Notes on a campaign ad

This campaign ad has been getting quite a bit of attention lately, and it's not from a presidential candidate. Even the AP wrote a story calling it "brazen." It's also been hailed as:

"2016's best campaign ad" (Raw Story)
"one of the most striking campaign ads" (New York Times"
"provocative" (USA Today)
"new caliber of gun ad" (WaPo)
"remarkable" (AdWeek)

The ad depicts Missouri Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jason Kander displaying his comfort and skill with guns by assembling an AR-15 blindfolded. As he does this, he calmly talks about his service in Afghanistan and challenges his opponent, the NRA-backed Roy Blunt, to demonstrate similar prowess.

The imagery and audio of the ad are arresting. Filmed in a subdued, empty warehouse, the frame focuses entirely on Kander and his moving hands as he methodically - almost robotically -  assembles the gun. It's clear that he is comfortable and knowledgeable with such a politically charged object, a nod to the prominence of guns in the state and their significance to candidates (it's "all guns all the time," according to a political science professor at the University of Missouri). Kander calmly recalls his service in the military (something that always plays well), while the chilling clang of metal on metal emphasizes his words. I think everyone can recognize the final click of a bullet entering the chamber, just before Kander challenges his opponent.

This ad is exactly the sort of hardball that media and voters love. It's an invitation and provocation, highly dramatic but simple, and hits hard without resorting to the usual "he said, she said."