Republican Carly Fiorina's Senate campaign touched off an Internet supernova yesterday with the release of the weirdest political ad ever.

The ad, an attack on Fiorina opponent Tom Campbell, starts with the idea that lambs represent fiscal conservatism, not deliciously slaughter-prone foodstuffs. It then sets out, comically, to prove that Fiorina's opponent is no lamb!

Reaction to the ad was swift, merciless, and hilarious. It quickly spawned a #demonsheep Twitter hashtag that approached the top of the social networking site's trending topics overnight. The spot is now the subject of near-universal mockery.

We reached out to Fiorina's campaign to find out how they're dealing with the response. A spokesperson for the campaign told us the following:

"The response to our web video exposing Tom Campbell's support for tax increases and bigger government has been exactly as intended – it's intentionally edgy and controversial to get people talking and watching. And that's exactly what has happened and we couldn't be more pleased."

Edgy and controversial? We do not think those words mean what you think they mean. It looks more like California voters will now be terrified to vote against Tom Campbell.The Campbell campaign has not returned requests for comment.

Click through to see the ad that inspired it all.




Update: Campbell campaign spokesmen James Fisfis sent the following statement:
"This bizarre video is just the latest sign that the Fiorina campaign is in complete meltdown mode. Tom Campbell will stick to talking about how to rein in federal spending. We're happy to let Carly Fiorina talk to California voters about demon sheep."