Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker has released a new ad in which he wears boxing gloves and says he'll whoop the likely Democratic nominee, Tom Barrett. Is this insensitive, though, considering Tom Barrett was "viciously beaten" last year?

In the ad, Walker claims Barrett is "throwing punches" at him, but he'll fight back, presumably with his boxing gloves on, and "go the distance" this November. The AP notes that all this fightin' talk might bring back terrible memories for Tom Barrett:

Scott Walker's campaign said Tuesday that it didn't intend to make reference to the August 2009 attack outside the Wisconsin State Fair that left Tom Barrett, Milwaukee's mayor, with injuries to his head, mouth, face and hand. Barrett tried to help a screaming woman struggling to protect her 1-year-old granddaughter from being taken by her drunk, belligerent father.

The attacker, who was sentenced in July to 12 years in prison, beat Barrett with a metal object. The mayor has had three surgeries on his hand, which doctors say may never fully recover.

So maybe it was an uncomfortable choice of common metaphors by Walker's media people, but it's hard to imagine they meant any malice. What possible gain could Walker have gotten by subliminally telling voters, "Hey, remember when that loser Tom Barrett got the shit kicked out of him? Well, I'm gonna do it again!"

Besides, look at this scrawny guy, Walker. He couldn't box anyone.

[via First Read]