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4.17.2012

dirty campaign secret: just add china!



Oh, great. It's some more awesome news from Texas!

So you're running for Texas' U.S. Senate seat. What's a tried-and-true campaign tactic you can use to rile up voters? China. The magic word. Just associate your opponent with China in some way. Instant attack: Senate race in Texas turns negative on Dewhurst ad.

This week, Republican candidate Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released a statewide campaign ad attacking attorney Ted Cruz for representing a Chinese tire company, Shandong Linglong Rubber Co., in a fraud case against an American businessman, Jordan Fishman. Here's the ad:



According to the article, Fishman accused Shandong Linglong of stealing blueprints for a tire he developed and sued in federal court for patent infringement. He won in 2010, but the company appealed and the case is still pending.

Beyond that, I don't know much more about this case. Sure, Cruz could have been defending a crooked company. But it's worth pointing out how this campaign ad goes to great lengths to emphasize Cruz's role in representing the evil Chinese company against an American inventor. And nice touch, throwing in the random Sikh man for extra un-American color. You gotta love it.

Want to do some easy dirty campaigning? Just sprinkle a little bit of China on it! Just another day in American politics. More here: Dewhurst, Cruz out with new ads.