Political ads always say as much about the public mood as they do about candidates, and there's one thing sure about the mood this election season: We don't like derivatives.
Never mind that we're not sure what they are. Wall Street never figured them out either.
Joe Sestak, Democratic congressman from suburban Philadelphia, is likely benefiting from an attack ad against his Republican opponent, Pat Toomey, as both vie for Arlen Specter's U.S. Senate seat.
"Before he became a politician,'' the TV ad from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee begins, "Pat Toomey was a Wall Street wheeler-dealer. In fact, millionaire Toomey helped pioneer the use of derivatives . . . ''
(And here, the commercial helpfully flashes "derivatives'' on the screen in case anyone missed it.)
"He called them 'an enormous good.' But they wound up nearly destroying our economy. When he got to Congress, Toomey wrote the law to weaken oversight of Wall Street. No wonder they're funding his campaign.
"Pat Toomey. Mr. Wall Street. Not for us."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10255/1086574-155.stm?cmpid=bcpanel2