Alan Grayson has a new tv ad out, and it's quite the production number. A full minute mirroring The Sopranos opening must have been expensive to make and to air. If it works that's fine but Grayson is in a hard fight against an extreme rightwing candidate in Dan Webster who so far refuses to debate Grayson. Grayson wants a Tea Party candidate included.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

First, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson called opponent Dan Webster a draft-dodger in a campaign ad. Next came a campaign spot labeling him “Taliban Dan.” Now, Grayson has launched a satirical ad that brings Tony Soprano to Florida’s 8th Congressional District.

The spot is a spoof of the opening theme from “The Sopranos,” but instead of mob boss Tony driving through New Jersey, we see a cigar-chomping driver cruising through Central Florida: past Lake Eola, Disney World, and the Western Beltway.

Among other things, the ad points out Webster’s support of tolls. (He chaired a committee established to look at allegations of corruption at the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, but ruled out the suggestion that a recent toll increase should be repealed.)

The ad also takes aim at the Western Beltway. While in the Legislature, Webster spent 20 years pushing for funding for the beltway, one section of a long-sought loop around Orlando meant to give tourists a quicker route to the theme parks and relieve congestion on Interstate 4. Webster himself voted in favor of the legislation that named a portion of the bypass — also known as State Road 429 — “the Daniel Webster Western Beltway,” though in fairness it also named a few other roads.