Insurance Is Not Pie

The worst non-negative campaign commercial of 2006 belongs to Cruz Bustamante, California Democrat. The following is a close paraphrase of Bustamante's voiceover.

Seriously.

"I was really fat. (Photo of fat Bustamante) I made a promise to my family that I would lose weight. And I lost 70 pounds. (Photo of less fat Bustamante) I always keep my promises. And I promise if I am elected Insurance Commissioner, I will lower your insurance rates."

The spot is much worse than Diane Feinstein's ad with her granddaughter, a victory lap waste of money, since Feinstein's unbeatable. And it's worse than Phil Angelides' "Let Your Love Flow" ad for 100 Mellow Gold Hits. Only the "About Time For 89" rap is a close contender.

If Hollywood is so friggin' liberal, why can't any California Democrat come up with a decent political commercial?

A political campaign highlighting the pol's history as a former fatty isn't going to work for Mike Huckabee, and it's not going to work for Bustamante. I couldn't vote for Bustamante's opponent, anti-consumer phony Steve Poizner, who appears to have a television ad budget ten times Bustamante's. But Bustamante's defeat seems inevitable if the best he can do is talk about his weight.