Why Republicans are winning the ad wars

Republican Mattie Fein takes on Jane Harman in her ad, a parody of Young Frankenstein.

(Image credit: YouTube)

last updated 8 January 2015

In election seasons past, says Rosslyn Smith in American Thinker, Republicans barraged the public with an endless stream of "tired and boring" campaign ads — but not this year. Starting with California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" spot (which successfully provoked liberal pundit Rachel Maddow to call it "the worst ever"), GOP contenders from across the country have released "light-hearted," even "campy" commercials that convey the message that "there are too many out-of-touch politicians out there." Democratic ads, on the other hand, "seem stale," says Smith, with political newcomers still taking futile shots at George W. Bush. This year, Republicans definitely have the creative edge. An excerpt:

[In] perhaps the most unusual ad so far...Republican Mattie Fein is taking on Jane Harman in CA-36, which hugs the shore of Santa Monica Bay. Fein may be hoping this offbeat parody of Young Frankenstein about stopping the unethical villain Harman from a releasing a dual-use technology monster gains her both name recognition and an online fundraising boost. Both the theme and the villain's closing words — Ahmadinejad was my boyfriend! — aren't as odd as they may first seem. The family business, Harman International, has contracts with the U.S. Armed forces for battlefield communication devices, while its European subsidiary sells potential dual use technology to Iran.