Even if the ad was pulled quickly, and even if Emmer didn’t intend for it to air as a commercial, Ryan said the candidate and the company could face severe penalties from the Federal Election Commission. He said that in 2004 a U.S. Senate candidate in Illinois appeared in an ad for his own dairy business — without mentioning his candidacy — and was slapped with a $21,000 FEC fine.
“Creating an ad like this is creating something of value for a candidate,” Ryan said. “The content of this ad contains the most explicit, express advocacy that can exist. It is a textbook example. It says, ‘Emmer for Congress’ in bold letters behind him.”
A national political expert, Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said, “I’ve never seen anything like it, and I have literally watched thousands and thousands of ads. I’ve never seen a combination of political ad and product promo.”
Well, the guy has not seen anything like Tom Emmer; despite having seen much of Michele Bachmann, as alike to Emmer as two peas in a pod.
Getting the ticket punched? My guess, if you look at that firm's logo, it was Emmer trying indirectly to appease and appeal to the Jesus wing of his party, as Bachmann so often has, and he expected to fully skate on doing it, as Bachmann so often has without anyone else noticing or caring to call it out in mainstream media. Of course that's only a guess.
I doubt Emmer or FitzSimmons will be fully candid with the public about all of what was behind this. As a "for instance" question, did the Emmer campaign pay for the headquarters remodel, report it as an in kind contribution, do the promo video as a quid pro quo in exchange, or just skate entirely on the question (as an ex-hockey player taking too many pucks to the head might try)?
___________UPDATE___________
If the aim was to generate press attention, of any kind, it was a genius campaign move.
The MPP post gave other media links at its end. Add to that CBSlocal, RawStory, Strib's Hot Dish Politics, Bizjournals, PiPress, and even Fox FOX!
What can Krinkie do to top this hummer? Harold's County Record does not have that much universality or circulation, not by a long shot. Of course judging by the kind and degree of press responsiveness, Krinkie may be happy enough with the status quo between him and Emmer. Between the two of them they make Sivarajah look statesmanlike. All she does is govern her county, no Leagues, no revolving door lobbyist status, no Tin Men promos.
___________UPDATE___________
Republicans weigh in on Emmer being Emmer. John Gilmore, at Minnesota Conservative, here. Andy Aplikowski at Residual Forces, here. Gilmore judges more harshly. Aplikowski says we Republicans are all hitched to and pulling the same wagon. He should face to face say that to Kurt Bills. I would like to be there were it to happen, just to hear Bills' reply. Emmer is a thin-skinned nasty buffoon and Gilmore has the judgment and spirit to not say otherwise.
While Gilmore's critique of Emmer is overly gentle, compared to what it might have been, an interesting dimension is Gilmore seeing CD6 as a two horse race, with Krinkie and the other guy from the west side of the district each as inconsequential. There's sense to looking at Krinkie as a one-trick-pony Taxpayer League lobbyist, something I am saying - Gilmore did not mention Krinkie - with Gilmore liking Sivarajah.
I wonder if the Emmer
Harry and Jen, read what Gilmore has to say. Again, this link. Brian Lambert did not miss Gilmore's post, and quotes from it at the end of a recent Glean.