(note: The jaw-droppingly bad Graves attack has already been the subject of a prior diary, but I had to get some things of my chest and include a call to action on the subject. Please pardon my indulgence.)
I assume many of you have seen the shockingly inept ad that Sam Graves is running in his race against Kay Barnes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
When I watch this thing, I can’t even believe what I’m seeing. First, start with the low production values — it looks like someone shot this on a handicam and edited it on their desktop. Second, check out the lame messaging–“San Francisco values?” What does that mean, exactly, and why don’t you just come on out and say it, Representative? Third, what is going on with the guy in the cowboy hat? Is he supposed to be gay (is that what he means by “SF values”)? Then why is he dancing with two women?! Or, maybe instead of bashing gays, maybe Sam Graves really is concerned about black men dancing with white women. Is that what you are afraid of, Rep. Graves? Please, tell us — is this ad homophobic, racist, or just laughably inept?
Then, when I think about this ad a little more, I just get angry. You see, Sam Graves was sworn into Congress in January 2001 — about the same time as President George W. Bush. Let’s look back at the “accomplishments” of this dynamic duo the last seven years — gas prices tripled, an economy in the tank, massive tax breaks for big oil companies, and a never-ending war in Iraq. Perhaps the “crowning achievement” was when Rep. Graves voted to uphold the President’s veto of the SCHIP bill — a bill that would make health insurance more affordable for low-income children. Mission Accomplished, indeed.
And then I think about the record that Sam Graves has amassed during his time in Congress, and I understand why he runs shameful ads like this–an ad that was described as “the worst campaign ad of the year” by the New Republic. He has nothing else to say to voters other than spreading innuendo about the nebulous “San Francisco” values of his opponent. That’s what Kay Barnes is up against in this election; here is her campaign’s response to the Graves ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
If you think Sam Graves’s style of politicking is wrong; if you think it is time to move beyond the divisive politics of the past; or if you think it is time to make a clean break from the Bush Administration in January 2009, then please help Kay respond to this shameful attack ad. You can visit my Act Blue page supporting Kay to make a secure online donation to the Barnes campaign. Or, you can donate at the campaign’s site.
Your donation of $100, $25, or even just $10 can make a difference in this race and help Kay counter-attack Graves’s shameful attack ads. A