Dirtiest, Most Slanderous Political Ad I've Ever Seen

[InTheLight]

Made ya click!

I've been following politics for almost 50 years now, ever since I went door-to-door delivering pamphlets for a candidate for Minnesota's 5th Congressional district in 1970. (BTW, this is now Keith Ellison's seat. And no, the conservative candidate I was working for did not win in 1970.)

This ad is from the campaign for Texas' 2nd Congressional district, the Republican primary runoff campaign. The candidates are Dan Crenshaw and Kevin Roberts. Since neither received at least 50% of the vote in the March primary, there is a runoff election on May 22nd. (Crenshaw beat the heavily endorsed and well financed Kathleen Wall by less than 150 votes to get to the runoff.)

I don't know much about the candidates. Roberts is a state legislator and Crenshaw is a former Navy Seal that lost his right eye in action in Afghanistan. The district is a conservative district, so I suppose each candidate is trying to show off their right wing cred. Crenshaw must have done something to get the hackles up on rabid Trump supporters because here is the ad put out by the Conservative Results Matter PAC. Notice the video depicts Crenshaw in profile. They deliberately did this (and touched up the photo) so Crenshaw's eyepatch covering his right eye would not be seen.

Honestly, having just returned from my enforced "vacation" from BB, I sometimes think the tone in here rivals the tone in the video.

 

[777]

Light, that is the dirtiest, most slanderous ad you've ever seen? In fifty-plus years? Puh-leeze, it is very negative and vicious but Crenshaw did say all those things about Trump back in 2015 on a FB post- I think he was a Ted Cruz guy IIRC.

Now, the other stuff that Kevin Roberts is accusing him of is misleading - Crenshaw worked in healthcare and saying you welcome some legal immigration is not endorsing amnesty:

Issues – crenshawforcongress.com

doesn't sound like of a lefty to me at all. Rick Perry endorsed Crenshaw, that could put him over the top. This race was watched nationally because you had a guy with an eye patch and a really rich woman that spent millions of her own money to get this seat yet still couldn't make the runoff. She was clearly favored:

A $6 million candidate dominates in 9-way race to replace US Rep. Ted Poe

and Kath-a-leen was endorsed by both Gov. Abbott and Ted Cruz, all the good it did her. She was just awful campaining, couldn't memorize a simple speech, couldn't wing it. Where her old votes go will determine the winner, Crenshaw has the big mo right now.

 

[InTheLight]

Light, that is the dirtiest, most slanderous ad you've ever seen? In fifty-plus years? Puh-leeze, it is very negative and vicious but Crenshaw did say all those things about Trump back in 2015

I guess I'm used to seeing Minnesota political ads. They don't get too racy.

Now, the other stuff that Kevin Roberts is accusing him of is misleading - Crenshaw worked in healthcare and saying you welcome some legal immigration is not endorsing amnesty:

Issues – crenshawforcongress.com

doesn't sound like of a lefty to me at all.

Just putting his photo in with Obama and Sanders is slanderous. And the phrase "so-called Republican" is terrible and is used on this very board by You-Know-Who.

The shot of the (presumed) illegals scurrying around in the dark is a video image that will burn itself into people's minds and it's so unfair. His immigration policy is basically Trump's policy.

Rick Perry endorsed Crenshaw, that could put him over the top.

I saw that.

This race was watched nationally because you had a guy with an eye patch and a really rich woman that spent millions of her own money to get this seat yet still couldn't make the runoff. She was clearly favored:

A $6 million candidate dominates in 9-way race to replace US Rep. Ted Poe

and Kath-a-leen was endorsed by both Gov. Abbott and Ted Cruz, all the good it did her. She was just awful campaining, couldn't memorize a simple speech, couldn't wing it. Where her old votes go will determine the winner, Crenshaw has the big mo right now.

He's got that fighter, underdog vibe going, that's for sure. And you can't dismiss the fact that he sacrificed for his country, just look at the photos of him in the eyepatch with the flag in the background. I wonder if they even debated if the image was too much...

 

[777]

The eye patch + American flag is a bit much, but this is Ted Poe's old district. Roberts must be polling terribly, this is a YUGE pro-Crenshaw blog:

Kevin Roberts trashes veterans, supporters send false mailer against Dan Crenshaw - Big Jolly Times

not all of the negativity is coming from that one Austin PAC. Roberts is trying to paint Crenshaw as #neverTrump, remember Poe quit that caucus for that very reason.

Guess all I can say is dirty and slanderous is in the eye of the beholder - this ad can only backfire on Roberts, hope it does. Shocked at what you said in your OP, I thought you were probably busy at work, missed the whole thing. Minnesota nice is okay by me, but I'd like your opinions on these two old national ads:

from the right:

and the left:

I think all attack ads should have humor in them, Roberts' didn't.

 

[FollowTheWay]

This is a famous one from 1964.

 

[InTheLight]