Democracy in America | Campaign ads

Electile dysfunction

The funniest ads of the campaign

By The Economist | BOSTON

COMMERCIALS for erectile-dysfunction pills are almost as ubiquitous as political ads. J.D. Winteregg, who attempted to take down John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, in a Republican primary in Ohio, released a pastiche of such an ad that made fun of Mr Boehner’s surname (which the speaker insists is pronounced “Bay-ner”). A narrator explains "electile dysfunction": “it could be a question of blood flow. Sometimes, when a politician has been in DC too long, it goes to his head and he just can’t seem to get the job done.” The ad goes on to say, “if you have a Boehner lasting longer than 23 years, seek immediate medical attention.”

Record spending on advertising topped $1 billion this election cycle. That's around one in every three dollars of advertising on cable television. Mercifully, a few politicians used humour to jolt jaded voters out of their torpor. Joni Ernst, a Republican candidate for Senate in Iowa, went from being an unknown to a frontrunner owing to her irreverent and attention-getting ads. Rob Maness, an unknown running for Senate in Louisiana, released an ad depicting himself tussling with an alligator, while promising to stand up to career politicians. His agility in the muck has won him a few fans, particularly among Tea Party loyalists, and promises to woo away voters from the state's Republican frontrunner, Bill Cassidy.

Young supporters of Republican Governor Rick Scott in Florida spoofed “Say Yes to the Dress”, a reality show about picking a bridal gown, in an ad called “Say Yes to Rick Scott”. Mr Scott’s Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist, was the “expensive and a little out-dated” frock—the one recommended by your annoying mother—while Mr Scott was the perfect dress. The ad is amusing, but it is hard to know who should end up feeling more insulted: Mr Crist or women voters, who apparently understand the merits of politicians only when they are compared to dresses.

Some candidates engage in the Washington equivalent of rap wars, taking the other’s words and flinging them back with a beat and a curse. Supporters of Senator Mitch McConnell in Kentucky took a quote from a previous campaign by his opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, in which Ms Grimes’s grandmother asked: “What rhymes with Alison Lundergan Grimes?”. Mr McConnell's ad answers that question with a catchy, corny song: “Not ready for prime time,” “Left wing mime,” and "Sticks to the party line.” Perhaps the funniest part came at the end, when Mr McConnell’s team mis-spelled their own man’s name.

Funny ads can be negative or positive, but they are nearly always less irksome than ads where a sombre voice that sounds like Darth Vader warns you that the other party is planning to infect you with Ebola while taking away your guns.

In Michigan, the scene of a particularly nasty campaign, two humorous ads stand out. In one, Terri Lynn Land, a Republican running for Senate, says of her Democratic opponent: “Congressman Peters and his buddies want you to believe I’m waging a war on women. Really? Think about that for a moment.” Then, some jolly music plays as she takes a sip of coffee and looks at her watch. After spending a third of the ad in silence, she says: “as a woman I might know a little more about women than Gary Peters.”

Mr Peters mocked his fiscal conservatism in an ad called “Frugal”. In it his wife complains: “I wouldn’t call him cheap, but our washing machine is older than the kids.” He ends the ad wearing a ratty sweatshirt and a shoe with a hole and bragging that his family “did this ad for free".

Making voters giggle does not necessarily win elections. According to a Washington State University study of political ads, negative ones that inspire fear work better, especially when a candidate is behind. Mr Winterregg’s electile dysfunction ad has generated nearly 418,000 views on YouTube, but Mr Boehner still clobbered him in the primary. And his ad cost him his teaching job at a Christian university. Some people have no sense of humour.

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