TV land

Some magic-lantern-related gleanettes...

— Smelling blood in the water in Nevada CD3, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has weighed in and is buying an ad for Tessa Hafen, an ad that is authorized and approved by Hafen's campaign and has the same look and feel as her other ads -- which to say her campaign remains impressively consistent and on-message. It touts her endorsements from the Sun, and shows that lovable picture of Bush and Porter arm in arm and grinning ear to ear over the chaos they have wrought domestically and abroad.

— Speaking of which, the Republican National Committee is going up from coast-to-coast and eyeball-to-eyeball -- well, cable news-watching eyeballs, anyway -- with a truly frightening ad that they probably hope will scare the bejesus out of people so they'll vote Republican, all stimulus-response-like. There are lots of quotes from evildoers about how they're going to kill everybody, and there's no question that it's a jarring ad. It closes with the terrifying promise that "What is yet to come will be even greater." Which sort of raises the question, Why'd Bush launch an optional invasion of Iraq when all these really scary guys are out there trying to kill us? Shouldn't we be dealing with them? This ad might help the Democrats more than the Republicans. Weird.

— We were eating our ramens, PBJ and baby carrots, watching Wolfgang, just minding our own bidness, when what do we see but high-falutin' political talking head Amy Walter of the Cool Political Report talking up Jill Derby's chance's against Dean Heller in CD2. From the transcript:

BLITZER: Another race that wasn't supposed to be close is shaping up close. This is the seat being given up by Representative Jim Gibbons, who is running for governor of Nevada, Nevada 2 -- Dean Heller, the Republican, vs. Jill Derby, the Democrat.

WALTER: When we look at Nevada, we always concentrate on the two districts that are in the southern part of the state, the ones around Las Vegas and the suburbs. We have always conceded that the -- the northern part of the state is so very Republican and rural.

But, right now, you have a Democratic candidate, in Jill Derby, who has run a very good campaign. She did not have a primary. She was able to get on TV and define herself. The Republican had a -- had a bruising primary. He was supposed to be the stronger candidate of the three in the Republican primary. And, yet, he hasn't been able to catch up.

He has the benefit of a more Republican-leaning district. But this thing is in play. And nobody would have expected that a few weeks ago.

— One last TV tidbit. It was recently brought to our attention that Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" can be sung to the theme song of Gilligan's Island. Here's a few lines, check it out:

IT is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
"By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

"The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
May'st hear the merry din."

He holds him with his skinny hand,
"There was a ship," quoth he.
"Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!"
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

Apropos of nothing, we know. But it takes the edge off that scummy RNC ad.

Comments

[Obiter Dicta]

The RNC ad is a bit curious - why raise such a scare, but fail to address what anyone has done or will do about it?

Regarding Hafen and Derby, it's about time they got some national support. It's been rather disappointing to consistently see bloggers and commentators on Kos, MyDD, etc. write Nevada off for the Dems.

As usual, Hugh, you kicked the weekend off with a smile - the Gilligan reference is funny because it is dead on! Made me want to actually read Coleridge again (after college, something I swore I would not do unless under threat of death). Thanks!

[tim]

Could we please get a response ad from the DNC, with press conference footage of when Bush said about bin Laden, "Honestly, I don't think about him that much!"

[Nevada Scandalmonger]

Drat. How did the RNC discover that all us Democrats are Al Qaeda operatives? Was it Reid or Pelosi that leaked the secret?

[no_novel]

I love the tag line, "the Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising." Well, yes, I guess there are.