Perry's New Ad 'Must Be Seen to Be Believed'

To say that Rick Perry's new campaign ad is eliciting some strong reactions may be a bit of an understatement. In the Washington Post, Alexandra Petri writes that the ad—which "must be seen to be believed"—fills her "with despair" and "scrapes the bottom of the demagogue barrel" as it invokes the gay menace, the importance of faith in making our nation great, and the war on Christmas. "If someone sees a child celebrating that Holiday That Shall Not Be Named, Barack Obama will come sap their initiative and force their families to become dependent on welfare! At least that is what Rick Perry implies," Petri writes. She's not the only one upset: Jezebel calls the ad "unbelievably bigoted," while Gawker sticks with "miserable" and "most terrible."

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is finally getting dirty—sort of. His latest ad takes a "not-so-subtle swipe" at thrice-married Newt Gingrich, write Patrick O'Connor and Sara Murray in the Wall Street Journal, as Romney touts his 42-year marriage. Without mentioning Gingrich by name, Romney manages to convey that he "is a family man," while Gingrich, "well, isn't," writes Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post. Of course, it may not matter—as Cillizza points out, Gingrich's previously stormy personal life hasn't appeared to sway voters. That may be in part because the controversy in question—an extramarital affair—happened so long ago, many aren't even aware of it. Watch both ads in the gallery or click for a Romney ad that features OJ Simpson or a Ron Paul ad blasting Gingrich. (More Rick Perry 2012 stories.)