Sunday, 12 October 2014

Did Wendy Davis ad go too far?





  • Wendy Davis attacks her GOP opponent with an ad featuring an empty wheelchair

  • Her opponent, Greg Abbott, is partially paralyzed and uses a wheelchair

  • It's a Hail Mary by a candidate who polls show trailing badly in the race's final weeks




Washington (CNN) -- Wendy Davis is attacking her partially paralyzed Republican opponent Greg Abbott in the Texas governor's race -- with an ad that features an empty wheelchair.


"A tree fell on Greg Abbott. He sued and got millions. Since then, he's spent his career working against other victims," a narrator says of the wheelchair-bound Abbott.


The spot is a Hail Mary from the Democratic state senator who is badly trailing in the race. Abbott led Davis 54% to 40% in a recent CBS/New York Times/YouGov poll, and there are few signs she's likely to close that gap before the November 4 election.


The ad argues that Abbott successfully sued for his 1984 injury, but later as a Texas Supreme Court justice and state attorney general opposed similar efforts from other people suing hospitals and corporations.


"Abbott argued a woman whose leg was amputated was not disabled because she had an artificial limb," the narrator says. "He ruled against a rape victim who sued a corporation for failing to do a background check on a sexual predator. He sided with a hospital that failed to stop a dangerous surgeon who paralyzed patients."


Abbott's use of a wheelchair has been featured prominently in some of his own ads -- including a biographical spot where he says he rolled up a parking garage's ramps to strengthen his arm after a tree fell on him in 1984, leaving him partially paralyzed. In another, he says, "a guy in a wheelchair can move faster than traffic on some roads in Texas" as he touts a transportation funding plan.


Abbott spokeswoman Amelia Chasse blasted the Davis ad, saying it "completely disqualifies" Davis -- hinting that it could hurt her in future campaigns, too.


"It is challenging to find language strong enough to condemn Sen. Davis' disgusting television ad, which represents a historic low for someone seeking to represent Texans," she said. "Sen. Davis' ad shows a disturbing lack of judgment from a desperate politician, and completely disqualifies her from seeking higher office in Texas."


Wendy Davis violated Texas election law, GOP opponent alleges



No comments:

Post a Comment