Greetings, Dear Reader,
Every morning, I spring out of bed wondering what I missed while I was asleep.
You feel me?
Let’s get after it.
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL
An ad cut by the LA County Federation of Labor started going viral in conservative circles over the weekend.
It’s short, only 30 seconds. It’s also so bad that I can’t believe it’s actually real.
Here’s the ad if you want to watch it. Here’s the transcript (thanks, Grok!):
Voiceover (serious tone):
“Republican Spencer Pratt is the last thing Los Angeles needs for mayor.”
[Cut to suburban housing development image]
On-screen text: “Republican Spencer Pratt opposes using taxpayer money to build brand new houses for our UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS”
Voiceover:
“Pratt opposes using taxpayer money to build brand new houses for our unhoused neighbors, saying it’s time for homeless people to get help or get out.”
[Cut to Pratt in radio studio with California Post headline graphic: “Spencer Pratt is taking a hard line on the city’s homelessness, laying out a ‘get help or get out’ approach”]
Voiceover continues seamlessly.
[Cut to protest scene with police officer and protesters holding signs like “NO Justice NO Peace”]
On-screen text: “Republican Spencer Pratt thinks: LA NEEDS THOUSANDS MORE POLICE OFFICERS”
Voiceover:
“Pratt thinks LA needs thousands more police officers rather than social workers.”
[Cut to crowd of union/public employee protesters holding signs like “FULLY STAFFED SCHOOLS NOW,” “WE NEED SMALLER CLASS SIZES,” etc.]
On-screen text: “Republican Spencer Pratt thinks: PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS SHOULD HAVE LESS POWER”
Voiceover:
“And Republican Spencer Pratt thinks public employee unions should have less power, not more.”
[Cut to LA skyline/city hall building shots]
On-screen text: “LA IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK”
Voiceover:
“LA is on the right track and needs to stay the course.”
[Final screen: Pratt at podium again]
Large text: “VOTE NO ON REPUBLICAN SPENCER PRATT”
Smaller disclaimer text at bottom: “Not authorized by or coordinated with a City candidate... Ad paid for by LA Unions Opposed to Spencer Pratt for Mayor 2026, Sponsored by Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO...”
Voiceover (final):
“Vote no on Republican Spencer Pratt.”
End of ad.
To recap, the ad highlights three policy positions:
Pratt believes government should be more aggressive on homelessness.
He believes the streets need more police and fewer social workers.
He believes public sector unions should be sapped of power.
In other words, the second biggest labor federation in the country is spending a quarter million dollars on a campaign attack ad that makes Spencer Pratt look … sane? That’s why the ad is going viral among conservatives online. The ad makes Pratt “look cool.”
I know, I know, Twitter is not real life. What do the actual stats say?
I suppose it would be safe to assume that LA voters do not have the same grip on reality that national voters do. So would you be shocked to learn that on these three policies, they’re actually pretty close to national figures?
Voters nationally have a strong bipartisan lean toward conditional, temporary shelters to get homeless off the streets. They’re skeptical of taxpayer-funded permanent housing initiatives.
LA voters are almost identical. Forty-four percent support temporary shelters with stipulations versus 25% who support permanent housing. Like national polls, the vast majority (3+ of 4) believe government has mishandled public funds in the fight against homelessness.
Both characterize it as a worsening problem, but LA voters are more likely to equate the problem to a “natural disaster.” (lol, LA of course.)
Do we even need to cover the police part of the ad?
A broad plurality of LA County voters support expanding police presence. The only cohort that does not – *ding ding ding* you guessed it – is young people. While they support increased funding for social services, crucially, they do not think it should come at the cost of police presence.
Again, LA County largely mirrors national public sentiment.
The public sector union angle of attack isn’t as clear as the other two. Public sector unions generally have high support among national and LA County voters (~76%). At the same time, an almost identical figure supports “right to work,” the policy which precludes mandatory union membership (82%).
Majorities in both contexts disapprove of exorbitant public sector salaries.
In LA County specifically, labor support dominates mayoral races. Voters widely back union policy initiatives.
So on that note, Pratt is likely to face voter headwinds.
Here’s the problem for that part of the labor federation’s ad, however: Voters don’t rank these policies equally.
By a long shot, homelessness is the top issue in LA County (95% deemed most serious). Then cost of living, affordability, government mismanagement and utility costs take the next four ranks. Public safety comes in at 62% of voters deeming it a “serious” issue.
Here’s the kicker, where the ad is supposedly strongest: Public issue polling doesn’t even rank any union policy goals because so few voters “spontaneously” mention them. That means less than 1% of voters think about union goals when asked what their priorities are.
To summarize: The LA Labor Fed spent a quarter million dollars highlighting where Spencer Pratt is strongest against their preferred candidate, Karen Bass.
Good job, guys, real high IQ stuff.
MORE LINKS
Why Republicans Greenlit The Orwellian ‘Kill Switch’ In Your Car
This should be in the news more.
—
We May Finally Get Answers On COVID-Era Mass Prisoner Release Deal
About time.
—
When we refuse to put people in jail, the rest of society becomes an open-air prison.
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