Compare the copycat ads for yourself after the jump!

Here's the Florida ad:

iPhone users: Click to watch

And here's the Arizona ad:

iPhone users: Click to watch

In a press release from Florida's SayNo2 Campaign, called "The Photoshop Sincerity of Amendment 2", they blast the backers of the ads:

"It's an insult to Floridians that they can send down a Photoshop ad like this and expect us to buy it," said Derek Newton, campaign manager for SayNo2 - the campaign to defeat Amendment 2. "It's obvious the sponsors of Amendment 2 cannot even find real Floridians with authentic life experiences to be in their ads. It doesn't speak to how well they know Florida - of even care about what we think."

Even worse, the pictures are as fake as the message. The ad says, "Amendment 2 does only one thing - defining marriage as the union of a man and woman. That's it."

It seems the sponsors may not even be aware that the entire last half of Amendment 2 - indeed the subject of the proposal - is: "no other union that is treated as marriage, or the substantial equivalent thereof, shall be valid or recognized."

This new and undefined "substantial equivalent" language is a legal time bomb that could actually take away existing rights and benefits from Floridians...

The Tucson Observer points out the possible problems the identical ads could lead when it comes to campaign financing:

So how then two state issues can have the same video, audio but with a slightly altered script? Are Floridian's paying for Arizona's ad or vice versa. According to the campaign finance reports for yesformarriage.com (Arizona Proposition 102), a firm called Design4 Advertising, with the address given of 106 N. Collins St., in Plant City, Florida, has received a total of $2,309,000 (with the last installment on 8/29/08) for "communications - advertising." When one searches for this firm on the Internet nothing turns up but if you Google, "Design4" and "Marketing," the following turns up for this firm: "Design4 Marketing Communications," eighteen years of applying modern media to a timeless message in service to national Christian ministries, public policy organizations and issue advocacy groups," and are located at 106 N. Collins St., in Plant City, Florida. This is the only page on this website.

So how then can two different campaigns, similar issue, two to three time zones apart have the same ad, if proponents of such measures are donating?

That's a great question. Here's my simple answer-

The same ad = the same lies. Let's defeat both of these amendments.

To help defeat Florida's Amendment 2, visit www.SayNo2.com
To help defeat Arizona's Prop 102, visit www.votenoprop102.com

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