It didn't take long after the primaries for one of the gubernatorial candidates to aim below the belt - literally. In a cartoon ad that is airing only after 10 pm, Independent candidate Christy Mihos walks up to some stuffed shirts and asks the question, "Hey, how did the Big Dig get 12 billion dollars over budget?" Instead of dissembling or blame-throwing, the stuffed shirts promptly stick their heads up their behinds, encouraging voters to respond, "Yeah! That's exactly where their heads were!" With the news coverage of this blunt ad, Mihos has earned scads of free publicity and may live up to his potential as a spoiler for both Democrats and Republicans.
The real fuss about the ad is the resemblance between one of the stuffed shirts and Republican candidate Kerry Healey. Healey's people dismissed the Mihos ad by saying, "We're keeping our ad guys," but this ad could create some serious trouble for the incumbent Republicans. Ordinary campaign ads with candidates trying to prove how
sincere they are go in one ear and out the other, but who could forget watching a caricature of the lieutenant governor shoving her head up her own ass?
This Bill Plympton-esque ad comes courtesy of political ad guru Bill Hillsman, whose company, North Woods Advertising, proudly sports the tagline "Most Advertising Is Like S%&t. Ours Is Like Manure." Ex-Minnesota governor/professional wrestler Jesse Ventura employed Hillsman's edgy, snarky style for his 1998 gubernatorial campaign - and won the tight three-way contest. Hillsman specializes in promoting candidates who create major headaches for the political mainstream. Don't be surprised if the ads for the November election get a little bit hipper and a whole lot meaner.
Post contributed by Caroline Roberts.
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