This new television ad from the CO-07 campaign of Democrat Brittany Pettersen is the single best spot we have seen in Colorado in 2022. Take a look:
This single TV ad absolutely demolishes attacks by Republican opponent Erik Aadland intended to label Pettersen as being on the wrong side of the debate about the proliferation of fentanyl and the opioid crisis in general. It is an incredibly powerful spot that is beautifully produced, but what makes it so strong is the story it tells.
Republicans up and down the ballot have been using “fentanyl” as their primary bogeyman in 2022, distorting the issue to such a degree that Colorado media outlets finally started pushing back on the nonsense. But an increase in “fentanyl” use isn’t some new issue that Democrats have been ignoring, despite what Republican politicians such as Hiedi Heidi Ganahl would like voters to believe.
This ad shows Democrats how to reshape the fentanyl crisis as an issue that they have worked hard to address in a thoughtful manner — which is a narrative that also happens to be true. There are no easy solutions here, but Democrats have not shied away from trying to find an answer that doesn’t involve just locking away any person who ever even thought about a substance that might include fentanyl.
We’ve seen it time and time again: Good storytelling ALWAYS beats empty talking points.
"Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering" – Aeschylus
Wow. Not holding anything back in the best way possible.
Whoa! That is intense – truly inspiring!
Wow! How's Aadland gonna come back from that?
Love this. I was a little afraid that Petterson would run from her family history of addiction and recovery, when the odious Peter Boyles and other KNUS apparatchiks began referring to her as "Heroin Barbie". But she's saved her big guns for these last weeks. Kudos to her and her mom Stacey!
Super effective……for those still with a frontal lobe not MAGA-fied.
Honesty about addiction is the best policy all around, and kudos to Petterson for sharing her painful family story. Most Republicans can relate; 3-8% of Coloradans report having a substance use disorder ( the variation in % is by age and by substance, with alcohol use among adults as the highest rate). So Republicans are as affected by substance abuse as any others. The Family Secret isn’t really secret anymore.
This shared experience of substance abuse won’t stop talk radio pundits and politicians from saying vicious things about Petterson, including “ Heroin Barbie”. But that’s just a business model to them.
As far as the Final Fentanyl Bill, I think it’s pretty reasonable. I particularly like the emphasis on recovery and treatment, and the possibility of erasing felony convictions in that process. I like the mandate for medical detox in jails. The norm has been the “cold turkey” method, and some have died from it.