The video: John Dennis, the Republican challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her bid for reelection, has released a Wizard of Oz-themed campaign ad in which he casts his opponent as the "Wicked Witch of the West." In the ad, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man encounter the "Wall Street Wizard" — former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson — and a tax-grabbing wicked witch in the form of a Pelosi look-alike. Fortunately for the despairing quartet, John Dennis is on hand to throw a bucket of "freedom" into the witch's face to melt her. The ad concludes with the opening melody of "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead." And there's more to come — Dennis has also made parodies of James Bond and A Few Good Men.
The reaction: John Dennis surely has "plenty of room to criticize Nancy Pelosi on actual policy," says Colby Hall at Mediaite. What made him think undecided voters would be swayed by this "dopey and sophomoric" ad? Look, Dennis is a Republican running against a big-name incumbent in heavily Democratic San Francisco, says Patrick McCain at Right Pundits. He's a "sacrificial lamb" with "no chance of winning." But at least he's getting in a few digs on behalf of his party, and having a good time doing it. Watch the video here:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.