There aren't many campaign ads that truly give you a profound loss of words like Virginia Democrat Dan Helmer's new spot against Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) does. That being said, plenty of people have found things to say about it: "I've seen a lot of campaign ads. A lot. This might be the worst I've ever seen," tweeted Mic politics reporter Emily C. Singer. "I don't know who this Dan Helmer fellow is, but I hope he loses by two billion votes," chipped in Free Beacon's Alex Griswold.
Set primarily in a bar — which Helmer arrives at on his motorcycle in the intro before a Top Gun-style title, announcing that you are watching HELMER ZONE, flashes on screen — the plot of the ad centers on Helmer and a lady friend noticing that "Comstock" (a woman in a blonde wig) has just ordered a stiff drink across the room.
Rather than let Comstock enjoy her drink in peace, Helmer & Co. decide to sing her a very bad modified version of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." A sample lyric: "You've lost that centrist feeling / 'cause you've been right wing appealing."
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.
If the goal is to immediately make you shut off your TV and bury the remote in the backyard, Helmer succeeds. Watch below. Jeva Lange
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foregroundThe Explainer The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fallThe Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pauseThe Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
