David Catania slams Muriel Bowser with puppets

D.C. mayoral candidate David A. Catania (I) released this ad featuring man-on-the-street style interviews with puppets criticizing his opponent, Muriel Bowser (D). (Video: David A. Catania via YouTube)

Updated 1:40 p.m. with comment from Bowser campaign

Mayoral candidate David A. Catania’s latest Web video is a campaign ad that might have warmed Jim Henson’s heart.

Maybe.

The minute-long clip posted on YouTube and e-mailed to Catania supporters Wednesday uses hand puppets to lampoon Democratic rival Muriel Bowser. To be precise, a mustachioed green tape recorder wearing a top hat says he’s “out here on the street today to find out why people might support Muriel Bowser.”

Among the reasons: “Avoiding the tough issues is probably the best way to solve them”; “Muriel isn’t afraid to speak out, even when she doesn’t quite understand an issue”; and “I love business as usual in city hall, it’s that simple.”

The tagline: “Don’t be a puppet. Vote independent this November.”

Catania campaign manager Ben Young said he did not personally make the puppets for the ad. The ad was conceived and executed by the campaign’s digital media consultant, Arun Chaudhary of Revolution Messaging.

Regardless of why people might be supporting Bowser, a recent NBC4/Washington Post/Marist poll showed that a solid plurality do.

Said Joaquin McPeek, a spokesman for Bowser, “The only thing more comical than his puppets is his internal polling.”