October 29, 2014 02:55 PM UTC

Hilarious New NARAL Ads Slam Gardner

• 7 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

A press release from NARAL Pro-Choice America announces a $450,000 ad buy for the above ad targeting young voters–attacking Republican Cory Gardner on issues he's been hit with before, except a lot funnier:

“Cory Gardner tries to deceive Colorado voters on his opposition to birth control and his belief that politicians have a right to interfere in our personal, private medical decisions,” said Karen Middleton, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado. “These ads highlight how Cory Gardner is on the wrong side of Colorado values and voters, especially young voters.”

“Having access to birth control and being able to decide if, when and how to start a family is not just a women’s issue,” said Erika West, Political Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America. “It is an issue that affects men and women. Even though he’s been called out repeatedly by fact checkers, Cory Gardner keeps trying to hide his real record as an anti-birth control extremist. And we’re going to remind all voters of that every day between now and Election Day.”

You're right, the ad is funnier than the press release. That's to be expected.

The Hill's Alexandra Jaffe:

The television and Web ads close with a shot of a couple in bed looking frustrated after they realize they've run out of the prophylactic.

And the radio ad features a conversation between a couple after the man has returned empty-handed from a condom run that took him to every store in the neighborhood…

The attack is based in Gardner's previous support for a state measure that would've given legal rights to a fertilized human egg and in effect banned some forms of contraception. Gardner has since disavowed his support for the measure, but he remains a co-sponsor of a federal version of the bill.

We really like this campaign, and that's no small statement: six days from the election it's tough to like any political ad. That said, why must everything with a fresh format, breaking out of the jaded attack ad formula that voters are sick to death of seeing over and over, be "targeted at young people?" Last time we checked, voters of all ages are tired of the usual political ads. Maybe they could use an intro other than "guys guys guys," but livening up the format of campaign ads beyond a spec that seemingly hasn't changed since the early 1990s could make them more interesting to all demographics.

For all the millions shoveled into political ads, you'd think it would happen more. Why not entertain a little?

People might not hate them as much.