Following in the footsteps of Carl Paladino's probably unhelpful stink-bomb mailer to his constituents, another campaign, that of California congressional candidate Van Tran, has sent out a stinky scratch-and-sniff mailer. And, when engaged, it smells like absolute shit.

While it was wise of Van Tran to make the smelling component of his mailer optional, voters interested in playing along with this wacky little joke probably ended up really pissed off at Van Tran. It shouldn't smell that bad.

Wrote one Capitol Alert reader who received the mailer: "It is a horrible odor – like a combination of five or six of the worst possible scents you can imagine."

One problem with this stinky-stunt mailer tactic is that it always comes with the same hackneyed and instantly predictable punchline. Paladino's mailer read, "Something STINKS in Albany." Tran's, similarly, says, "Something smells rotten about Loretta [Sanchez] – it's the stench of Washington." This is not the funniest line of all time! Much less one that makes up for the fact that you've just sent paper-shit to voters' homes. Don't you think? Maybe their dynamo strategists and pollsters know better. But they don't, so stop sending obnoxious stink mailers from Hell.

Interesting race out there in California, by the way. Tran's opponent, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, is the one who told Univision that "the Vietnamese" were coming for her.

Six more days.

[Photo via Getty]