James Foley's killer in GOP Senate ad: Smart move?

An ad by long-shot Senate candidate Allen Weh of New Mexico shows the knife-wielding killer of American journalist James Foley. Democrats are crying foul, but the ad may be smart politics.

|
Steven Senne/AP/File
In this May 27, 2011, file photo shows American Journalist James Foley, of Rochester, N.H., as he poses for a photo in Boston.

The knife-wielding man in the black hood appears for only a moment. But the image is instantly recognizable: the killer of American journalist James Foley.

Allen Weh, the Republican mounting a long-shot campaign against Sen. Tom Udall (D) of New Mexico, has sparked outrage by using that screen shot in his latest Web ad. Senator Udall’s campaign called the ad offensive – especially in light of requests by Mr. Foley’s family for the public not to share the video of his execution.

“James Foley’s death is a tragedy, and to use his killer’s horrific image for personal gain in a campaign ad is reprehensible and appalling,” said Daniel Sena, Udall’s campaign manager, in a statement.

“If Allen Weh wants to talk about the issues with New Mexico voters, he should find a way to do it that is respectful and substantive. Using James Foley’s horrific and tragic death for shock value is offensive to Mr. Foley’s family, New Mexico voters, and the rest of our country.”

But sometimes, one man’s outrage is another man’s smart political maneuver.

Suddenly Mr. Weh, an ex-Marine and former chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party, is getting national media coverage. The ad is only on the Web and had only about 20,000 views by midafternoon Tuesday, but Weh has put himself on the map.

Remember Joni Ernst in Iowa? Her ad during the primaries where she talks about castrating hogs also grabbed attention. She shot up in the polls, won the GOP primary, and now has a good shot at taking over the seat occupied by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.  

Of course, Weh’s ad isn’t whimsical. Its subject matter is dead serious. His campaign notes that Foley himself doesn’t appear in the ad, and argues that the ad’s larger point is central to the fall campaign.

"Out of respect for the Foley family, no picture of James Foley was used. Tom Udall’s feigned outrage over the inclusion of a now familiar image of this Jihadi terrorist, who is clearly the face of the evil that threatens our nation. Senator Udall’s comments about our diplomacy being 'good' reflect his naiveté and inexperience in matters of national security," Weh campaign manager Diego Espinoza said in a written statement to ABC News.

The ad juxtaposes images of jihadi violence with shots of President Obama on vacation. Mr. Obama faced withering criticism, including from liberals, for sticking to his just-concluded vacation – and his many rounds of golf – while the world burned. Republicans are trying to lash Democrats to Obama in their effort to take control of the Senate.

“To change Washington you must change your senator,” Weh’s ad concludes.

In Democratic-leaning New Mexico, Weh has a steep climb. The latest poll by the Albuquerque Journal, released Aug. 18, showed Udall well ahead among likely voters, 53 percent to 35 percent. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report calls the race “solid Democrat.”

But even if Weh fails, he’s boosted his profile. Four years ago, Rep. Alan Grayson (D) of Florida made waves when he ran an ad against GOP challenger Daniel Webster by calling him “Taliban Dan.”

Mr. Grayson’s ad backfired, analysts said, and he lost the election. But his reputation as a liberal firebrand lived on. Two years later, Grayson ran again in a new Florida district. Today he is once again Congressman Grayson. 

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to James Foley's killer in GOP Senate ad: Smart move?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Decoder/2014/0826/James-Foley-s-killer-in-GOP-Senate-ad-Smart-move
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe