Partially cross-posted at ACA SignupsThere's been a whole lot of fuss since yesterday over a new TV ad that Wendy Davis is running in Texas, attacking Greg Abbott for being a cruel hypocrite by winning millions of dollars in compensation for his own personal injury lawsuit, but then spending years screwing over anyone else who might otherwise be entitled to similar compensation.
Personally, I think the outrage on the right over this ad is fake, and the getting-the-vapors over it by some on the left is perplexing (and that's saying a lot for me, because I usually don't care for this sort of ad myself). I don't see it in any way as attacking Abbott for being in a wheelchair--it's pretty obvious to me that the point is his jaw-dropping hypocrisy.
Now, I will say that I think it would have been better to have, say, the woman with the prosthetic arm referred to in this ad be the one to address the camera--not only would that instantly neutralize the "sympathy" factor for Abbott (missing arm vs. paralyzed leg), but it would also give the attack a human face as opposed to a disembodied voiceover.
HOWEVER, there's been another development in the Davis/Abbott race in the past few days which has been completely overshadowed by the "wheelchair" ad.