MADISON, Wis. – The same group that brought you the “all cops are bastards” sign has now joined with One Wisconsin Now to sponsor an advertising campaign featuring a disturbing video of an individual drowning.

Worse, the joint effort blames Gov. Scott Walker for the individual’s plight.

In the ad, the drowning person is supposed to be a student, and they are supposedly drowning because of Gov. Scott Walker’s budget.

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A press release announcing the campaign declares that Scott Walker is, “drowning students in debt.” The ad, linked below, features a drowning person thrashing around in the water before the screen fades to a light and a graduation hat washes up on shore. Set over the video are quotes about Gov. Walker’s budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin system followed by advice purportedly from Scott Walker to “hold your breath.” The provocative ad seeks to draw a direct link between drowning deaths and student loan debt, and implies that Scott Walker is the one who is drowning students.

But death by drowning is hardly a light – or political – matter. In 2013, 52 people died of accidental drowning in the state of Wisconsin. Comparing the state budget debate to the value of a human life could be seen as trivializing the tragic experiences of those who have lost a friend or family member. In seeking to make a political point, Wisconsin Jobs Now and One Wisconsin Now are willing to a very real tragedy as a political tool in their obsessive war against Gov. Walker.

Authored by Jeremy Carpenter

Published with permission