Well guys, I've finally seen it after a few days of reading about it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's Rob Teilhet's new television ad, and if there ever was a negative one, this is it. It's actually quite hard to even stomach, but here's the link:
I warned you didn't I? As you can see, the ad is an attack on Mr. Teilhet's opponent, Ken Hodges, for missteps in the prosecution of a white police officer for shooting an unarmed African-American man twice in the head, while he was on the ground. (That, of course, is his mother speaking in the ad) Now, I'm not claiming to be an expert on that case, so I won't even go there. I'm just talking about the ad itself. If you read the title and the reference was lost on you, then you're either too young, or not quite the political junkie that I am. Willie Horton was serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole in the state of Massachusetts while Michael Dukakis was governor. Governor Dukakis was a proponent of the work-release program in Massachusetts' prisons, but while Mr. Horton was out on release he committed more heinous, violent crimes. When Governor Dukakis ran for President in 1988, George H.W. Bush used a simple ad to convince voters that Mr. Dukakis was soft on crime. And it was a complete knockout blow:
I'm calling this one in Georgia a knockout blow as well. I have endorsed Mr. Teilhet for Attorney General in the primary, and I am NOT rescinding that endorsement. I am standing by it, and I think the content of the ad can be a legitimate issue, even though the ad is distasteful to me. What I don't know is who this knockout blow will land on. Either Mr. Teilhet has pulled a G.H.W. Bush and completely crushed Ken Hodges out of this race...OR...the people of Georgia are going to think this is a couple of steps too far. Either way, the ad is going to leave one of these candidates down and out for the count.
The AJC did a politifact check on the ad and it is false. Teilhet is as sleazy of a politician as they come and he has used this woman for his own political gain.
ReplyDeleteThis ad is a complete lie and it is actually backfiring on Teilhet.
1. Hodges showed the videotape to the grandjury multiple times.
2. Hodges met with the Walker family multiple times.
3. While the testimony was unsworn, there was written sworn testimony from the officer.
Former chief justice Leah Ward Sears, called Teilhet out for lying today and stood up for the fact that the ad was a lie and shameless.
You can endorse who you want, but just know endorsing a sleaze bag liar doesn't look good.