China as a political scapegoat, and a call for Congress to play nice

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif), is pulling no punches in her campaign against former HP CEO Carly Fiorina in California, and she’s raising a now-familiar bogeyman: China. One of her recent ads tied Fiorina to her decision to outsource thousands of American jobs to China. Boxer is not the only candidate doing this. Many politicians across the country are using China as a political scapegoat in their bid to win.

Thom Mazloom, founder of the M Network, a marketing and advertising firm that also produces political ads, say this is a strategy that resonates with Americans. As jobs are being shipped overseas, it’s easy to blame the country that’s garnering many of them.

As these ads swirl on the airwaves, however, 130 former members of Congress are calling for politicians of both parties to play nice. The Former Members of Congress for Common Ground was founded by former Illinois Republican Rep. John Porter, and former Colorado Democrat David Skaggs.

Farai Chideya, host of Pop and Politics on WNYC Radio, has the latest in this new movement.