U.S. political ad takes a shot at Canada

What was Canada doing in a U.S. political ad, of all places, for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee?

Canadian Corner doesn't normally weigh in on the U.S. political campaign, but has to respond to this ad. We should also point out that the ad in question, now pulled off the air, has been labeled as racist (for other reasons).

This ad, run by the Republican National Committee, portrays actors in a "man on the street" setting. One actor expresses the view that Democrats and Canada are soft on global security. "Canada can take care of North Korea," the man in the ad says. "They're not busy."

Democrat Harold Ford Jr. and Republican Bob Corker are running for an open seat in Tennessee.

It has been reported in the press that the Canadian ambassador to Washington Michael Wilson had expressed concerns on behalf of the Conservatives to a White House official. Hopefully that Harper-Bush relationship can help in this instance.

For those who don't follow political advertising, commercials such as these are run for shock value, so it's not so much how many people watch it as talk it (which Canadian Corner is guilty of as well).

Also, Corker gets to hide behind the fact that his campaign didn't run the ad, even if he benefits from the ad. And you should also know that Harold Ford Jr. is trying to become the first ever African-American elected U.S. senator from the South, and only the second in the U.S. Senate (besides Barack Obama).

Given Tennessee's proximity to the Canadian border, Canada was likely used as a symbol. But it's still a cheap shot against Canada, and given the racist overtones of the rest of the ad, amazingly the shot against Canada isn't the worst element in the ad.