A racy video produced by Fred Karger’s presidential campaign has been taken down by YouTube for violating its terms of service. But a spokesperson for the long-shot Republican called the move “censorship of the worst kind.”
The minute-long video was posted earlier this week and features men and women playing Frisbee on a sun-baked beach. In between those shots is Karger, an openly gay political analyst who launched his unlikely bid for the White House last year, telling viewers where he stands on the issues. At the end of the video two men kiss—a first for a political ad.
The video was posted on YouTube and a shorter version will be running on television in three counties in California.
“This is our biggest and most exciting commercial to date,” Karger said in an official statement “It ends with a gay kiss, a first for a Presidential campaign commercial. My friends Andrew Reynolds and Michael Aguirre have been together for 7 years and I really appreciate their history making smooch.”
But according to campaign spokesperson Rina Shah, YouTube didn’t appreciate the kiss and took the video down late Tuesday,.
“What is inappropriate about this fun commercial? Could it be the two gay men kissing?” Shah asked, in a statement made to the Daily Dot on Tuesday evening. “If so, turn on Fox and you’ll see a gay kiss on the TV show Glee, and you’ll see more skin on daytime soap operas than you saw in our commercial.”
By Wednesday morning the video had been re-posted on Vimeo, where it’s been viewed only 83 times to date.
The video was meant to help kick off Karger’s campaign for the California Primary on June 5, where he is one of four Republicans on the ballot and the only Golden State native.
“This upbeat spot will kick off our grassroots campaigning in California,” Karger said. “For the next six weeks we’ll be going all over the state giving away our popular Fred Frisbees and hearing from voters.”
Photo via Facebook
