Sunday's episode of "Mad Men" — the popular drama about an ad agency in the 1960s — gave a nod to the current political scene, with one character taking a not-so-subtle jab at the father of 2012 Republican front-runner Mitt Romney.
Character Henry Francis, a Republican political aide who had worked for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in previous seasons, is shown fielding a request for his new boss — strongly hinted to be New York City Mayor John Lindsay — to travel to Michigan to appear with then-Gov. George Romney.
“Well, tell Jim his honor’s not going to Michigan. Because Romney’s a clown and I don’t want him standing next to him," Francis responds.
The elder Romney mounted a presidential bid of his own in 1968, two years after this season of the show is set.
The show hasn't been afraid to wade into politics before, with early episodes of the series centered on the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon election.
Although few of the characters on the show are overtly political, executive producer Matthew Weiner has been outspoken about his liberal politics in the past. Weiner appeared on Bill Maher's "Real Time" as a guest panelist Friday.
"There is a concentrated effort, like a football game, to win politics, to win back the Senate, the White House, the Congress, everything by the Republican Party, and they will literally grab on to anything," Weiner said on the show.
