Bachmann's Jim Versus Clark's Jims: A Campaign Video Battle Royal

Bachmann's Jim Versus Clark's Jims: A Campaign Video Battle Royal

posted by: Robin Marty 9 days ago

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40 comments

Campaigning is supposed to be a debating of ideas between two candidates.  But in Minnesota, incumbent Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and her challenger, state Sen. Tarryl Clark, have other people debating for them. 

And they're all named Jim.

The first volly started with "Jim the Election Guy," a Bachmann-created spokeman who introduced us to Bachmann's challenger, whom he dubbed "Taxin' Tarryl."

"I'm just getting started, but one thing's obvious.  Tarryl Clark LOVES taxes!" Jim quips.



Clark responded with her own Jim.  Actually, with three of them, all voters within the district.

"What would Michele Bachmann know about balancing budgets anyway?" asked one of the Jims.  "She spends 100,000's of taxpayer dollars promoting herself and her agenda!" they all explain.



Bachmann's campaign then fired back with a new ad, this time using one of Minnesota's most beloved traditions -- the Minnesota State Fair:

"It's state fair time, and you don't want to hear about politics.  But while you're at the fair you should know that Tarryl Clark voted to raise taxes on your corndog, and your deep fried bacon, and your beer," Jim claims.



Bachmann's second video not only got tongues wagging and the media reporting (although sadly they were reporting more about her misuse of the State Fair logo, a copyright infringement), it also provided an opening for the other Jims to return.

"While you are at the state fair, you should know that Michele Bachmann released another attack ad this week against Tarryl Clark," state the Jims.  "I guess when you've got no record of accomplishment to run on, nothing, zip, nada, after being in congress for four years, the only thing you can do is go negative."



On the one hand, "Jims the Actual Voters" make a sort of fun counterpoint to "Jim the Election Guy," rebutting him at every turn.  But on the other side is a larger problem for the Clark campaign -- Bachmann's Jim is on the airwaves, and Clark's Jims are simply talking on her website and youtube.  It doesn't matter how clever her spokespeople are or what points they might make if, to the average 6th district voter, there isn't an actual debate, but just one side talking.

Should Clark manage to raise the money to buy the air time, it's unlike that the Jims would work anyway, due to the length of their video, which frankly, are only good at this point for a debate in social media land.  But with Bachmann's missteps with her own Jim, from unauthorized logo use, to honestly, a man in a blazer who misidentifies a pronto pup as a corndog, two things which paint him as a total Minnesota outsider, her own Jim may not be doing her much good, either.