Paul Gosar in a file photo from Aug. 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
This has got to be the most brutal attack ad ever made.
An ad from Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar’s political rival, David Brill, shows six people sounding off on everything wrong with Congressman Gosar. “Paul’s absolutely not working for his district,” one says, before another chimes in: “He is not listening to you, and he does not have your best interests at heart.”
Those six critics aren’t just anyone, though. They’re Paul Gosar’s siblings – and they’ve taken out an ad trashing his good name to get him out of office.
This isn’t the first time Paul Gosar’s siblings have come at their brother swinging. On October 24, 2017, seven of Gosar’s ten brothers and sisters signed an open letter to the Kingman Daily Miner, criticizing their brother for suggesting that the Charlottesville Protests were a conspiracy backed by George Soros:
“We are aghast that Paul has sunk so low that he now spews the most despicable slander against an 87-year-old man without a shred of proof, and then doesn’t even have the guts or decency to apologize?”
The most vicious attacks have consistently come from David Gosar, who maintains a public Twitter account dedicated to attacking his brother. On his account, David calls his brother “Weasel” or “Wease”, and accuses him of being everything from a hypocrite to a Nazi apologist:
Those tweets were actually what gave Dr. David Brill the idea to put Gosar’s family in an attack ad. When he saw just how openly David Gosar hated him, he knew that all he would have to do is ask to get him to say it all on camera.
The feud, it seems, is all about Paul’s far right-wing political views. As David Gosar told the Washington Post: “There isn’t a kooky, crazy, nutty thing that he isn’t a part of. What are we supposed to do?”
The split started, he says, when his Paul began publicly endorsing the “birther” theory that former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, you have to be kidding me,’” David says. “I’m not going to break bread with a racist.”
The Gosar family have repeatedly complained that they feel embarrassed about their association to their brother. Their attacks appear to be their way to distance themselves from Paul’s name.
“It’s horrible to have to do this,” Jennifer says in another ad for Dr. Brill. “This isn’t just about Paul. It’s about our family.”
Jennifer agreed to do the ad, she told BuzzFeed News, because she thought it was the only way to reach him. “I don’t believe I have any impact on Paul except through some means like this.”
Not everyone in the Gossar family supports their attack ads. Paul’s mother, Bernadette Gosar, told the New York Times that she was “shocked” and “crushed” to see her children in the ad.
“I share the same philosophy and policies that Paul does,” she says. “He’s done a hell of a job for Arizona, and they love him.”
Congressman Paul Gosar himself took to Twitter, sharing the New York Times story with the quip: “I guess I really am Mom’s favorite!”
His siblings, Gosar has pointed out, do not live in Arizona. He insists that their views are “out of sync with what Arizona wants and the country needs”, adding: “Stalin would be proud.”
The attack ads, Dr. Brill warns, aren’t over. He has more coming.
For now, though, Paul Gosar had one last sardonic line for his brothers: “See you at Mom and Dad’s house!”
Hear Dave and Dujanovic’s take on this story:
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