The onslaught of outside groups continued Tuesday morning in the 12th congressional district. The political arm of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is on TV with $325K to rebut Republican Keith Rothfus’s ‘regular guy’ ad.
Like his other ads so far this cycle, the Rothfus commercial is quirky and playful. It emphasizes in dramatic tones the normal things he does, like mow the lawn and take his kids to school.
The AFSCME spot starts with a quote from the original ad: “He’s a regular guy!”
“Regular guy? Hardy,” cuts in the AFSCME ad narrator, voice dripping with disdain. “Keith Rothfus is a millionaire attorney for a Wall Street bank. And Rothfus supports Wall Street’s agenda”.
“Don’t be fooled. Keith Rothfus is just a regular phony.”
According to Federal Communications Commissions filings by southwest Pa. television stations, the ad will run from today through Monday, October 8. The buy appears to be only for the Pittsburgh broadcast market, and the union has laid out at least $325,000 to air them.
The ad buy was placed by the Democratic media consulting firm the Campaign Group, which also does ads for Kathleen Kane for Attorney General, and did the 2010 ads for Joe Sestak’s U.S. Senate campaign.
The video is listed as an independent expenditure on AFSCME’s YouTube page.
The 12th district is Pa.’s most competitive congressional race. AFSCME joins SEIU, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the House Majority PAC on the air to slam Rothfus. The National Republican Congressional Committee has been on TV bashing Rep. Mark Critz (D-Cambria), and will soon be joined by the YG Action Fund super PAC.
Both Critz and Rothfus are also on TV.
Update: Rothfus Campaign Manager Jon Raso fired back, saying Critz is the real phony in the race.
“Keith Rothfus has been on Wall Street once… as a tourist,” Raso said. “But Congressman Critz and his outside special interest groups continue to shamefully demonize the fact that Keith worked at a small firm here in Pittsburgh – on Stanwix Street, not Wall Street – that worked with BNY Mellon in their software negotiations. By that logic, the 7,500 local employees at BNY Mellon are all ‘Wall Street workers’ – it shows you just how out of touch they are with Western Pennsylvanians.”
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8 Responses
A lame ad deserves mocking. Rothfus is odd duck but the mastermind behind mowerman is clueless. You think that’s how a regular guy sees himself? Yard work? It’s like country a club comedy bit where the rich guy acts like he thinks not rich guys act. Here’s a clue rich guy, we hate yard work, we don’t smile when we do it and our lawn mower looks like crap not some shiny prop we bought for the happy occasion of wasting a tricking saturday
What is wrong with being for the rich people calling the shots and for them to get even richer than they are now at the expense of the middle class? This is America and all politicians should learn to bow down to their corporate masters. It is the new normal. And Keith is perfectly attuned to the new normal. Keith deserves your vote because he is willing to stand up against your interests and for the interests of the people who are paying for his campaign.
Marbear: This one’s for you and your guy Keith the Candidate who is afraid to share with the voters his work for Pat Robertson: http://youtu.be/zg4GOgZ-L1I
PAINDY is no independent. He or she is in the tank for Critz. Indy has not been, aside from attacking Rothfus… talking about his or her own candidates record. A record that includes a 9.5 percent unemployment in his of Cambria County; his constant reversal of positions on issues such as Obamacare, and supporting the liberal agenda of Nancy Pelosi, his puppetmaster. INDY would have you look the other way to bash someone who is not one of the beltway elites like Crits is
Keith the candidate Rothfus drank the Romney koolaid! Unfortunately he wants to work for less than 47% of this nation and they reside either in the Beltway or in Virginia Beach! http://youtu.be/XnB0NZzl5HA
Keith Rothfus is a regular guy who worked for Pat Robertson, then worked for George W Bush and he refuses to speak about his public service! Why? http://youtu.be/xDJvJOi6YNc
Critz is no Robinhood. He was in the tank and voted AGAINST Wall Street reform. Better add a couple hundred thousand more in there for memory loss pills.
I’m starting to pull for Rothfus in this one just because these ads are so dumbed down. They “say one thing” yet we know Critz did another by voting against Wall ST changes.
Keith supports the tax break for companies who ship jobs overseas. He supports the tax break for companies who park their earnings overseas. He is endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce which believes deeply in globalization and the erosion of the US middle class. Keith is proud to serve his donors. That is what they paid for and that is what he will deliver for them. As the song goes, “Lie down croppies, lie down.” Vote for Keith. He will keep hhis commitments.