Democrats want to get in on the "demon sheep" craze sweeping the political world.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has made a strategic Google ad purchase to piggyback on the popularity of the web ad being run by California GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, in which she accuses her opponent of being a "FCINO" (a.k.a. Fiscal Conservative In Name Only).
Google the phrase "demon sheep" and the second link on the right hand bar -- under titles such as "Demand More Demon Sheep," and "Keep Up the Baaad Work" -- goes to the DSCC's website. (The first link is to Fiorina's primary challenger, Tom Campbell, the target of her notorious web ad).
The DSCC link goes to a petition urging Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO and the best-known GOP Senate candidate in California, to make more videos.
"Sign our petition. Tell Carly Fiorina to make more videos, preferably featuring farm animals. This one provided a great laugh on an otherwise typical afternoon -- and we'll gladly accept the risk of a nightmare or two. It's so baaaaaad, but so good at the same time."
Fiorina's office has actually pledged to do just that, with an adviser telling the Daily Beast that "we can expect to see equally if not more shocking web-based ads or videos coming from our campaign moving forward."
All of which, ironically, has made everyone -- from Campbell and the DSCC to Fiorina herself and the political world at large -- quite happy.
A spokesman for the DSCC, Eric Schultz, declined to say how much money was behind the Google ad purchase. But he did offer a rough take on the web ad madness: "We're starting to realize why Hewlett-Packard paid her $21 million to go away."
UPDATE: The Fiorina campaign responds, with a statement from Deputy Campaign Manager for Communications Julie Soderlund:
Goodness, scared much? Well, the DSCC and Barbara Boxer should be because they know as well as we do that Carly can beat her in November. Boxer has failed record of support for higher taxes, government expansion and votes for bills that have killed jobs in California and that is no laughing matter. The only difference between Tom Campbell and Barbara Boxer when it comes to fiscal policy is that Barbara Boxer doesn't really try to hide it.