“They’re all real people”

So says Walker campaign staffer Tim Russell, in talking about the following ad that’s been all over the airwaves in the past week or so:

Now sure, it’s a pretty decent ad, but as Greg Borowski of the MJS reported, the ad’s not really that unique, borrowing heavily from a theme most recently used by former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist during his 2000 re-election campaign. However, when prompted by a “longtime political observer,” Borowski queried the Walker campaign to find out if any of the folks featured in Walker’s ad were paid actors, as opposed to being the “real citizens” the ad portrays them to be. The Walker campaign’s response?
“They’re all real people,” Tim Russell of the Walker campaign said. “They’re all real people” – seems pretty unambiguous, right?

It sure does, except that it’s not really true. After Borowski posted his story, Tim Russell fired off an email clarifying his assertion that all the individuals in the ad were “real people.”

“I did not intend to say that none of the people in the ad were talent. Our
agency had talent on hand for the taping in case our volunteers didn’t
work out. We had a couple that got stage fright and were replaced
with people the agency had on hand. I apologize if I was unclear in
my answer.”

Unclear is one thing, but Russell seemed pretty clear and unambiguous when he said none of the individuals in the ad were “real people.” Instead of trying to explain away his lie, Russell should have the gumption to simply fess up and admit he lied, instead of trying to spin his comments as him “not being clear.”

H/T to xoff.