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LINCOLN — Top officials of the Nebraska Chapter of the Sierra Club on Friday disavowed television advertisements targeting Nebraska's two U.S. senators for their vote on climate change legislation.
State Sen. Ken Haar of Lincoln, who has been on the local Sierra Club board, called the ads "stupid" and said he found them "personally offensive."
"Attacking is not the way we do business in the state of Nebraska," Haar said. "It reflects badly on Nebraska and makes it harder to work with our senators."
The ads, which began running this month, depict an oil-covered man being pulled from the ocean.
Some ads identify the man as U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat, and some identify him as Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns.
A third ad targets U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina.
Workers try to scrub the man clean, while a person identified as the rescue boat captain says, "We're trying our best out here but until they can support clean energy climate legislation, I don't think we can save them."
The ad then cuts to a "newscaster" who comments, "Soaked in big oil's influence, another slick politician."
The ads are sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, the Service Employees International Union and the VoteVets.org Action Fund.
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