Using Kissling quotes, Pearce ad spins challenger as ‘bizarre’

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce has been out to marginalize his challenger in this year’s election by painting him as an extreme liberal. Thus far, his radio advertisements have been effective.

Republican Pearce faces Democratic challenger Al Kissling on Nov. 7.

Pearce currently has two radio ads playing in the Las Cruces area. One touts his “independent leadership,” which surely angers Democrats, who will note that Pearce is one of the few Republicans to stand by President Bush’s foreign policy decisions even as others in the GOP have distanced themselves.

The ad talks about “Republicans, independents and Democrats” supporting Pearce, then quotes a woman who claims to be a Democrat who supports Pearce.

The second ad starts out with the sort of slow, strange circus-like music you might hear on one of the more sarcastic and comical episodes of The X-Files.

“Al Kissling has some pretty bizarre views about America,” the narrator says, adding that Kissling “said he is more scared of our own American National Guard than Islamic terrorists.”

The ad then plays a clip from an interview Kissling gave several weeks ago to Michael Swickard. Kissling is heard on the ad saying “I was more scared of the National Guard in the airports than I was any terrorist coming through.”

“Bizarre,” the narrator says. “Kissling’s views are as shocking as they are offensive. But for Al Kissling, extreme and bizarre ideas are nothing new.”

“Kissling is against your right to pass on your family farm, home or business to your children,” the narrator states.

“They keep talking about a death tax. That’s a tax on a dead person,” Kissling says. “What’s wrong with that?”

Kissling can also be heard on the ad calling efforts to repeal the death tax “welfare for the rich.”

You can listen to the ad by clicking here.

I’ve been trying to get a response from the Kissling campaign for about a week and, as of today, have not received one. I’ll let you know if I get one.

That’s part of the reason Pearce’s ads have been so effective: little response from Kissling.

I suspect the use of Kissling’s quotes by the Pearce campaign is a bit misleading, if for no other reason then because most political attack ads are, to some degree, misleading. Such false statements must be answered immediately. Hopefully, Kissling’s campaign will respond soon.