Republican George Demos, who hopes to challenge Democratic Representative Tim Bishop for his Long Island congressional seat next year, has just released an attack ad that opens with a (Photoshopped) image of Bishop alongside President Obama and sloppy Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. “Tired of politicians?” a narrator asks. “Then look at George Demos. He’s not a politician.” While playing on conservative voters’ dissatisfaction with Obama is a fine strategy for a Republican campaign commercial, the Ford parallel makes much less sense.
First, Bishop — a liberal, bespectacled former college administrator — seems to have nothing in common with the right-wing, crack-smoking Canadian. And, perhaps more important: Anyone who thinks Americans are tired of Rob Ford is just wrong. Horrified Torontonians might be desperate for him to disappear, but their neighbors to the south are more than happy to continue following his antics. In fact, they’ll watch an obscure campaign ad just because it features Ford’s photo.
