To get a glimpse at those states where the battle is being fought the hardest, we scoured the party campaign sites (and sometimes YouTube), compiling this list of the five nastiest Senate campaign ads of 2006 — so far.
1. "It was unbelievably demoralizing to be painted as a pampered slut!"
This according to retired Navy commander Jennifer Brooks. Retired Commander Kathleen Murray adds that, "The unnecessary abuse and hazing received by me and my fellow women midshipmen" were contributed to by the demeaning philosophy of Democrat Senate candidate Jim Webb.
They're citing an article he wrote a whopping 27 years ago (page 277 of "Washingtonian Magazine") saying a military dorm with 4,000 males and 300 females "is a horny woman's dream." (Oh, and 14 years ago, he also called a midshipman "thunder thighs," according to the attack site Webb against women.) Of course, in the 70s the public debated whether the all-male military should be open to women at all, and "I don't think it was wrong to participate in the debate at that time," Webb tells Meet the Press. Or tries to. In the Republican Senate Committee's ad, he only gets to say, "I don't think it was wrong..." before the ad switches to different footage — of Tim Russert incredulously repeating the idea that "being in a naval academy is a horny woman's dream."
Webb ultimately countered with some tough ads of own, showing support from a (female) retired Brigadier General, a (female) Coast Guard officer and a (female) 1984 Naval academy student who says "Jim Webb broke down barriers. He changed things as Naval Secretary."
2. "My opponent parties with lingerie-clad Playboy bunnies! And then goes to church!"
That's the implicit message in a political ad which attacked Tennessee Senate candidate Harold Ford. (It has since been removed from YouTube.) In a tight (and crucial) Senate race, Democrat challenger Ford had run an effective ad emphasizing his connection to "values" voters by walking down the aisle of a church. "Here I learned the difference between right and wrong," he states earnestly. "And now Mr. Corker [his Republican opponent] is doing wrong." Corker's sins include spending millions "telling untruths" about his Republican opponents in the primary, "both of them good men," says Ford sympathetically. "And now me!"
"What kind of man parties with Playboy playmates in lingerie," counters the latest NSRC product, "and then films political ads from a church pew?" It's an allusion to Playboy's 2005 Super Bowl party, which Ford attended. The National Republican Senate Committee first seized on the party eight months ago, and Ford recently struck back with an ad mocking Republican Corker's wealth in a Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous parody. It cites Corker's 30-room mansion, 6 SUVs, and $200 million net worth, finally arguing that he'd accepted three pay raises for himself, "yet nothing for police and firefighters!"
The race is neck-and-neck, according to recent polls, which means ad consultants will continue scrambling for the hottest buttons they can push.
3. "Depends on your area code!"
Oh sure, Missouri Senate candidate Claire McCaskill says she's tough on methamphetamines. But everything she says "depends on your area code... She just tells you what you want to hear."
So does this mean she's in favor of methamphetamines? Well, no. The ad doesn't cite her position on the illegal drug. But she lived in a city that had illegal drugs — lots of 'em! (Kansas City was "the meth capital of America," according to a four-year-old Kansas City Star article cited by the ad.) And at that time, Claire McCaskille was a prosecutor for the county! See?!
That charge has since been removed from the online version of the Republican National Senate Committee's ad. Its other two supposed McCaskill flip-flops were 1.) gun control, which she was either for or against, and 2.) she missed paying her property taxes, yet had the gall to talk about things like "integrity" in her campaign.
The logic can be a little strained — but we're sure Republican Jim Talent appreciates the effort.
4. "A piss-poor job!"
Emotional music lauds the 9/11 firefighters who fought Montana's forest fires. Except, they were doing "a piss-poor job" according to evil Republican Senator Conrad Burns. While pointing at one, he said, "he hasn't done a god-damned thing," according to the ad. Burns' dirty words were re-broadcast into Montana homes, after a Democrat Senate Campaign Committee disclaimer that: "The following contains language by Conrad Burns, unsuitable for Montana."
Using his own words against him, Burns' opponent, newcomer John Tester, seems to have gotten the upper-hand with Montana's conservative voters. But it's not like the Republican candidate didn't try. "Feller comes in fer a trim on his flat-top," says a barber in one of Burns' ads, "because he's running fer U.S. Senate. Guess he doesn't want anyone to know he opposes a gay marriage ban, thinks flag burning is all right, and supports higher taxes!"
Apparently, the ad-makers thought all Montanans are rural hicks who only trust their barber. But ultimately no amount of barber-speak could keep Tester from opening a lead on the incumbent that will likely cost him his Senate seat. "Here's a tip," ran the counter-ad. "The man attacking Jon Tester is an actor. A fake, sent by Senator Burns' Washington friends..." Tester later pointed out to the L.A. Times that he doesn't support gay marriage or flag-burning, but opposes addressing the issues with constitutional amendments. Finally an op-ed in the New York Times even tracked down Mr. Tester's real barber, who said the ads were phony cheap shots. Then added, "I thought there was a war going on in Iraq, for crying out loud."
5. "...The happier we'll be!"
Mike DeWine is the incumbent Republican Senator in Ohio. (He's also incredibly short.) And he used the innocuous phrase "we all have to work together: Democrats, Republicans," in his ads. Suddenly the picture freezes, in a new ad from the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.
"Senator DeWine HAS worked together," it tells us, "voting 92% of the time with President Bush."
"The more we work together, the happier we'll be," a chorus of children sings, as subtitles flash over a picture of smiling Michael DeWine with his arm around President Bush.
Increasing the National Debt to $9 trillion
Tax breaks for the oil companies
Tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas
Mike DeWine likes working together with George Bush.
With President Bush's popularity ratings stuck in the high 30s, this may ultimately be the most negative campaign ad of all.
Think you know of better ones? Leave them in the comments!
See also:
Awesomest Campaign Ad Ever
5 More Nasty Campaigns
My Opponent Pays for Gay Teen Bestiality.
And it’ll only get worse from here on in..
Hey, I used to call my PE teacher ‘thunder thighs’, does that mean I hate women? Sheesh.
That was some desparate trawing through the man’s past there.. 27 years?
I’d hate to think what they’d dig up on ME.. lol
So I’d better never run for Senate.
#1. That’s funny, because partying with Bunnies on Saturday Night and going to church on Sunday is entirely consistent behavior for Southern Baptists. No point in going to church if there’s nothing one needs to be forgiven for. Where’s the problem?
Not sure where this one would rank but it is funny how far Ricketts went
http://www.petericketts.com/comm_092506.asp
All fine and good, but why is it relevant that Mike DeWine is short?
Are you unfamiliar with this awesomeness?
http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2006/09/just_about_the_1.shtml#015793
Slightly less awesome but still rockin the party:
http://vernonrobinson.com/twilightzone.shtml
Bryrock is right on! Party on Saturday, repent at church on Sunday, then on to Hooters fer Sunday dinner with the kids.
re: Mike Dewine, would you say(if it were a fact) …..”he’s incredibly black”.!?
I fail to find any of these ads even remotely near “nasty.”
People need to grow some thicker skin.
Some agency came up with the concepts. What’s nasty is that NC obviously has a ton of half wit racists and bigots who fall for this S*it. Scary country we are in…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA14MqFIncM
The Carney/Sherwood campaign is heating up. ‘Bout time…There are other commercials on YouTube as well. Excellent stuff.
You should check out the race going on in Cape Cod between Aaron Maloy and Sarah Peake. It’s for the seat in the 4th Congressional District, and is the first all-homosexual election in our nation’s history. As an added bonus, Peake looks disturbingly like Art Garfunkel.
Here’s something amusing from Massachusetts indie candidate Christy Mihos. Not enough to make me vote for him, mind you, but the animated imagery is indeed stunning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7dfzNHfQmA
OK, not nasty or interesting, just kind of ridiculous – who has been taping Michael Steele’s commercials in their garage, and who came up with the whole “Michael Steele Hates Puppies” theme? His ads are awful.
Thirty-four percent of those polled approve of how Bush is handling the war, with 64 percent disapproving.The telephone poll of 1,012 adult Americans was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation Friday through Sunday.Its sampling error was plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.
Ouch…these are low!
Check out this list also…top 5 Political attack ads of all time (more on the presidential side of things):
http://www.apoliticus.com/2008/10/top-5-attack-ads/