A Bad Ad Goes Global

How bad were the NRCC's "Dr. Millionaire" ads from last year?

It's being used as an example of "dirty, ugly smear ads" in Australia.

STEVE Kagan is a Democrat politician in the US state of Wisconsin. When he made a run for the House of Representatives in 2006 he was a doctor.

His Republican opponents unearthed details about civil suits Kagan had taken out against 80 patients who were late or defaulted on their bills.

They ran deathly TV spots which finished with an ugly shot of the doctor and a voice-over saying: "Why not tell the truth, Dr Millionaire?".

And then there were the defensive smear ads, including one run by the Democrats in California which began with an announcer saying: "Trash, rubbish, a sleazy smear campaign, that's how the Union Tribune described the campaign . . . against (Democrat) Francine Busby . . ."

I've never understood the entire concept of the "Dr. Millionaire" ads. Yeah, he's rich, yippie! Are we supposed to give the liberal kook a cookie or something?

Though, in retrospect, the Dr. Millionaire ads did have one lasting effect, and it wasn't on the campaign. It was on Kagen's ego.

One of the things I've noticed watching the 8th District last year about the "good Doctor" (A questionable assessment from those in the Fox Cities medical community that know Kagen personally.) is that he's an egomaniac.

Hell, most doctors are. The position comes with a God-complex free at most medical school commencements. And somewhere along the line, the campaigning and rhetoric became personal for Kagen.

He simply couldn't let it go, and had to have the last word; even after winning the prize. This was best demonstrated by Kagen's "alleged" behavior at the White House. It was "allegedly" to Karl Rove he said "Hi, I'm Dr. Multi-Millionaire, and I'm the one who kicked your @$$ in Wisconsin."

And well, that one's still smarting the Appleton Democrat; no matter what his story is these days about what happened in the White House.