[youtube=http://youtu.be/YYN-Awrq3og]

You may remember when Herman Cain quoted Pokémon, or perhaps when his campaign manager lit up a cigarette at the end of an ad in October. Thought those were bizarre? This video from Cain Connections, Herman Cain’s Super PAC, tops Cain’s list of outlandish publicity stunts.

The advertisement against economic stimulus features a little girl in a dark, desolate valley torturing a goldfish. What on earth does the economy have to do with this? Fair question. Apparently, the struggling fish is a metaphor for the flailing economy and the stimulus just makes it worse. “The goldfish is fine, but our economy isn’t,” reads the YouTube video’s description. “Are you Sick yet? In essence, stimulus has been just like throwing a bucket of water on a fish and expecting him to swim on land.”

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Not surprisingly, the seemingly brutal treatment of the fish sparked concern among animal lovers and social media users, many of whom demanded evidence that no fish were harmed. After all, a 2009 study found that fish can feel pain, the Atlantic Wire points out.

“As the first line of the video description says ‘The goldfish is fine…’” Brad Marston, a consultant who works with Cain Connections told Talking Points Memo. “It is actually swimming happily in the pond at the home of the videographer Chris Burgard.” When asked if the fish suffered at all in the creation of the video, Marston replied in an email, “If it was harmed it didn’t complain.”

What can we say? Cain’s a lot of things, but he’s never boring. Revisit some of the funniest Cain memories with Business Insider’s complete collection.

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