Waste Money The Chinese Way (CAGW) Or The American Way (Bankrupting America)

Wasting money is some of the best creative fodder around.

In this lavish ad for Citizens Against Government Waste, the Chinese become the target. Nice concept, well-produced, nicely derisive and reminscent of Apple's "1984" without directly stealing from it. I thought the giant CG Chinese flag could have looked better, but I'm nit picking.

Earlier in the cycle, Bankrupting America went up with this simple ad showing how, not the Chinese, but our own government is spending us into the ground. Literally. Full disclosure: this is spot our talented team produced.

Grade?: A for both

Click here to watch CAGW "Chinese Professor"

Click here to watch Bankrupting America's "Stop Digging"

Dead Man Talking: Stevens Endorses Murkowski

This had to be a tough call. The Murkowski campaign cuts an endorsement spot with the late Sen. Ted Stevens. We all know what happened next.

With her campaign in major trouble, she really needs that endorsement. No doubt, Senator Stevens would have wanted them to use the ad, but it's still a tricky bit of business.

Here, the Murkowski campaign plays it smart and errs on the side of respect having Sen. Stevens' daughter introduce the ad, give her blessing and even appear with Murkowski.

Will this turn the tide and get people to write in Murkowski? Probably not, but it's Alaska, so you never know.

It won't win any awards for creativity, but they handled this right.

Grade: B

Click here to watch "Ted Stevens"

David Vitter Says Charlie Melancon Is A Tad Weak On Immigration

Vitter is hitting Charlie Melancon hard with this over-the-top "Immigrants Welcome" spot.

These are always tricky to do, because you want to get the point across without insulting anyone but the opposing candidate. In this case, Team Vitter goes with ridiculous, cartoony visuals that really work. You won't miss this spot on TV.

Grade: B

Click here to watch "Welcome Prize"

Rand Paul Discovers That Comedy Is A Dangerous Business

We've ranted and raved about the lack of production values in political ads. This time we won't. Because Rand Paul has taught us you can still make a dreary commercial with nice production values.

We want to like this spot and, on paper, it has everything. Quality shooting, tasteful editing, good props, what could be wrong?

It's only half an idea.

A Barack Obama impersonator talking about how much he wants Jack Conway in the Senate. Good start, but it doesn't go anywhere from there. No gag, no twist, no great line for people to talk about over coffee in the morning.

Looks good, but it's a missed opportunity.

Grade: B (for the production value)

Click here to watch "Stamp of Approval"

Christine O'Donnell Not A Witch Apparently

Let's be honest, Christine O'Donnell has made some boneheaded moves. One smart move she made was to hire a top flight media consultant.

In this straight-to-camera confessional Christine comes off as earnest, honest and brave enough to present a contrast to the whirlwind of noise around her.

We still think she has a snowball's chance in hell of winning this thing, but this is a simple, well-done ad that hits all the right buttons.

Grade: B

Click here to watch "You"

John McCain Delivers For Bill Flores

Love him or hate him, when John McCain is on he can really deliver. Here he is doing just that for Bill Flores.

We like the closer shot of Bill Flores speaking to workers, but the shot of him working at his desk late at night? Let's aim a little higher folks.

Grade: B

Click here to watch "Texans Deserve Better"

Joe DioGuardi Does A Little Presto Chango

Joe DioGuardi has a problem. His opponent is a very good looking woman. He looks like Joe Pesci.

The solution? In this case, a bit of trickery. This spot features Joe standing on a white cyc holding a green screen credit card that magically changes as he swipes his finger across it.

To be honest, his opponent is a lot easier on the eyes, but this spot's pretty well done.

Grade: B

Click here to watch "Credit Card"

Vitter-Melancon Battle Only Slightly Better Than Fake Sumo Wrestling At A Corporate Retreat

Ever seen two guys in those big puffy fake sumo wrestler suits go at it? Kind of funny for a couple of minutes, then just sad and embarrassing. That pretty well sums up the Vitter-Melancon race.

Vitter has trotted out a series of ho-hum ads including a spot that used one of my favorite horrible political ad cliches, "Charlie Melancon, he's not on our side." Oh yeah, it has a bobblehead in it, too.

Now Melancon, shooting the best (and probably) last bullet in his gun, Charlie has produced a 2:00 commercial laying out (pun intended) the Vitter prostitution story. But this is no ordinary 2:00 commercial, it's repackaged as a quasi news show.

The big moment comes at 1:01 where they show someone who wants their identity protected. We see the silhouette of someone identified as "Retired Firefighter" who says, "if someone writes the laws, they should abide by the laws." Explosive!

The "re-enactment" scene is pretty funny, too.

I give them credit for trying to do something interesting, but it's probably best left to professionals.

Grade: C

Click here to watch "Forgotten"

DGA Tries To Break Rick Perry, Winds Up Cracking Us Up

It's big news that the DGA is playing in the Texas Governor's Race. Especially when you consider that running TV in the Lone Star State is going to cost them somewhere north of $600,000 a week.

But if you're going to run millions of dollars in paid media, shouldn't you spend more than hundreds of dollars on the production of your spot. The visuals are homemade, the image is mushy and the entire spot looks as if they spent almost as much as ten minutes in deep thought about it.

The messaging has the potential to hit hard, but the technique puts the "hack" in "hackneyed." If this is their best shot, Rick Perry has nothing to worry about.

Grade: F

Click here to watch "Cracks"

Alan Grayson Makes My Head Hurt

It's negative ad season. I get that. Trust me when I tell you a good negative ad should be clear and simple. It can be funny, it can be fancy, but it has to make sense right away.

Apparently Alan Grayson disagrees with me.

In this attack ad against Daniel Webster, they use a piece of video that would, no doubt, drive Grayson's base crazy. But it's so chopped up, stomped on and convoluted that I could barely make it to the 30 second mark.

But I'm glad I did, because at the end Grayson calls Daniel Webster a Taliban. That made my day.

Grade: D

Hold on tight and watch "Taliban"

Carly Fiorina Plays The "Ma'am" Card Just Right

When you have a killer piece of video against your opponent, the easiest thing to do is overplay your hand.

Team Carly has been sitting on the "Call me Senator" clip for months waiting for the right time to use it. (This clip really sticks in my craw, because I live in Texas where "ma'am" is always an appropriate term of address, but never mind.)

In this spot from Fred Davis' Strategic Perception, the clip is handled exactly right. It's played in context and features a short, but stinging rebuke nicely delivered by the candidate.

Instead of a personal attack, they use the clip to jujitsu Washington arrogance as a whole. Nice edit and terrific performance by Carly. (But she's spoiled us all cycle.) Tip of the beret to the cinematographer who put Carly in a dramatic light while still keeping an approachable look.

Grade: A (My first "A" of the cycle, besides the ones I gave myself)

Click here to watch and learn

Charlie Crist Draws The Line

How do you explain why you changed your party affiliation to Independent without using the words "because I was going to lose the Republican primary?"

Charlie Crist does a pretty decent job of it in this spot called "Line In The Sand." He shot it on a beach in Florida and uses the sand as a nice device to get his point across. Love him or hate him, Charlie delivers on camera.

But hey, what's the deal with the snap-zoom into Charlie when he speaks? Seems like there are two mandatories for every Charlie Crist spot:

1. Put Charlie in a light blue golf shirt
2. Snap zoom into Charlie when he speaks

It's hokey camera work in an otherwise nice spot.

Click here to see "Line In The Sand"

Jerry Labriola Tries To Be So Bad It's Good

The budget for the Old Spice commercials are probably north of a million dollars a piece. The budget for Jerry Labriola's "spoof" (nice word for "stolen") is north of about a hundred.

I don't even know what to say. Except stealing is bad. In this case, really bad.

Make sure you have an empty stomach and click here to watch "Anything Is Possible"

Rick Perry: A Good Actor In A Bad Movie

Sometimes you go to the movies and you wonder, how on earth did that guy wind up attached to that piece of trash? That's what's going on with Rick Perry's new commercial.

Love him or hate him (there are lots of folks on both sides), you have to admit Rick Perry's a pretty decent actor. Looks good, hits his marks, takes direction, camera likes him, etc.

Even the message is good. "Texas Is Open For Business" is a solid piece of strategic writing.

But it's the space between concept and execution that separates the good from the bad.

The idea is completely sabotaged by a lackluster, flat video look, some amateurish color correction and some set ups that make us want to pull out the Flock of Seagulls cassettes. And why is the candidate in the exact same wardrobe in every single shot?

A major race ($2 million a message for media) in a major state (that happens to be home to several Hollywood network TV productions) should look a whole lot better.

Grade: C

Click here to watch "Open For Business"

Christine O'Donnell Has A Few Complaints About Mike Castle

Okay, for those of you who say I only pick on Democrats, today is your lucky blog day.

Christine O'Donnell, locked in a rock 'em-sock 'em Senate primary battle with Mike Castle, is up with a spot that can only be described as ten pounds of polling data in a five pound bag.

Too many copy points with too many standard-issue political spot graphics all over the screen. It looks like a 30-second ransom note.

We like Christine O'Donnell, she's the kind of fiesty candidate that keeps politics fun. But just because you're running in a small state doesn't mean you have to look small. Good spots and bad spots, they all cost the same. This just isn't US Senate caliber work.

Grade: D

Click here to watch "Castle"

Joe Wilson Calls In The Marine(s)

MoveOn.org has decided to play in a South Carolina Congressional race giving money to Rob Miller.

Needless to say, MoveOn.org isn't really popular in South Carolina. Especially with military folks. General Jim Livingston goes on TV to have a Marine-to-Marine talk with Rob Miller about giving the money back. Sounds convoluted, but the general makes it work.

His performance is an A, the graphics are a C. We'll give it a B.

Click here to see "General Livingston"

Ted Strickland Breaks New Creative Ground

In his latest attack ad, Ted Strickland uses grainy black and white slow motion images of his opponent, hokey After Effects tricks on cheap stock photos and red bars with blocky, poorly set type.

Then, he kicks it up a notch by using a shot of the US Capitol in the background and invoking China.

I think the bar has been set.

Grade: D

Click here to endure "Revolving Door"

Jerry Brown Changes Course, Goes Positive

After the unions have poured millions into a negative TV blitz on Jerry Brown's behalf, Jerry Brown has decided to do something crazy – go positive.

In Jerry's first spot, he brings back the good old days. Emphasis on old since many voters weren't born yet or are now too old to remember Jerry's actual record. The spot itself is a 70's throwback that drags production values down to the basement using cheap, if not free, stock footage and a very uninspiring turn with Jerry talking straight to the camera.

If you can bore people into voting for you, Jerry's in.

Check out "Jerry"

Patty Murray Tries To Turn Lemons Into Wenatchee Lemonade

Patty Murray has a little problem. Like a lot of senators who have made their careers on their ability to haul pork back home, Patty now has to justify all the pork hauling.

Trouble is, that ain't easy.

In this testimonial spot, Karl Struble sets the "way back" machine for 1995 and turns what should be an emotional story about saving lives in Washington to a generic hospital commercial with no heart. Where are the patients whose lives were saved? Where are the people telling the heartwarming stories?

Instead, Struble gives us people in scrubs whipping out old bromides like "she really came through for us" and "she cut through the red tape" combined with b-roll shots of Patty nodding as people pretend to talk to her.

Free tip of the day: you can't bore people into voting for you.

Grade: D

Click here to watch "Wenatchee"

Now Here's How It's Done: Our New Ad for the RGA

From the guiltless self-promotion department, here's a new ad we produced for the RGA in Georgia.

If you make political ads, please take notes:
- a negative ad does not have to be red, gray and black
- a negative ad does not have to use an ugly picture of the opponent
- a negative ad can be designed and art directed to look interesting

This, boys and girls, is how it's done.

Click here to watch "Iron Fist"

Robin Carnahan Takes Her Best Shot

Arguably the least talented member of the Carnahan political clan, Robin's running behind Roy Blunt and clearly pressing the panic button.

In this shot, for some strange reason titled "Mug," Team Carnahan takes all the best hits and jams them all in one boring, poorly art directed ad.

Like every boring political hit ad it features a stunning color palette of black, red and gray set off with the use of headlines shown on torn bits of paper. Groundbreaking.

This is a campaign in trouble and these ads show it.

Click here to watch "Mug"

Media Matters Isn't So Good At The Whole Media Thing

Okay, maybe I'm missing the point here.

Maybe Media Matters is trying to make a stand by running an ad critical of Fox News on Fox News. Fine, I get it. But when I look at this spot, I just see 30 seconds of my life I'm not getting back.

A waving American flag with a line that starts off with "A Special Message"? All set in a dull typeface that's improperly spaced and kerned by someone who doesn't know what the word "kern" means?

Honestly, you couldn't have done one single thing more than open up iMovie and jam in some type? An iStock image? A shot of a barking dog? Anything?

I'm sure this a point to all this, but I'm not getting it.

Click here to watch "Media Matters"

One Word For Charlie Crist

Charlie's up with a positive ad that Frank Luntz called the worst ad he's ever tested. Since I almost never agree with Luntz, I expected to see genius. Unfortunately, I will now have to type some words that are very, very difficult:

I agree with Frank Luntz.

There, I said it. This ad from Crist is the old gag where you just use single words from people and cut it into something. Have I used the "one word" trick before? Yes. Have I used it for 30 whole seconds? No. Did I do it in such a way that not one salient point was made? No. And did I bookend it with graphics that look they were made by someone using a Commodore 64? No.

But Charlie did.

I know it's popular to jump on Charlie right now, but this time, he has it coming.

Click here to watch "One Word"

Harry Reid's "Extreme" Is Extremely Bad

Okay, you're running against an opponent who spends all day, every day giving you ammunition to pummel them. With things like "Social Security violates the Ten Commandments" and "a Scientology massage program for prisoners" you have attack ad gold, right?

Wrong. Harry Reid can't even do attack ads right.

In "Extreme" he takes a dream collection of hits, illustrates them dreary, cheap stock shots and wraps them all up with "She's just too extreme."

Harry, demand a refund from the agency. Seriously.

Grade: D

Click here to watch "Extreme"

Rick Scott Has A Plan For Jobs, No Plan For This Spot

We think Rick Scott would make a dandy governor for Florida, but this TV commercial couldn't get you elected President of the Paris Hilton Fan Club. (And you'd be running unopposed for that one.)

Theoretically, the spot is about Scott's plan to bring jobs to Florida, but the visuals look he spend the afternoon rummaging through the trash can behind the Florida Board of Tourism.

They probably meant it to be a lovely pastiche of Florida vistas, but it really doesn't work. Especially when Rick's plea to phase out the business income tax is illustrated by a waist down shot of a woman in white slacks.

Grade: D

Check out "Jobs"

Kendrick Meek Goes Out With A Bang

For some reason, we are obsessed with Kendrick Meek, the presumptive loser in the upcoming Florida Senate race. Oh sure, he'll beat the pants off Jeff Greene tomorrow (Meek is leading by double digits), but that's not stopping him from going out swinging.

At somebody. Anybody.

Your typical endorsement/closer ad turns negative hit machine at the :15 mark. What can we say? It's another nice hit ad from the Meek campaign.

Grade: B

Click here to see "Endorse"

NRSC Scores A Political Ad Guy First

Okay, I rarely put up web videos because, well, they suck. Here's a rare exception from the RNC where the message is clear, the type is small and tasteful and the video doesn't try to co-opt (read "steal") and idea from an existing TV spot or movie.

Grade: B

Check out "Extreme"

You Know Those Funny Viral Videos? Daniel Freilich Didn't Make One

Up until Labor Day every tin foil hat wearing nut job who found enough change in the couch to pay the filing fee thinks he has a chance to win. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, they get to share their madness with us.

You've probably seen the funny viral videos that no-buck candidates have put up this cycle. This isn't one. The only thing more tragic than some idiot trying to co-opt a popular commercial (listen up everyone who has ever used the word "priceless" in a political ad), is someone who knocks off a popular spot so badly that it makes me want to carve out my own eyeballs with a fork.

Vermont's Daniel Freilich has created such a commercial.

Grade: F

Watch "Look At Me." Don't blame me if you gouge out your own eyes. Sorry.

Bill Binnie Goes All Ponzi On Kelly Ayotte

When John Sununu told the candidates not to go negative in the four-way NH primary, Bill Binnie must have heard "go all negative." In two spots out today, Binnie features the victims of a Ponzi scheme to fire one across the bow of his opponent (and race leader) Kelly Ayotte.

The spot consists of touching stories from people who were fleeced in the scheme. Unfortunately, these stories are presented as if they were shot on someone's cell phone. These victims and their stories deserve better.

Grade: C

Click here to watch "Victims"

Scott Walker Hates Trains, Not So Crazy About Obama

Wisconsin's Scott Walker is trying to do a spot with Obama, wasteful spending, a federally funded high-speed rail project and potholes.

Somehow, he made it work.

Here's the deal: people hate negative ads and, generally speaking, they kind of like Obama, the guy. This spot does a nice job of dropping a bomb on the opponent and trivializing Obama without having a mean edge.

Walker does a nice job on camera, too. (Although, for God's sake Scott, stop bouncing on the balls of your feet when you finish lines, you're running for governor not auditioning for David Hasselhoff.)

Oddly enough, the star of the spot is a brown paper bag. The website is shown practically with the URL written on a brown bag sitting in a pothole. A double mnemonic that actually works. Very smart.

Grade: A (I don't give many As, so I'll expect a "thank you" note)

Check out Scott Walker's "Stop The Train"

Will Someone Please Wake Up Bill White

They say you can't bore people into voting for you, Bill White is out to prove them wrong.

Bill White has turned a wonderful, compelling personal story into a dreadfully dull TV spot. The production values are embarrassing and the shots of the candidate look like shots that weren't good enough to go into the family vacation scrapbook.

Hey guys, he's running for governor of one of the biggest states in the union, spring for a little color correction.

I'm told Bill is a nice guy. That doesn't mean he's a good announcer.

Grade: D

Take a big gulp of coffee and try to stay awake through "San Antonio"

Michael Bennet Takes An Ad With Cute Little Kids And Ruins It

Your candidate has cute, precocious girls who are good on camera. Naturally, you make a commercial with them saying all sorts of cute things (like "Hickenlooper") that just happen to drive some of your polling points.

Fine.

But in this ad from Michael Bennet, he takes the cute kids and, well, doesn't show them. He makes their pictures tiny, slathers ugly supers over them, even shows pictures of himself getting off his schoolbus.

At least the kids will have something to tell their therapist when they get older.

Click here to watch "Bus Ride"

Now The Fun Begins

The primaries are almost done and the real fireworks are about to begin.

Get ready for 90 days of cheesy bios, flimsy attacks and half-baked creative work. I'm giddy.

Fasten your seat belts and put your tray tables in the upright position, this is going to be a bumpy one.

Stay tuned.

Kendrick Meek Takes Jeff Greene To The Disco

Let's be honest, Kendrick Meek has approximately the same chance of being the next US Senator from Florida as I do. (And, believe me, I'm a very appealing candidate.)

But that's not stopping Meek from nailing newly rising opponent Jeff Greene in this digital disco fantasy. Why is it set in a disco? It's Miami, even CSI looks like a disco.

Grade: C

Here's a nicely done attack ad called "He's The Man"

Mike Cox Loves Foghat and a PAG First

If you shamelessly use old pop culture references from your target voters' youth, are you pandering?

Maybe.

But if you manage to get the words "Foghat," "marine" and "attorney general" into the same radio spot, you get a spot on Political Ad Guy blog. Will this work for Mike Cox? Do "Drew and Mike" really want their names in a political spot?

Probably not and probably not.

But all bets are off in this razor thin GOP primary for Michigan governor.

We don't usually run radio spots, but we can't resist this one. Click here to listen to Mike Cox's "Foghat"

Andy Griffith Shills for Medicare

Let me say up front, I like Andy Griffith. (Never nominated for an Emmy for the The Andy Griffith Show, BTW.) More the old stand-up comic Andy Griffith than the Matlock Andy Griffith, but that's a story for another post.

In this ad, Andy tells us how awesome Medicare is and how much awesomer it's going to be thanks to the new healthcare law.

Andy's still got it and he does a nice job, but why not? In the copy they promise the viewer so much free stuff I feel like someone needs to shout, "but wait, there's more!"

Wait, there is more. Click here to see Ol' Andy talk about "1965"

Basil Marceaux Has Something To Say

We have no idea what it is, but clearly he's committed to spitting it out. A TV news station was trying to do the right thing by having their own little version of the Fairness Doctrine, but just like the real Fairness Doctrine, it don't work so good.

Enjoy the world according to Basil.

Brady vs. Quinn: It's Double Negative

In a special two-fer edition of Political Ad Guy, here are a couple of negative ads stagger out of the bar fight that is the IL Governor race. With the smell of Blago's hair gel still wafting in the air, you'd think this would be an R slam-dunk. Not so. Polls give Brady (R) a slight edge, but the Ds aren't quitting.

The DGA has whipped out the old saw that starts with "What kind of politician..." I didn't hear much after that.

Grade: C

Brady answers with a wacky "Christmas In July" gag with some pretty fun graphics and a couple of clean, believable hits.

Grade: B

Brady wins this round by a nose, but can he absorb enough hits to protect a 3-point lead?

Click here to watch DGA's "What Kind?"
Click here to watch Brady's "Christmas"

Matt Entenza Blames Bush, Thinks Kids Should, Too

Democrats have blamed Bush for everything from the weather to having too many dandelions in their yards. MN Gov candidate Matt Entenza joins the party and brings some kids along with him. He's blaming Bush's No Child Left Behind for standardized tests that kids and teachers hate.

The premise is pretty thin, but the mnemonic of kids ripping the test sheets in half cuts through. Who doesn't want to tear up a test? Especially a test that mean old Mr. Bush handed out. Kinda.

Grade: B

Check out "Rip"

Harry Reid Hates Big Banks, Loves Cheap iStock Images

Normally I wouldn't even bother to post generic tripe like this Adobe Premier/iMovie mess from the generically-named front group "Americans United For Change," but I'll make an excuse to start a rant.

How many more times am I going to have to look at this same cheap stock shot? "Man In Suit Opens Scary Looking Zero Halliburton Briefcase Full of Cash." C'mon guys, at least click to the next page and find a different briefcase, a different angle, a different country's cash, anything.

Politically speaking, AUFC know old Harry's in trouble so they're probably trying to save their pennies to use in races that are a bit more competitive, but, please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD find another shot.

Here's "Harry Holds Banks Accountable."

Grade: F

Rob Simmons' Hands Are Sending Me A Secret Message

That's the only explanation for why Rob Simmons is using some choreographed robot hands routine in this spot for his "suspended" Senate campaign.

You may remember Mr. Simmons suspended his US Senate campaign when he was trounced in the state convention. Since getting beat is no reason to quit, Rob Simmons skipped buying a Frappucino and instead used the $4 to create this awful commercial and run a light cable schedule.

Simmons has the audacity to call the spot a PSA. To quote someone who knows much more about political advertising than Rob Simmons does, "You keep using that word...it do not think it means what you think it means."

The best part is the close: "I'm Rob Simmons, I approve this message and I'm still on the ballot."

Click here to share in Rob Simmon's odd new spot, oh sorry, PSA.

Mark Kirk Attacks Himself

This Memorial Day will be remembered as the year the military turned and attacked itself. First Dick Blumenthal gets outed for lying about his Vietnam service and now Mark Kirk, running for Obama's snake-bit seat, has stretched the truth a bit about being named Intelligence Officer of the Year. [Insert your own joke about the word "intelligence."]

Here's the video that starts out as a better-than-ever bio web spot and then turns into a pair of cement shoes.

Watch Kirk "bio"

Michael Bennet Presses The Panic Button Early

Is Michael Bennet in trouble in his race to hold off Republican challenger Jane Norton?

This spot sure looks like it.

Even though it's his first spot, Bennet presses all the buttons:
Look at me I'm not in Washington!
I'm wearing a barn coat just like people in Colorado do!
I hate Congress, too!

If you can bore people into voting for you, Bennet has this one in the bag.

GRADE: C

Click here to watch "I'm Wearing A Barn Coat!"

Carly Fiorina Gives Boxer A Giant Noogie

There are some in the political ad world who are hammering Carly Fiorina over this ad.

They're wrong.

How do you say someone has a gigantic ego? You give them a big head, like the evil zeppelin in Up In The Air. It's funny, it's well-produced and it's a punch in the gut.

Normally, I'd blow you up for doing the boardroom b-roll shot, but these are the best boardroom b-roll shots I've ever seen.

That being said, couldn't we have told this story in two minutes instead of seven? We all know internet viewing plummets to near zero after 91 seconds and, cool as the special effects are, the story goes on and on and on. Then it goes on a little more.

Cut it in half (or more) and you've got yourself something.

GRADE: B

Click here to watch "Big Head"

Dr. McKenna: The Race For Orleans Coroner IS ALIVE!

This is the weirdest political ad I've ever seen. I have nothing else to say.

RATING: F (or A depending on your point of view)

Click here to see "Igor"

Bill White Fires Up The Old Cliche Machine

Bill White (who apparently is very popular in Houston), has put up his first TV spot for Texas Governor.

He's raided the iStock b-roll film library and delivered the great old political ad bromide, "we must move (YOUR STATE NAME HERE) forward, we can't afford to stand still."

That being said, for a guy who doesn't count TV among his strong suits, he's not bad to camera.

RATING: C

Click here to watch "Moving Texas Forward"

Martha Coakley Throws Her Own Hail Mary (probably needs to say a few, too)

With the Coakley campaign in trouble and being called "lackluster," they're trying to channel a little of that Staubach-to-Pearson magic.

Seriously, they're leaning hard on the "Panic" button and launching a spot starring the President. They've even borrowed Obama's logo for their website.

Click here to watch "Obama"