In a lengthy interview with the Los Angeles Times, Republican media consultant Fred Davis expressed regret for the plan he put forward this spring outlining strategy for a potential ad campaign targeting President Obama’s association with his former pastor—Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
The New York Times got a hold of the proposal and published its contents, which included Davis-written language calling Obama a “metrosexual black Abraham Lincoln” and Sen. John McCain “a crusty old politician.”
From the LA Times:
Davis flinches now at those words, which, he said, were never intended for public consumption. Rather, it was an over-the-top exhortation, a private sales pitch to a prospective billionaire funder as enticement to land a $10-million “super PAC” contract. An “intriguing way to get your foot in the door,” Davis called it.
The billionaire, Joe Ricketts, swiftly repudiated the proposal once it became public, as did the presumed Republican nominee, Mitt Romney. “I think it’s the wrong course for a PAC or a campaign,” the former Massachusetts governor told reporters.
Davis, who works in Hollywood, got word of the slap-down indirectly, through the many thousands of emails he received in the days that followed; he has not consumed a word of news coverage since the initial report, finding it too painful.
There have been death threats and sleepless nights. By his account, Davis has lost nearly 10 pounds.