Dale Peterson is continuing his assault on “thugs and criminals” – a pursuit that already made him an Internet sensation. His new target: former Democratic Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes.
The Republican may have lost his bid to become Alabama agriculture commissioner, but his tough-talking, horse-riding appearance in his campaign ad, where he railed against illegal immigration and unemployment, went viral and made him a minor political celebrity. He even turned up as a surprise special guest last week at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.
But with his own bid over, Peterson’s rants are now being made on behalf of other like-minded conservatives — this time courtesy of the Republican Governors Association, who cast Peterson in their latest attack on Barnes in neighboring Georgia. Barnes is running against former GOP Rep. Nathan Deal to reclaim the position he was ousted from in 2002.
“I’ve got lots of friends in the great state of Georgia, and I’m telling you, you can’t afford to have King Roy Barnes anywhere near the governor’s office again,” Peterson says, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, in the ad on the RGA’s new site, DalePetersonSays.com.
“Georgia needs a strong governor — one who will fight thugs and criminals, not one who will side with ‘em,” he says, in a throwback to his original spot.
“Oh, and by the way, you know why they call him King Roy? Because he thinks he’s better than everyone else. Well, he’s not. He’s just the same ol’ ambulance-chaser he’s always been,” says Peterson.
“If anybody asks you why, you tell ‘em Dale Peterson said that King Roy doesn’t give a rip about the people of Georgia,” he says, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder.
RGA spokesman Chris Schrimpf told POLTICO the idea was first tossed around when Peterson’s first ad went viral in May.
“We thought how that compares to voters in Georgia versus Barack Obama, who would speak for Barnes. So we thought it was a good contrast,” said Schrimpf. “We will take Dale Peterson over Barack Obama any day.”
For now, the ad is only available online, but if it receives 100,000 hits, the RGA will begin airing it on television in Georgia.
Also featured on the site are four downloadable Dale Peterson cell phone ringtones.
“Hey, rascal. Hey, pick up the phone. Dale Peterson here. Time to go to the polls,” says one. Another: “If you give a rip about America, you’ll show up at the polls Nov. 2.”
Deal faced a congressional ethics inquiry over his family’s auto salvage business and its dealings with the state shortly after he resigned to focus on his gubernatorial campaign in March. More recently, reports have surfaced that Deal’s daughter and son-in-law, who listed Deal and his wife as partners in their outdoor goods store, filed for bankruptcy last year but left the former congressman off their filings. The Deals also lost $2 million of the investment and are responsible for a loan of $2.3 million on the business. They are selling their home in order to pay.
Still, Schrimpf said Georgia voters “will be far more concerned about Roy Barnes’s record as governor and as a trial lawyer who defended criminals and corrupt public officials.”
The Democratic Governors Association, which has transferred $1 million from its campaign account to the Georgia Democratic Party to boost Barnes in the increasingly competitive race, laughed off Peterson’s new surrogate role.
“So Ted Nugent wasn’t available? The only thing sadder than Nathan Deal’s candidacy is that he’s turning to a third-place finisher from another state to save it. Who's next, the Jet Blue flight attendant?” said DGA spokeswoman Emily Bittner.
A SurveyUSA poll last week showed Deal’s lead at 11 points, but a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday — and taken after news about Deal’s financial problems had surfaced — showed his lead at just 6 points. But both candidates registered high unfavorable opinions in that poll — 40 percent for Deal and 50 percent for Barnes — and 68 percent said they were following the reports of Deal’s finances closely.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42643.html
But with his own bid over, Peterson’s rants are now being made on behalf of other like-minded conservatives — this time courtesy of the Republican Governors Association, who cast Peterson in their latest attack on Barnes in neighboring Georgia. Barnes is running against former GOP Rep. Nathan Deal to reclaim the position he was ousted from in 2002.
“I’ve got lots of friends in the great state of Georgia, and I’m telling you, you can’t afford to have King Roy Barnes anywhere near the governor’s office again,” Peterson says, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, in the ad on the RGA’s new site, DalePetersonSays.com.
“Georgia needs a strong governor — one who will fight thugs and criminals, not one who will side with ‘em,” he says, in a throwback to his original spot.
“Oh, and by the way, you know why they call him King Roy? Because he thinks he’s better than everyone else. Well, he’s not. He’s just the same ol’ ambulance-chaser he’s always been,” says Peterson.
“If anybody asks you why, you tell ‘em Dale Peterson said that King Roy doesn’t give a rip about the people of Georgia,” he says, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder.
RGA spokesman Chris Schrimpf told POLTICO the idea was first tossed around when Peterson’s first ad went viral in May.
“We thought how that compares to voters in Georgia versus Barack Obama, who would speak for Barnes. So we thought it was a good contrast,” said Schrimpf. “We will take Dale Peterson over Barack Obama any day.”
For now, the ad is only available online, but if it receives 100,000 hits, the RGA will begin airing it on television in Georgia.
Also featured on the site are four downloadable Dale Peterson cell phone ringtones.
“Hey, rascal. Hey, pick up the phone. Dale Peterson here. Time to go to the polls,” says one. Another: “If you give a rip about America, you’ll show up at the polls Nov. 2.”
Deal faced a congressional ethics inquiry over his family’s auto salvage business and its dealings with the state shortly after he resigned to focus on his gubernatorial campaign in March. More recently, reports have surfaced that Deal’s daughter and son-in-law, who listed Deal and his wife as partners in their outdoor goods store, filed for bankruptcy last year but left the former congressman off their filings. The Deals also lost $2 million of the investment and are responsible for a loan of $2.3 million on the business. They are selling their home in order to pay.
Still, Schrimpf said Georgia voters “will be far more concerned about Roy Barnes’s record as governor and as a trial lawyer who defended criminals and corrupt public officials.”
The Democratic Governors Association, which has transferred $1 million from its campaign account to the Georgia Democratic Party to boost Barnes in the increasingly competitive race, laughed off Peterson’s new surrogate role.
“So Ted Nugent wasn’t available? The only thing sadder than Nathan Deal’s candidacy is that he’s turning to a third-place finisher from another state to save it. Who's next, the Jet Blue flight attendant?” said DGA spokeswoman Emily Bittner.
A SurveyUSA poll last week showed Deal’s lead at 11 points, but a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday — and taken after news about Deal’s financial problems had surfaced — showed his lead at just 6 points. But both candidates registered high unfavorable opinions in that poll — 40 percent for Deal and 50 percent for Barnes — and 68 percent said they were following the reports of Deal’s finances closely.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42643.html