Kaus Campaign Launches First Video Ad

Mickey Kaus' Democratic primary campaign against three-term incumbent Barbara Boxer today unveiled a new video ad it will run in the final week before the election.

It can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZcBEFqRG1M
 
The ad imitates a classic Paul Wellstone spot, in which the candidate says he doesn't have several "million dollars" like his opponent so he's going to have to "talk fast." 

"The Wellstone joke also describes my situation. I'm obviously not an insider and don't have Boxer's millions," said Kaus. 

In the ad, Kaus visits his mother at her home, his high school, a GM factory-turned-shopping mall, the U.S.-Mexico border, and a bank. In a longer version he also visits his high school and a road construction site.

At each stop, Kaus hammers his theme that Senator Boxer and the Democratic party are too beholden to special interests--including labor unions and Wall Street--or too eager to cement Latino support by misguided promises of amnesty for illegal immigrants.
 
In the longer, 45-second You Tube version of the ad, Kaus looks at the camera and says "Democrats aren't supposed to say things like that. It ends your political career."
 
Then he looks around and whispers, "But I don't have a political career."

The longer version of the ad is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpBDdKdKyL8
 
"Voters are realizing that career politicians like Senator Boxer have been captured by the interests that bankroll them. For Democrats, that means the unions own you, and Wall Street has a long-term lease.
 
"No wonder Boxer has been AWOL in the fight for charter schools. No wonder she doesn't say a peep about the need to fire bad teachers. No wonder her big move against Wall Street bailouts amounted to meaningless grandstanding."
 
The campaign doesn't yet know how many stations the ad will run on--negotiations that will take place in the next couple of days. "We really don't have millions. We have raised almost $35,000 from more than 300 individual supporters, which should buy something. We're raising more every day--specifically to run this ad.
 
"I'm actually happy I haven't raised $10 million like Senator Boxer. It means I don't owe $10 million worth of favors.
 
"We're not going to win on money. We're going to win on truth. That's the point of the ad."
 
 
 

— Mickey Kaus (Mickey_Kaus@msn.com)