Michele Bachmann, no stranger to this website, caught fire recently for her "State Fair" ad starring "Jim the Election Guy" (actually, his name is Beau and he lives in California, but who cares? Certainly not Michele Bachmann) for copyright infringement, by featuring the Minnesota State Fair logo prominently. Well, Bachmann is at it again, in another ad with Beau the Actor in LA making up lies about Tarryl Clark:
Can you spot what's wrong with this ad? Well for one, it's a bunch of malarkey, but you probably knew that before you even hit Play. But more embarrassingly for the Bachmann campaign, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota contends that it also violates federal election law:
The Communications Act of 1934 permits a federal candidate receiving the lowest unit charge to air a television ad that makes direct reference to another candidate for the same office only if, at the end of the broadcast, both a photo and disclaimer from the candidate appear for no less than four seconds. Representative Bachmann's disclaimer in her most recent ad does not comply, as her image does not appear anywhere at the end of the advertisement.
Scandalous! Anyone flipping through channels may see this ad and not realize it's a paid advertisement by the Bachmann for Congress campaign, a group who certainly has a vested interest in defeating Tarryl Clark. With any luck, such a violation would send advertising costs through the roof for Bachmann, who's amassed quite a fortune through celebrity appearances across the nation. Bachmann's ads are not only deceptive and misleading, but now they're literally illegal.
Tarryl Clark is a strong progressive candidate who will fight to bring prosperity in Minnesota. Michele Bachmann's do-nothing agenda has resulted in the 6th Congressional District having the highest unemployment across the entire state, while Senator Clark has been serving in the Minnesota legislature to create jobs, invest in education, and fix our broken healthcare system.
Clark is no newbie when it comes to tough elections - she came on the scene in 2005 after she won a special election to represent St. Cloud, which had been vacated by a Republican. MN-06 is the most Republican district in Minnesota, yet according to the latest poll by SurveyUSA, she's held Bachmann's lead to the single digits, and as she helps to get her name out, she'll continue to make her case to voters.
Clark has raised the most money of any Congressional challenger in the state's history, and she's showing no signs of stopping. You can help an amazing Democrat beat Michele Bachmann, keeping yet another seat away from our good friend John Boehner, by making a small donation of $5, $10, or $20 at ActBlue. Any donation will go a long way in restoring a little common sense to Minnesota, and to the country.