It is hard to think of an attack ad lower than the one essentially blaming Mitt Romney for a woman’s death, but we may have just found one.
It’s from Florida, and it depicts Allen West (R-FL) in a boxing ring with red gloves on. The cartoon-like video then shows West punching an old woman, a young lady and seemingly a family with children. He also steals cash from the hands of the family and pockets it, all while laughing like a gremlin.
And the audio matches the video. The female announcer says in condescending tone as sound effects play in the background:
“West has socked it to seniors”
“He’s whacked women with his votes”
“He’s mauled middle class families”
See for yourself:
The ad is starting to garner attention from critics, including one who thinks there are some racial undertones. Javier Manjarres, who is following the race closely, notes:
”The ad slyly uses a caricature of West and portrays him as a bully who hits women- more specifically, a white women- while he grabs money away from a “middle class” family that just happens to be a black family.”
The American Sunrise PAC is responsible for the video. The group was incidentally founded by the father of Congressman West’s general election opponent, Democrat Patrick Murphy, who has funneled $250,000 into the PAC.
In the wake of what will undoubtedly be a bloody campaign season, it’s worth asking: Who is responsible for policing the outside groups and their claims on candidates? Are they getting out of hand? And how should campaigns respond?
