The theft and misleading use of ad footage by anti-worker group Building a Better Ohio is making waves in Ohio. Building a Better Ohio took footage in which, over images of a little girl being carried from a burning building by a fire fighter, the girl's great-grandmother said she was voting no on Issue 2 because "Issue 2 makes it illegal to negotiate for enough fire fighters to do their job," cut the woman's statement up, and added voiceover directly implying that she was supporting Issue 2.

Marlene Quinn, the great-grandmother whose words were misappropriated, says:

"I think it's dishonest and downright deceitful that they would use footage of me to try to play tricks and fool voters. It's insulting to the brave firefighters that saved the lives of my grandson and my great-granddaughter Zoey. I'm outraged. They did not ask my permission. I feel violated. I want to stop Senate Bill 5. Everyone should vote No on Issue 2.”

The Cincinnati firefighter who is pictured rescuing the little girl is also calling for the ad to be pulled.

Now, five television stations have pulled the ad and We Are Ohio, the anti-Issue 2 group that ran the original, truthful ad, is thinking about suing and filing an election complaint against Building a Better Ohio. Building a Better Ohio, meanwhile, claims that they had every right to portray Quinn as taking the opposite position to her real one because she made a political statement. This is actually something worth getting an official ruling on, because such a deceptive use of an opponent's ad is pretty much unheard-of and political advertising would be significantly changed if this became the norm. But in the short term, any television station running this ad should face pressure to drop it.

And vote no on Issue 2.

Update: According to Huffington Post, 27 television stations have now pulled the ad, while 15 "are either still running the ad or considering what action to take." Building a Better Ohio continues to call the ad "factual and verifiable."