This is a truly disturbing ad. Racist and sexist at the same time while also being able to draw on lies to fill up it's content. I live in CA-36 so I take it personally.
The election pits Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn (D) against businessman Craig Huey, a tea party Republican who's second place finish in one of California's first jungle primaries came as a surprise to most. The race to the July 12 runoff has fallen to the national backburner as attention shifted to the NY-26 race and a more general discussion of Rep. Paul Ryan's (R) budget plan. That could be about to change, thanks to the web ad produced by the brand-new Turn Right USA PAC, which filed its official paperwork last week.
Simply put, the ad is Willie Horton on steroids. The 90-second clip accuses Hahn of being too cozy with gang criminals in the past, a charge she's faced for a while and her campaign says has been thoroughly debunked.
The spot is produced by Ladd Ehlinger, Jr., best known for his wildly popular Dale "Don't Give A Rip" Peterson campaign video in the 2010 race for Alabama secretary of agriculture. Turn Right USA, the sponsor, is a brand new political action committee which only filed its paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. The paperwork indicates that Turn Right USA intends to operate as a so-called "super PAC," capable of raising funds in unlimited amount, but will not use those funds to directly support federal candidates or committees. Claude Todoroff serves as treasurer for the group, which is based in Gardena, Calif. G. Rick Marshall serves as the group's designated agent.
That got rogue conservative filmmaker Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. interested in the race again. He made a 2010 ad against Harman, in which the congresswoman had a crush on the president of Iran; he's most famous for his ad on behalf of Dale Peterson. In California he's done this.
I can't call it the worst ad ever because of what Republicans did to Max Cleland back in 2002.
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If you don't know Max Cleland's story, you probably think the disgusting part of that ad is equating the then-incumbent Senator with Osama bin Laden. But that is small potatoes compared to what is really going on here.
I'm not a guy who is quick to anger. However, for the last six years the name Saxby Chambliss has caused my blood to boil because this is the worthless excuse for a human being that accused Max Cleland, who lost three limbs leading troops on the battlefield in Vietnam, of not having the courage to lead.
Oh, and Saxby Chambliss didn't regret the ad either.
There's something very sick about attacking a sitting Senator, who lost three limbs in Vietnam and then linking him to Osama Bin Laden as if he's anti-American. it worked in Georgia unfortunately.
This is going to be one helluva an election season because of lizard brains like Turn Right USA. The Hahn ad is just the beginning of what's coming.
