Democrat Mary Burke’s gubernatorial campaign released a rather aggressive attack ad against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and campaign worker Gary Ellerman, which highlights swastikas superimposed over the Obama presidential campaign logo posted on Ellerman’s Facebook page. The aggressive ad accuses Walker of engaging in “sleaze politics.”
The ad, to run on TV and the web, is meant as a response to attacks by Walker’s campaign that Burke was fired from her family’s business, Trek Bicycle Corp., in 1993.
Ellerman first made the accusation that Burke was fired. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted that Ellerman serves as chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party and ran as a fake Democrat two years ago in order to fight a recall of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R).
The ad also said that Ellerman was fired “by Trek for incompetence.”
“And now, Scott Walker’s using his lies to attack Mary Burke,” the narrator in the ad said, before pivoting to the John Doe investigations of Walker. “But that’s what you’d expect from a politician under investigation for illegal campaign activities with six Walker associates already convicted of crimes.”
Over the past few days Walker’s campaign has been repeatedly hitting Burke over claims from former Trek executives with Republican associations who have said Burke was effectively fired from Trek.
In response to the new ad, Wisconsin Republicans called the ad “desperate.”
“Mary Burke is desperate to cover up the fact that she has failed every job she has ever held —first getting fired from her family company before being called a ‘disaster’ at the Department of Commerce. What a sad and pathetic ending to Burke’s floundering campaign, which is sinking faster than her $5 million investment.”
Watch the ad below:
The TPM Polltracker average finds Walker with a 3.1 point lead over Burke.
The article makes it sound as if Burke’s ad is over the top, but it didn’t seem over the top to me. It makes the point that Ellerman’s a whacko without lingering on the swastikas he posted and moves on to a definitive point about Walker’s sleaze (six convictions).
I hope it’s effective, but who knows whether any message works at this point in the campaign. All about turnout.
Is this supposed to say that Burke was fired for incompetence? Or did Ellerman work for Trek, Burke’s family company? With TPM’s history of bad editing, I have no idea. But evidently nobody can be fired for incompetence there because there is no copy editing done.
It’s a good, factual ad—the polar opposite of the crap Walker has done.
Well, don’t want anyone fired, but you’re right, that’s a mess.
I thought it was a good ad, but who knows? It does make a rather pointed case for how Walker has been up to no good as Governor, and will continue to do so if he gets re-elected. The only thing that drives me nuts about any negative ads, is the ominous music. The facts should speak for themselves. Association with scary music is just so cliche’ now. Not sure that works anymore on a psychological level. Personally, I’ve become immune to it over the years with every election.