October 23, 2002
New trends in political advertising: COPS outtakes

This has been such a serious year, I'm glad to see a little low comedy:


Calling all cars, please check out disturbance on Texas' broadcast airwaves. We have a report of state politicians attacking one another using police cruiser dashboard videotape.

New commercials in the governor's race and a state Senate race in Austin use police video from traffic stops to portray Republican Gov. Rick Perry and Democratic Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos in a less-than-favorable light.

Experts say these ads may mark the first time in U.S. political history that the relatively new technology of police dashboard video has been used in negative campaign advertising.

"I can't think of another one," said University of Texas political scientist Bruce Buchanan. "It's potentially very powerful."

Democrat Tony Sanchez's commercial features Perry when he was lieutenant governor in video shot from a Texas Department of Public Safety patrol car. It shows Perry urging a trooper to "let us get on down the road" after an aide driving Perry was stopped for speeding.

Another commercial features video of state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, hopping on one leg as he failed a field sobriety test last year. Barrientos pleaded no contest and received a year's probation.


Hey, at least they were both wearing shirts. There's more comedy gold at the end of the article:

Meanwhile, retiring U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, is using his campaign account to pay for a radio commercial supporting Perry's election.

Gramm praised the governor for his small-town upbringing and dedication to Republican principles. Gramm also blasts Sanchez for spending millions of dollars of his own money on the race for governor.

"Tony Sanchez is spending his family fortune trying to buy what Rick Perry's earned," Gramm says.

"There's some things that are not for sale. My dog's not for sale, and neither is the governorship of Texas."


Phil Gramm has a UPC code stamped on his forehead, and he's talking about how "some things are not for sale". Maybe he's aiming to follow John McCain onto Saturday Night Live.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 23, 2002 to Election 2002 | TrackBack
Comments

I heard the Phil Gramm ad yesterday and was thinking, What a great ad! It's one of the few really positive. non-attack ads I've heard all season. Then the "my little dog" comment aired and I had to stare hard at the road not to laugh and cause another accident on 59S. What that a veiled Checkers reference? Phil has an evil sense of humor.

Posted by: B. K. Oxley (binkley) on October 23, 2002 10:34 AM

No, it's just Phil's faux folksiness, like his endless referrals to his ol' buddy Dicky Flatt. Gramm is as homespun as the cotton candy you buy at a baseball game, but he's got the accent and the A&M degree so he gets away with it.

Posted by: Charles Kuffner on October 23, 2002 11:10 AM

Would like to know if you still have that rick perry Video anywhere?

Posted by: Anthony on October 5, 2006 4:59 PM