Ex-Obama strategist Messina linked to 'most homophobic political advert in US history'
Source: The Observer
David Cameron's new star signing, the election strategist behind President Barack Obama's victories, has become embroiled in allegations of a homophobic past just days into his appointment.
Jim Messina, who managed the Obama campaigns in 2008 and 2012, was on Saturday night dealing with allegations – first made in 2002, repeated in 2012 and now being retold on Twitter – that he was behind what has become known as the most homophobic political advert in US history. Messina was unveiled as a consultant to the Tory party on Friday.
The damaging allegations date from Messina's time as chief of staff for Democrat senator Max Baucus of Montana, just over a decade ago. He allegedly put together a political advert in which a rival candidate, Mike Taylor, was shown applying lotion to a man's face, then appearing to reach towards the man's groin, while a voiceover said: "Not the way we do business in Montana."
... In 2002, Messina and Baucus denied having any link to the advert. However, it has emerged that in a 2012 profile in the magazine Businessweek, Baucus appeared to contradict the previous denials, suggesting that Messina had responsibility for, or knowledge of, the advert before it aired.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/aug/04/tory-guru-jim-messina-homophobic-ad-row