Meatballs (advertisement)

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Meatballs is a 30-second political TV ad from the 2000 US presidential campaign created for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan by Houston’s Love Advertising, with VTTV in Houston handling production. It aired in 22 states starting October 9, 2000, largely targeting California and Arizona, and used part of the federal matching funds available to Buchanan’s campaign.

The commercial shows a middle-aged white man at home eating spaghetti and meatballs while a news anchor announces that English is no longer America’s national language. The man begins choking and, when he dials 9-1-1, he must listen to a language option menu (including Spanish and other languages) before he can reach English. Before the English option arrives, he dies on the kitchen floor, and a dog licks his face. A voice-over asks if you miss English and claims immigration is out of control, adding that George W. Bush and Al Gore are “writing off English for good.” The ad promotes English as the official language and opposes immigration policies of the time.

The campaign argued that immigration threatened American culture and that both major parties were not adequately addressing the issue. Critics said the ad was racist and xenophobic, while some praised its humor and execution. Analysts questioned the ad’s claim that Bush and Gore would discard English, and several outlets described the central premise as questionable or exaggerated.

Context and impact: Buchanan was seeking the Reform Party nomination, with Ezola Foster as running mate, and used the campaign’s funds to spread the message against immigration and for English assimilation. The ad followed Executive Order 13166, which expanded access for non-English speakers. The spot drew backlash from Democrats and Latino groups and was cited by some as one of the ugliest or most fear-mongering ads of the 2000 campaign. Despite the attention, Buchanan remained at about 1% in polls, and his later ads focused on other culture-war issues. In retrospect, Meatballs is frequently cited as a controversial, provocative example of campaign advertising.