The Fetterman campaign released a campaign ad mocking Mehmet Oz as a quack doctor. The ad is a mashup, splicing together clips with The Simpsons character Dr. Nick and clips of Dr. Oz from his former television show. However, the campaign did not get permission from Disney before running the ad. Insiders say that permission was not granted to the Fetterman campaign to use The Simpsons‘ characters, footage, and music.

The Simpsons has been a pop culture mainstay for more than 30 years. Disney, no doubt, is very protective of the use of its valuable IP. So far there has not been a comment from Disney. A standard response would be for Disney to insist on the Fetterman campaign pausing the ad until, or if, permission is granted.

The release of the ad follows an article about Oz and his television show where he sometimes promoted some questionable products. The Washington Post piece can be described, at least by me, as a hit piece. The purpose is to drive home that Oz is a quack.

But during the show’s run from 2009 to 2021, Oz provided a platform for potentially dangerous products and fringe viewpoints, aimed at millions of viewers, according to medical experts, public health organizations and federal health guidance. The treatments that Oz promoted included HCG, garcinia cambogia — an herbal weight-loss product the FDA has said can cause liver damage — and selenium — a trace mineral needed for normal body functioning — for cancer prevention, among others.

“He spouts unproven treatments for things and supposed ways to maintain and regain health,” said Henry I. Miller, one of 10 physicians who in 2015 tried to have Oz removed from the faculty at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Miller described Oz, in his view, as someone who has been an advocate of “quack cures.”

You get the picture. The fact is that Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon. He was a member of the faculty at Columbia University. His medical training and career doesn’t point to a quack. The television career was a separate entity. His campaign spokesperson responded to the WaPo piece.

“On his show, Dr. Oz welcomed open, honest conversations and opinions from all kinds of folks,” Oz campaign spokesperson Brittany Yanick told the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet for Monday’s piece. “It’s idiotic and preposterous to imply that he shared the same beliefs and opinions as every guest on his show, or that having someone on his show constitutes a blanket endorsement of their beliefs,” Yanick added in response to an oft-leveled critique of the GOP contender throughout the 2009-21 run of his syndicated daytimer, which was co-produced by Oprah Winfrey.

The Oz and Fetterman campaigns have tried to one-up each other on personal attacks, though I think Oz has been a little more restrained than Fetterman. Oz, as a medical doctor, could have blasted Fetterman’s obvious effects from the stroke he suffered during the campaign. Fetterman is still recovering and there is no indication one way or the other that he will get back to 100% of how he was before the stroke. The Fetterman campaign hasn’t been very transparent with his medical records. Oz, a political rookie, has made some mistakes of his own.

When Oz tried his own hand at appropriating a popular entertainment franchise, joking about Fetterman’s health-related time away from campaigning with a Lost-style poster, the show’s co-creator Damon Lindelof re-posted Oz’s tweet with the caption: “He had a stroke, DOCTOR. And the island is healing him as we speak. If you actually WATCHED Lost, you’d know not to f*ck with the bald guy.”

The other time Oz sought to go on the attack was his “crudité” ad, which, in a state that prides itself on being the birthplace of Yuengling, became a mockery among locals even before Fetterman got around to hitting back.

Fetterman tweeted out the ad. “They say the Simpsons always predict the future – and once again, they nailed it.”

Before there was Dr. Oz, there was Dr. Nick.
 
They say the Simpsons always predict the future – and once again, they nailed it. pic.twitter.com/hx5ivJtpdg

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) October 3, 2022

Fetterman’s lead over Oz is shrinking. The Real Clear Politics aggregate averaging has Fetterman’s lead at 4.3 points. This can be an important race as far as a GOP takeover of the Senate goes. Republicans need to hold the seat being vacated by Senator Toomey. We’ll see if woke Disney approves the ad and supports Fetterman.