Some day, jokes about Rick Santorum and his vulgar namesake will be as played-out as planking and “Shit People Say” videos.
But that day is not today. Earlier, we wrote that the former Pennsylvania congressman had garnered the support of Megadeth singer Dave Mustaine’s (stain? get it?). And now, a new campaign ad has surfaced that prominently features globs of brown matter flying at Santorum’s face.
As a commentary on Romney’s mudslinging political tactics, it’s actually quite effective. And the guy who plays Romney does a fine job transforming the former governor of Massachusetts into a 90’s action movie villain.
But for anyone who’s read the alternate definition of “Santorum,” it’s hard to look at this ad and think of anything but… “Santorum.”
Couldn’t the point have been made with “Rombo” firing brightly-colored paintballs instead? And did the sound effects have to be so… wet-sounding?
Reactions to the ad have also made up a frothy mix. Jim Acosta, a political correspondent for CNN, praised the spot, tweeting, “Santorum’s Rombo ad is a much better response to Romney’s negative attacks than Gingrich’s approach. Humor versus hate.”
Elsewhere, redditors like “llahlahkje” were less impressed, writing, “You know… with http://spreadingsantorum.com/ a thing… I have to assume at this point that his PR team is just trolling him.”
Another group that may be less than thrilled is the Federal Communications Commission. At Politico, Maggie Haberman writes, “As a source familiar with compliance rules confirms to me, (the ad) is missing the required disclosure for the campaign to get the lowest unit rate in Michigan.”
According to FCC rules, to qualify for discounted airtime rates, political ads like this are supposed to contain a disclosure lasting no less than four seconds that includes a picture of the candidate and a written statement identifying the committee behind the spot.
What do you think of the ad? Should the slung substance have been a little less Santorum-y? Are you confused by the “Romney-Rambo” imagery since Rambo was in fact a freedom-loving hero? Are you just happy to not be watching “Growing Up,” Romney’s snoozer of an ad from yesterday?
