Last week, Sam Graves released an offensive, but laughable ad aimed at Kay Barnes in MO-06. The super cheesy ad accused Kay Barnes of having "San Francisco values" and only played in rural markets in Missouri. But, it wasn't long before the absurd ad was circulating in the blogosphere, stirring up a storm of controversy. Experts and pundits around the country called it the "worst political ad of the year" and noted it bordered on outright racism.
“It’s sleazy,” said Rich Fulton, a political science professor at Northwest Missouri State University. “It’s homophobic, and it borders on the racist. It just says to me (Graves) is desperate.”
Sam Graves has a history of sleazy ads, as the KC Star noted:
Pushing the envelope in campaign ads is nothing new for Graves. In his 2004 race against Democrat Sara Jo Shettles, Graves approved a campaign ad that insinuated Shettles was connected to Penthouse magazine. In reality, Shettles sold advertising for a science magazine owned by the same company as Penthouse. Graves rolled to victory with 64 percent of the vote.
Graves campaign spokesman Jason Klindt defended the latest ad as a lighthearted way to show Barnes' view on key issues.
"The images help reinforce the idea of San Francisco values," said Graves campaign spokesman Jason Klindt. "It does it sort of in a tongue-in-cheek way with the groovy music and images, but the ad is not about the people, it's about the values that Nancy Pelosi and Kay Barnes share."
Emphasis mine. Notice that nowhere in the ad do they specify what those "San Francisco values" are exactly. They are only "reinforcing the idea" that San Francisco values are "bad." Spell it out for us Mr. Graves......why do the values of west coast Americans frighten you so much? How are they so different from your own values? Aren't they simply "living the dream" like all Americans? San Francisco is a world class city. The people and industries in and around the Bay area have helped shape America and the world in immeasurable ways.
So, again Mr. Graves.......what is it about San Francisco that frightens you so? And why are you so afraid to clearly articulate those "San Francisco values" to Missouri voters, rather than using racist and homophobic innuendo to make your point? Could it be that you are embarrassed to actually say - on record - that you don't like gay people, black people, interracial couples, or women's rights?
Sam Graves has another ad coming out this week. How is he going to try to distract Missouri voters from his own pathetic record this time around?
Change is in the air in MO-06. If you'd like to help Kay Barnes send Sam Graves back to Missouri so he doesn't have to be around all those freaky east coast values (God knows how those people live), please click here.
Update with clarification: The ad does mention SF values like same-sex marriage, abortion, and amnesty for illegal immigrants. However, I'm not sure what makes them specific to SF. The last time I checked, Missouri still had abortions, gay people, and illegal immigrants.
Update #2: It appears the link to the original video is bad. No worries....here it is again for your viewing pleasure.