How would you feel if you were running for Senate in Texas and one of the state’s top film directors stepped up and made you an awesome commercial? You’d be stoked beyond belief, am I right?
Before you answer that, let’s have a closer look at the commercial from Richard Linklater, director of Slacker, Dazed & Confused, School of Rock, Everybody Wants Some!!, Bad News Bears, Before Sunset and many more.
https://youtu.be/qRYYqEgT9uI
I love this copy. Love, love, love:
If somebody called my wife a dog and said my daddy was in on the Kennedy assassination, I wouldn’t be kissing their ass. You stick a finger in their chest and give them a few choice words. Or you drag their ass out by the woodshed and kick their ass, Ted. Come on…Ted.
The scorn is palpable and utterly real. This is how people feel, or at least some people.
According to Rolling Stone, Linklater has been critical of Cruz in the past. “Cruz to me is more scary than Trump,” he told The Guardian in April 2016. “He actually believes what he says. Trump doesn’t believe anything — he’s just a needy narcissist. Cruz is seen as the smart guy, but nobody’s asked him: ‘How old is the world?’ ‘Do you believe in biology?’ Because he doesn’t.”
What Does Beto Think of the Ad?
Beto doesn’t like the ad. He said, “That’s not our stuff. I’m not down with Super PACs. We’re running this one with people, no PACs. No special interests, no outside interests.”
Graciousness goes a long way. Why not just say, “It’s a great ad, but we didn’t do it”?
Why not use the opportunity say, “Thank you!” to Linklater and all the people across the state doing a ton of heavy lifting? Nope. The punk rocker ain’t down.
By the way, the Fire Ted Cruz Pac is a grassroots group of committed citizens chaired by Dallas attorney, Marc Stanley. A grassroots group of committed citizens that made a killer ad, I might add.