Category: default || By jt3y

It's hard to believe, but the latest charge of dirty politicking levelled against U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Not in Pennsylvania, concerns one of his campaign commercials, set against a backdrop of happy polka dancers.

Tony Norman of the Post-Gazette and Chris Kelly of the Scranton Times-Tribune claim that the ad was faked --- that Santorum wasn't actually interacting with the polka dancers, but was added electronically, either with digital-editing software or chroma-key.

Norman says the ad looks "as if it were shot on the holodeck of the Federation Star Ship Enterprise ... Mr. Santorum looks like he's moving in front of a green screen. The crowd looks bogus and immaterial."

Kelly alleges that Santorum "isn’t actually in the room with the snappy seniors and is more likely shuffling in front of a 'green screen' with images of an incumbent-friendly hootenanny projected behind him."

The stories led Maria over at 2 Political Junkies to go so far as to accuse Sen. Torquemada of using a Cleveland polka band as a backdrop.

Well, in a story you will only read in Tube City Almanac, numerous sources have confirmed that not only is the ad authentic, it was shot at the James Centre in Pittsburgh's West End with Bridgeville's Larry Placek Combo.

Indeed, the distinctive proscenium arch over the stage at the James Centre --- pictured on the first page of the hall's website --- can be seen in the ad.

(In the interest of full disclosure: I part-time at a radio station where Placek hosts a weekly polka show, but I don't really know him, except to say "hi" once in a while. I like his music, though, and you can buy his CDs online. If you enjoy polka music, and I do, you'll like the Placek band --- it has a nice, tight sound.)

International Village attendees probably saw Placek and his band performing in the Jakomas Blue-Top Pavilion last week, and numerous polka buffs tell me that it's definitely Placek's band in the background.

In short, the band isn't from Cleveland, and it is a real band.

I also have it on good authority that Santorum was there for the shoot --- a sizable group of local polka fans was rounded up to participate as extras, and they all saw him.

I don't think I'm telling any tales out of school, because when I started asking around about this on Saturday and Sunday, it seemed that everyone knew except me. I don't want to bring anyone any unwanted publicity, but I do want to set the record straight.

So, although I'm no Santorum booster, fair's fair --- the ad is authentic.

(Also in fairness, the people I've talked to like the fact that their music is getting mainstream TV exposure, but every one of them has told me they're still not voting for Santorum!)

The polka ad is creative, and it places Santorum in a light-hearted atmosphere where he can poke (or is that "polka"?) fun at himself. Ads like these humanize candidates.

It certainly jumps out from the typical cliched campaign commercials that show the candidates shaking hands with guys at a factory gate, listening thoughtfully to a bunch of senior citizens, and sitting on the front porch with his wife and children as the American flag waves gently in the breeze, while sappy strings play in the background.

Can we move onto more important subjects now?

Such as: How come Bob Casey Jr. isn't running ads that are this interesting?

Because while Santorum polkas toward November, Casey is standing on the side of the dance floor with the rest of the wallflowers. He'd better start stepping lively, because defeat is within his grasp.