Conservative Blogger Andersen: Coke Ad Backlash Surprising

Conservative blogger Ericka Andersen said she is surprised over the backlash caused by Coca-Cola's Super Bowl ad, in which “America the Beautiful” is sung in multiple languages.

"We are a great, diverse nation, and the ad showcased that. There are a lot of people in this country that speak multiple languages," Andersen told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

"When I saw the commercial, I had no idea the backlash that was going to come from it," she said Wednesday.

Story continues below video.



Many conservatives slammed the ad, including Glenn Beck, who said it was made to "divide people."

“It’s an-in-your face [ad] . . . if you’re offended by it, then you’re a racist. If you do like it, well, then, you’re for immigration, that’s what it is. You’re for progress. That’s all this is, is to divide people,” Beck said.

Rush Limbaugh fumed: “If you are convinced that the best way to sell Coca-Cola to Americans is to sing ‘America the Beautiful’ in multiple languages, then why don’t you produce the product with labels printed in 10 different languages?”

Andersen, who writes for victorygirlsblog.com and sweetlifeericka.com, was heavily criticized by conservatives when, in her live blog during the Broncos-Seahawks pro football match-up on Sunday, she said she liked the ad.

"I was getting all kinds of backlash on Twitter from conservatives telling me that this is America, we speak English. Honestly . . . it just didn't sound good. It wasn't the right message to come from conservatives," she said.

"I've heard a lot of people saying, oh, you're being really naïve because the Coke CEOs . . . have an immigration agenda.

"A conservative could've produced this commercial, even a conservative like me. I don't believe in open borders, and I believe that English should be the language of this country and that people should learn that language. But that doesn't mean we can't embrace that there are other languages and there is a diverse culture in this country without alienating that conservative platform."