GOP Denies That Attack Ad Depicts Senatorial Candidate Masturbating

The National GOP Senatorial Committee is denying accusations that a recently released Internet attack ad against Lieutenant Govenor Lee Fisher, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is meant to depict him masturbating. The viral video shows a shirtless Fisher, sitting with eyes closed, set to suggestive music, uses wavy distortion of the photo and salaciously suggest that he “get the job done.” Ahem. But honestly? It really just needs to be seen to be believed.

Writing for the Columbus Dispatch, Jonathan Riskind reports:

The NRSC said it stands by the ad, denying any sexual connotation.

But the video quickly went viral, even eliciting a tweet from film critic Roger Ebert: “Vile! GOP ad manipulates still photo to make Dem candidate appear to be masturbating.”

A bipartisan sampling of students and faculty at the University of Akron concurred that the video exceeded the bounds of good taste.

Political scientist John Green said he showed the web ad to students and staff and there was a rare consensus among Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.

“They all said, ‘Wow, that was uncalled for,’ ” Green said.

The video uses a bare-chested photo of the 58-year-old Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate set to provocative music and filled with sexual double-entendres, with Fisher’s image sometimes undulating across the screen.

At the end of the Republican ad, the final image of Fisher, with one hand on his bare stomach and the other below his waist, dissolves to these words: “Dare to See More?” That is followed by an invitation to go to a GOP-sponsored web site that attacks Fisher.

For a more complete and substantive report on this odd turn in Ohio politics, I encourage you to read Riskind’s full report here. Until then, please watch the video below.