Tom Emmer defends against drunken-driving attack ad [VIDEO]

Tom Emmer battles claims about drunken driving

Quick work on the damage control: The morning after lefty non-profit Alliance for a Better Minnesota unveiled a hit job on Tom Emmer's drunken driving and legislative record, Emmer is firing back with its own ad. It denies Emmer sponsored a bill to reduce penalties for drunk drivers, but did author legislation put forward by prosecutors to "allow prosecutors to spend more time actually prosecuting drunk drivers."

The post also includes a video Emmer made back in the spring addressing his drunk driving, in which the candidate admits that he's made mistakes in his life, but says God gave him a wake-up call and he has learned from those mistakes.

The video rebuttal takes a strange, walk-a-mile-in-my-shoes turn towards the end, when Emmer seems to suggest that people should vote for him because of his drunk-driving arrests:

If you don't know what it feels like to be on both sides of that equation, then how can you possibly express to someone how it is that you have the wisdom, that you have the understanding, to provide the vision for a better Minnesota?

Here's the video: