Conservative Tea Party activist Gary Boisclair is mounting an unusual bid for Congress in Minnesota — as a Democratic primary challenge, in the solidly Dem district of Rep. Keith Ellison. And along the way, he hopes to run an attack ad targeting the incumbent’s Muslim faith.
Boisclair told the area news site Patch.com that the ad is not running on TV yet, but he hopes to do so “once my coffers get filled.”
“Congressman Ellison swore an oath to defend the Constitution — on a Quran,” Boisclair says in the ad. “The Quran says Christians and Jews are infidels. The Quran says Christians are blasphemers, who should have their hands and feet cut off, and that they should be crucified, and killed.
“Do you really want someone representing you, who swears an oath on a Quran — a book that undermines our Constitution and says you should be killed? I’m Gary Boisclair, and I approve this message.”
As Minnesota Independent reports, Boisclair is part of a right-wing group called the Society for Truth and Justice, founded by Florida anti-abortion activist Randall Terry — who for his part is running a Democratic primary challenge against none other than President Obama.
However, Boisclair’s ad was in fact pulled from YouTube, on the grounds that it was deemed offensive. Ellison himself then praised the move.
“I’d like to thank YouTube for removing the ad because it violated the company’s ‘policy on shocking and disgusting content,'” Ellison wrote in a statement. “The people of Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District elected me to uphold our Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion for every American. I intend to maintain the high level of civility the voters expect and deserve. And, I will continue working with our communities to organize for greater inclusion of people of all faiths and backgrounds.”
For his part, Boisclair’s website currently denounces “the cowards and hypocrites at Youtube,” and the video is now being hosted through the conservative Media Research Center.
