Chris Kelly’s ads: the river vs. the road
Now that the political conventions are over, here’s a conundrum for a slow news day:
Why is Chris Kelly, a Democratic House candidate from Columbia, wearing a helmet in his TV ad when he’s canoeing but not when he’s bicycling?
Kelly says the answer is simple: The canoeing film — showing him negotiating whitewater — wasn’t shot for TV.
“That’s the Grand Canyon. Of course I’m going to wear a helmet,” he said.
As for the cycling footage, showing him hatless on Route M near Ashland, Kelly said his campaign advisers decided a helmet obscured his face.
“They said, ‘Lose the helmet, for the good of the commerical.’ “
Okay, but be warned: Newspapers often get critical letters when they feature helmetless cyclists.
Kelly, a former state representative and a retired judge, is challenging Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia.
Whitewater canoeists and kayakers are supposed to wear helmets and flotation devices. The helmet protects your head from underwater rocks when you tip over. Skilled whitewater runners can stay attached to their canoe or kayak even underwater, using their paddling skills to “roll” back upright and continue down the river.
Better to have the experienced and hard-working Chris Kelly, with or without a helmet, than incumbent Ed Robb and his tinfoil dunce cap. Robb hasn’t done a thing to challenge his Republican masters when they penalized MU repeatedly for being our state’s flagship research university. When Chris Kelly puts his proven legislative tenacity to work for MU and Boone County, the knuckl-dragging Republicans served by Ed Robb will wish they had worn a helmet and a truss.
Maybe he hit his head on something an forgot…