Dems Call for Investigation of GOP 'Rats' Ad

ByABC News
September 13, 2000, 7:12 AM

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 13 -- Accusing Republicans of using subliminal advertising, Democrats have called for a federal investigation of an attack ad that flashes the word RATS on screen for a split second.

The ad in question has already been pulled off the air by the Republican National Committee, but Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and John Breaux of Louisiana are petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to launch a full review of the matter.

We have reason to believe that broadcasters are airingtelevision advertisements that contain subliminal messages inviolation of the public interest, the two wrote in a letter sent late Tuesday.

Freeze Frame

The controversial 30-second commercial touts Republican candidate George W. Bushs plan for adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, arguing that seniors would have more control over their health care under Bushs proposal.

Under the Gore plan, the ad says, drug coverage would be run by bureaucrats.

Words flash on the screen to echo the announcers message: TheGore prescription plan: Bureaucrats decide.

As the announcer says Bureaucrats decide, the word RATS, in large capital letters, flashes on the screen for one-thirtieth of a second, just before the phrase Bureaucrats decide, appears.

If ads of this sort are in fact subliminal and theyre effective, that would seem to be contrary to the public interest, said Josh Kardon, Sen. Wydens chief of staff. If they are subliminal ads, we ought to know it.

But the man who made the ad for the RNC denies he was trying to conduct psychological warfare.

Its a silly charge to try and get an effective ad off theair, said Alex Castellanos, a veteran GOP consultant.

He said he faded in the word bureaucrats to make the ad visually interesting, and that it was just a coincidence that the word fragment used is also the name of a rodent.