Dan Helmer, an Army veteran and Rhodes Scholar, is one of multiple Democrats hoping to run against Congressional incumbent Barbara Comstock, R-Virginia, in November of 2018. Helmer’s colorful campaign ads are certainly raising eyebrows, even if they’re not garnering admiration. In Helmer’s latest ad, the Congressional hopeful compares President Trump to 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden.
In the video, the Helmer says, “After 9/11, the greatest threat to our democracy lived in a cave. Today, he lives in the White House.” On May 31, 2018, Raj Shah, White House deputy press secretary, stated the ad was “nothing short of reprehensible.” Shah went on to say, “leaders from across the political spectrum — starting with Leader Pelosi — must swiftly condemn this abhorrent message.”
In a statement, Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said, “While the leader does not condone the end of this ad, if the president wants to join in raising the level of civility in politics, he should begin with himself.”
The Washington Times reported that Helmer was given the opportunity to either defend or denounce his outrageous remarks about the President on the June 3, 2018 airing of the “Fox and Friends” broadcast. When “Fox and Friends” cohost Pete Hegseth pressed Helmer if he thought the President represents the “moral equivalent of Osama bin Laden,” the Democratic Congressional candidate sidestepped the inquiry. The Rhodes Scholar started citing his time spent at West Point and his combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Helmer stated, ““I’m saying the oath we took to defend the constitution I take seriously, this president doesn’t.”
When Hegseth unapologetically pushed the issue, Helmer said, “I did not say they were the same, I said he is a threat to our democracy.” During his appearance of “Fox and Friends,” the Democratic Congressional candidate also stated, “One of the reasons I’m excited to be here on a show I know the president watches every morning is to make sure we deliver a message that change is coming, that no one not even our president is above the law.” Helmer insisted, “It’s time to make sure that we have a Congress that holds him accountable.”
“Different,” the title of this Bin Laden advertisement, isn’t the first campaign ad Helmer has been criticized for. Last year, the Army veteran rolled out a clip referred to as “Helmer Zone.” According to Fox News, the ad gained traction throughout Twitter when Mic reporter Emily Singer flagged the video as possibly being “the worst” she had ever viewed.
In the ad, Helmer wore a shirt with the word “veteran” on it. He spotted current Congresswoman Comstock at a bar. A woman told Helmer, “Bet you can’t get her to hold a town hall.” The Rhodes Scholar responded with “Town hall? I’ll do you one better than that. We’ve lost that loving feeling.” The woman then begged, “No, Dan.”
While purposefully singing horribly, Helmer crooned about Comstock’s opposition to Planned Parenthood, her disdain of Obamacare, and her absence of town hall meetings. Even the left mocked the “Helmer Zone” ad. Stephen Colbert’s show proclaimed the clip “The Worst Campaign Ad of the 2018 Mid-Terms.” The liberal YouTube channel Secular Talk referred to “Helmer Zone” as an “unfathomably sad campaign ad.” In his review, the host went so far as to say, “After watching that, I want to vote Republican.”
On the Army veteran’s campaign website, he stated he and his spouse “were shocked by the 2016 elections and alarmed at the actions of this Administration and Congress.” Helmer recently released another ad depicting him purchasing a rifle at a gun show without needing to undergo a background check. Though a person buying a weapon from a federal firearms licensed dealer must first complete a background check, a private sale doesn’t require one.
While Pelosi and other left-leaning leaders and celebrities are staying fairly mum regarding Heller’s comments about President Trump, they caused quite an uproar recently when comedian Roseanne Barr tweeted racist comments comparing Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
Interestingly, according to Fox News, HBO’s Bill Maher compared President Trump’s hair to an orangutan five years ago. While ABC promptly canceled the “Roseanne” show after the tweet, the “View” cohost Joy Behar suffered no repercussions when she made fun of Vice President Pence’s Christian faith. Unfortunately, the left only seems to become enraged when inflammatory comments are made about one of their own.
See the inflammatory campaign ad that goes way too far.
