GOP leader’s office rips unions with profane video parody

SF GATE

Eric Cantor is the GOP’s House whip and revered by GOPers as an up-and-comer. But an aide in his office pulled a Boehner Wednesday by sending Greg Sargent at talkingpointsmemo.com a profane video response to a union ad campaign pushing the stimulus package. Cantor aide Brad Dayspring stressed to Sargent that the video was meant as a joke. You know, parody. Ha-ha. Ho-ho … millions of people losing their jobs … hee-hee …

This thing is so profane that if we’d post the f-bomb laden clip here, we’d get a tap on the shoulder from somebody in a glass office and a call from Mom. Use the Internets to find it somewhere in the tubes. The delicious irony here is that Cantor wanted to up the fines for naughty language when he was supporting the Broadcast Deceny Enforcement Act. Said Yes E. Cant(or): “The use of obscenity … should not and cannot be tolerated.”

Two lessons here, kids: Don’t try satire at home. And f-bombs don’t usually work in transmitting political messages to the masses

Let’s back up. On Wednesday, the public workers’ union AFSCME launched a major ad campaign, targeting Republicans — like Cantor — who oppose the stimulus.

So an aide in Cantor’s office thought they’d have a few laughs by passing along a video that mashes-up an old 1970s era ad with a new voiceover featuring a voice that sounds like — and we say this as a proud Italian-American — one of Tony Soprano’s top aides, Paulie Walnuts.

“On your way to work tomorrow, instead of sittin’ around with your finger up your a-, look around,” the voice-over says. “There’s a union out there called AFSCME and they’re bustin’ their balls doing a lot of s- work you take for granted. For example, we pick up your f- garbage.”

“We don’t take s- from nobody,” the video’s narrator says. “You got that, a-? AFSCME — the f- union that works for you.”

HBO

Yeah, it’s Paulie. Gotta a problem with that?

Dayspring initially told TPM that it was intended as a “lighthearted” response to the ads directed at his boss. Soon, after getting a blogosphere/union beat-down, Dayspring realized what he had done and apologized.

“I would like to apologize for a joke that was in no way an official response from Congressman Cantor, but instead an inappropriate email. I apologize to AFSCME for my inappropriate email containing an old video. Let me be clear, we know people are hurting in these trying times and House Republicans completely agree that we must pass an economic recovery bill that preserves, protects and create jobs for Americans facing these economic challenges.”

Needless to say, the unions are f- pissed. (Sorry, we’ve been watching too many “lighthearted” videos from Cantor’s office.) AFSCME chief Gerald McEntee’s minions told Sargent:

“Eric Cantor may think the greatest economic crisis in seventy years is a joke, but we don’t. He should talk to the people in Virginia who are losing their jobs, health care and homes.”

Sigh. Remember the days when Republicans touted themselves as the party of family values? And who said conservatives didn’t know how to use online tools?