WASHINGTON — There are a ton of people in the Twin Cities excited that Randy Moss is back with the Minnesota Vikings, but perhaps no one is as happy to see old #84 than 5th District Republican candidate Joel Demos.
Demos, who is running a long-shot campaign against Democrat Keith Ellison in the Minneapolis-based 5th, has become something of a minor celebrity among the political media for a series of clever web ads.
Now, Demos will take his skills to the television world, with his first ad airing this weekend. It’s scheduled to air twicer during the Minnesota-Wisconsin college football game on Saturday with two more airings during the Vikings’ Monday Night Football clash with the New York Jets and then from now through election day on Comcast cable channels.
The ad that will air is a 30-second version of his acclaimed “Kids” ad, in which Demos’ young kids “work” to pay off their share of the expanding national debt. The full 47-second spot was named “Ad of the Day” by the Washington Post and was also positively mentioned in the Wall Street Journal. Here’s a look at the TV spot:
Demos had been planning the ad buy for a few weeks, and the campaign knew it was likely to get a few views — Wisconsin is the Gophers’ top rival after all. But Randy Moss’ first game back in a purple uniform, with Brett Favre throwing him the ball, with a Vikings squad looking to salvage their season against the AFC East-leading New York Jets? Well, let’s just say the Demos camp recognizes their stroke of good fortune.
“We’re looking forward to having Joel and his family greet Randy Moss on his return to the Vikings,” said Demos Campaign Manager Jack Tomczak said.
I called Ellison’s campaign for a response and will post if/when I get one.
Update: From Ellison campaign spokesman Matt Roznowski:
“Rather than buying expensive TV ads, Congressman Ellison and his campaign are talking directly with voters about the issues—at their doors, on the phone, and at numerous public forums throughout the Fifth Congressional District. With the help of hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers, Congressman Ellison is running a grassroots campaign. We’re talking with voters about the needs of the Fifth District and about Congressman Ellison’s record of creating jobs, advancing prosperity for working families, promoting peace, fostering environmental sustainability, and protecting civil and human rights.”
“We’re talking with voters about the needs of the Fifth District and about Congressman Ellison’s record of creating jobs, advancing prosperity for working families…”
Ha Ha. I bet that’s a short conversation. What jobs has Keith Ellison ever created other than for his congressional lackies?
In other words, Ellison knows that the “D” by his name means that he can mail it in and keep his 5th District seat. It’s a grassroots campaign. I’ve seen a lot of candidates over the years, but I’ve never seen Keith Ellison. I’ve had conversations in my entryway with Martin Sabo, but Keith Ellison has never knocked on my door.
I’ve been at the Ellison campaign headquarters in Minneapolis, and he actually has hundreds of volunteers that show up and make phone calls, go door knocking, and otherwise connect with voters, who have sent him to Congress with substantial majorities in each of the past 2 elections. As a middle-aged white suburbanite, I feel that Congressman Ellison and his inclusive agenda reflects the best in our people, and his other volunteers apparently agree.
As to jobs he has created, though the U.S. Senate deserves all the abuse we reap on Congress for its gutless failure to act on many pieces of major legislation, the House and this Administration did push through the stimulus bill that funded substantial infrastructure work in Minnesota and the country, besides possibly avoiding the depression that the Bush era led us to. Much of the money here in Minnesota was mis-directed by the Pawlenty administration to the suburbs, rather than the targeted areas of the law, the depressed cities, but millions was spent to repair our bridges and roadways, and it did create jobs. When I went up to the North Shore to see the fall colors this year, I noted that I35 was being reconstructed with federal money, jobs here in Minnesota. When I went to the state parks, the trails had been built by CCC employees, people enduring the Great Depression that were employed by the federal government to make the state better and keep the economy alive in troubled financial times (caused by greed and lack of regulation, like our current crisis.)
Republicans won’t admit that the trickle-down theories of Reagan and now Pawlenty only allowed the rich to get richer, with the rest of us stuck here to clean up the mess left behind in the form of higher local taxes and less flexibility to educate our kids, care for our sick, or build our roads, bridges and transit. Hopefully a more enlightened attitude will soon prevail, where we work with our government to address these problems instead of blaming them for everything wrong. Civic responsibility and shared duty to the community, including paying taxes for the common good, were what propelled this country forward, not the me-first attitude espoused by the likes of Tom Emmer.
P.S. Ellison is one of the few politicians that has the guts to say what really needs to be said: cut the defense budget, where we now spend double what we did before 9/11 to promote war throughout the world.
Nice try Tim, but it sounds like your living in fantasy camp. A place where BIG Government and Bigger Spending is the answer to all things that are wrong. If this were true we wouldn’t have 9.7% unemployment with the U6 unemployment numbers in the 17% range! When we were told that the stimulus would keep unemployment under 8% instead it left us down millions of jobs since it’s passage and saddled us with debt that the next generation will be stuck paying for!
Mr. Ellison has been in office since 2006 and in that time he has been a leader in the Government take over of huge parts of the private sector! From car companies to student loans to our health care! He is a TAX and SPEND YOUR MONEY Liberal that has helped explode our national debt. He believes and it sounds like Tim does too, that the government must intervene in our daily lives with massive taxes and regulations in the market place! Because if they didn’t we wouldn’t make the right choices as if we don’t know whats best for our own families and communities!
It’s time for both parties to figure it out! The time has come for us to pull back the reins on out of control government. And return to our 1st principles of Constitutional Government. Cut spending, cut taxes, shrink the size and scope of the federal government.
You see I believe that this country is a exceptional place a place like no other place in the world. Where anyone with a great idea, talent, or is just willing to work hard can realize there dreams! But I see those things slipping way and being crushed by the ever growing shadow of the Federal Government! That is why Millions of Americans like me will be heard in just a few weeks and God willing Mr. Ellison will be looking for a job in the private sector!