Carly Fiorina's bizarre political ad: Tom Campbell as demon sheep
Demon sheep. A Greek column from which a demon sheep falls. Threatening weather, badly rendered. An inexplicable acronym. Music? More of a music-like hum.
This week Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and John McCain adviser who鈥檚 running for a US Senate seat from California, released a political attack ad that may be the most bizarre and counter-productive such missive ever produced.
And by counterproductive we mean 鈥減ossibly ensuring that Ms. Fiorina remains in the private sector.鈥�
鈥淎 straight-up game-changing shock-and-awe slice of pure mountain grown BONKERS,鈥� judged Jason Linkins in the Huffington Post.
The ad ostensibly is aimed at Fiorina鈥檚 Republican primary opponent, former Congressman Tom Campbell. It is meant to tar him as being a pretend fiscal conservative. We think. It鈥檚 hard to tell.
The ad begins with the words 鈥減urity鈥� and 鈥減iety鈥� appearing against a backdrop of sheep gambolling over rolling meadows. The narrator then begins rambling about 鈥渇iscal conservative leaders鈥� and 鈥渢rue believers.鈥� Tom Campbell鈥檚 name is mentioned, and at that point the Greek column appears, shooting up from behind the hill with the red-eyed demon sheep atop.
Then the storm appears, the sheep topples from its perch, and the ad enters Mark-Sanford-press-conference territory 鈥� in the sense that you can鈥檛 look away even though watching it makes you feel embarrassed.
Campbell鈥檚 tax record is mentioned. Ordinary people appear. They disappear. The demon sheep looms in close-up. Campbell is labeled a FCINO 鈥� 鈥淔iscal Conservative in Name Only."
Over-the-top ads can work in politics. But this isn鈥檛 over-the-top. It鈥檚 Ishtar-ish. (You remember "Ishtar," the big movie that bombed?)
The Sheep. What do they symbolize? Are all fiscal conservatives sheep? That鈥檚 what it seems like the ad is saying. Isn鈥檛 Fiorina trying to get them to vote for her?
FCINO. Unpronounceable. Seems as if it could be a typo for 鈥�Encino.鈥� Acronyms should be used sparingly if you want real voters to pay attention.
Length. The ad is 3-1/2 minutes long. Sure, it鈥檚 just meant to be seen on YouTube 鈥� it would get cut if it鈥檚 actually broadcast anywhere. But that鈥檚 too long. Nobody鈥檚 going to view it to the end.
This is not the first use of demonology in political ads. In 1997, the British Conservative party was criticized for running an ad depicting Labor鈥檚 with demon eyes.
The Fiorina sheep ad has already gone viral. One of other Republicans running in the primary, Chuck DeVore, has already set up a website at , devoted to S.F.T.E.O.D.S.F.O.P.D, or 鈥�Society for the Eradication of Demon Sheep from our Political Discourse.鈥�
Watch the ad , and decide for yourself.
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