Fred Davis, the Republican ad guru behind an aborted pitch to use Jeremiah Wright in anti-Obama ads financed by TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts that leaked to the New York Times, is not taking the backlash well. In an interview with the LA Times, he says he’s called up strategists and former boss John McCain to offer up his regrets, and has lost 10 pounds from stress and depression after receiving a wave of criticism and even death threats. “It’s been miserable,” Davis said.
Davis is well known for his controversial TV spots, including McCain’s “Celebrity” ad from 2008, Carly Fiorina’s “Demon Sheep” ad in 2010, and a Pete Hoekstra ad this eyar that featured a Chinese peasant speaking in broken English.
