Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is back with another new campaign commercial this morning, starring the senator himself — and an extrusion machine.
Though entitled “Dishwasher,” as a reference to Johnson's humble pre-plastics beginnings washing dishes at a Walgreens lunch counter at age 15, most of the ad comes straight from the factory floor of Pacur LLC.
“Not only did I help install this machine, I also operated it, working 12-hour shifts at night,” says the senator and former CEO of the Oshkosh, Wis.-based sheet extruder, holding up a photo from the 1970s and pointing at his bearded younger self, leaning against an extruder (it was clearly a different time, as there is no personal safety equipment worn in the photo, but thank goodness, the senator dons safety glasses and a vest for the rest of the spot).
“Now I'm working to keep Wisconsin prosperous and America safe,” he says, turning the discussion to national security as he strolls through the plant and out to the loading dock from the first ad in the $1.3 million June buy.
The Johnson ads are continuing to build on the themes of manufacturing in the heartland and growing the economy in his campaign against Democrat Russ Fiengold, who is attempting to take back the seat Johnson won from him in 2010.
Pivoting from jobs to national security could take the race in an interesting direction, as Feingold served on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees while in the Senate from 1993 to 2011. Johnson is currently on the Foreign Relations Committee and serves as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, so a national security debate would be…. lively, to say the least.