Blindfolded Jason Kander assembles AR-15 in campaign ad
Jason Kander’s U.S. Senate campaign is getting international attention for a new campaign ad in which he coolly puts together an AR-15 rifle while wearing a blindfold. “Did This Missouri Democrat Just Make the Best Campaign Ad of the 2016 Election?” an AdWeek headline asked on Friday.
The ad is Kander’s answer to criticism that he’s squishy on guns. The camera zooms in slowly as Kander — standing in an empty warehouse that looks like it was used by a team of hackers before the NSA got wise — assembles the weapon. As the rifle takes shape, Kander talks about his Army experience and his support of background checks “so that terrorists can’t get their hands on one of these.” The spot ends with Kander saying he approved the message — the blindfold comes off, the weapon ready to fire — “because I’d like to see Senator Blunt do this.”
It’s a striking piece of political theater, if no other reason than it shows a candidate exhibit skill at something other than politics. So many ads are montages of candidates wearing checkered shirts and listening respectfully to the concerns of seniors, farmers and factory workers. No slow-motion handshaking in this ad — just the clink of cold metal and a taunt of an opponent who received three student deferments during the Vietnam War.
