Super PACs may be one of the most popular ways for Presidential candidates to raise large sums of money, but Republican candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush seems to have another idea: selling really expensive swag online.
While most of the items on Jeb2016.com have something to do with the campaign, including t-shirts, buttons, and rally signs, the most baffling item of all is unbranded: the Guaca Bowle.
The “Bowle” is designed to look like a molcajete, which is a sort of mortar and pestle often used for making foods like guacamole. Seeing as Jeb and his wife Columba, who is from Mexico, are apparently guacamole enthusiasts, it almost makes sense that the second-oldest Bush sibling would want to sell one.
But not only does the Guaca Bowle have no branding to indicate it’s part of Jeb’s campaign — the black plastic bowl also sells for a whopping $75.
Most people have probably seen such bowls used for salsa or guac in their favorite Mexican restaurants.
Mexican cuisine enthusiasts can buy real (or close to it) molcajetes for less from brands like Williams-Sonoma and Lenox, both of which market high-priced cookware.
In fact, one restaurant supply website sells the imitation molcajetes for $35.99… for a case of 24. Oddly enough, they look exactly the same as the one in the Jeb! store and would only cost about $1.50 per bowl — an amazing savings of $73.50!
Campaign advertising is often competitive, and by the time election season gets into full swing, attack ads dominate every commercial break on TV. One survey stated that 37% of consumers report looking at outdoor ads and business signs most of the time or every time they see one, so Presidential candidates have to look for other means to attract voters.
But the unbranded and substantially overpriced Guaca Bowle is something of a head-scratcher. So far it’s been lampooned all over the internet and on Comedy Central’s @midnight, and Vox.com has referred to it as the “mockajete” and an “abomination.”
Yet perhaps most disappointingly of all, Bush’s website gives this disclaimer: “Jeb’s secret guacamole recipe not included… yet.” It also takes about three weeks to ship.
This week hasn’t been a good week for Bush, who is the brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush. He took part in the Republican Presidential debates on Aug. 6 and was asked about his gaffe earlier in the week, where he claimed that the U.S. may not “need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues.”