  the growth of the Fox valley, etc....

Our Governor and his staff go with this:

 

Yes you can just see the line of people rushing to Wisconsin to spend their money after this one:



Here is a free tip, maybe for the next round of ads, they can reunite another old movie and really promote the Wisconsin music scene:


6 comments:

  1. The irony is too twisted.

    Back when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went by the name of Lew Alcindor, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. He immediately made the 2nd year team into contenders and led the Bucks to their only NBA championship. After 6 years in Milwaukee, Abdul-Jabbar wanted out.

    "Live in Milwaukee? No, I guess you could say I exist in Milwaukee," Abdul-Jabbar said in a magazine interview. "I am a soldier hired for service and I will perform that service well. Basketball has given me a good life, but this town has nothing to do with my roots. There's no common ground."

    Did anyone involved in this tourism campaign have any clue about Abdul-Jabbar's history with the Bucks?

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  2. There are so many things wrong with this that I don't know where to start. First, that jobs tattoo on Sec. Klett's forehead must have been temporary - a LA production? It couldn't be filmed in Wisconsin? Secondly, the cost of production for LA crew and talent = less money to go around to buy ad time. Finally, lets just say that TMZ picks up their attempt to get publicity - how does that lead to heads in beds? I'm sure they're not going to have a nationwide ad buy to back it up.

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  3. Some suggested tourism slogans: Come to Wisconsin before it's too late. If you are tired of your urban sprawl and environmental degredation come see ours. Lets not forget " The GRand Canyon of the North. "

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  4. And there were no Wisconsin firms capable of producing television ads? This is just another example of Walker pissing away tax dollars to advance his Quixotic Presidential fantasy. He thinks that stroking three washed-up directors gives him Hollywood cred. Think again.

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  5. In the interim he guts the social programs and plays jetsetter and has lavish dinners and drinks at the taxpayer expense. He is an asshole!

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  6. The lack of erudition and accuracy of your commenter is appalling. Guess he/she didn't get a "world class education."

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