Hillary's One-Two Punch

A Second Ad Suggests He's Not In Touch With Upstate N.Y. Needs

(CBS)  The CBS News Political Unit is tracking the latest campaign commercials. Francesca Gessner analyzes a pair of TV ads from Hillary Clinton attacking opponent Rick Lazio.

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The Ads:
New York Democratic Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has unveiled two TV ads targeting her Republican opponent Rep. Rick Lazio. The first ad titled Important attacks Lazio’s connection to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and features recent footage of Lazio on NBC’s Meet the Press calling Gingrich “an important historical figure.” The second ad titled Ostrich criticizes Lazio for ignoring upstate New York’s economic needs and promotes Hillary’s plan to bring jobs to upstate. Important is airing statewide in New York while Ostrich is running upstate only.

Audio for Important:
Announcer: “What does Rick Lazio think of Newt Gingrich?”
Lazio: “I think he was an important historical figure.”
Announcer: “Newt Gingrich? An important historical figure? And Lazio didn't say that about Gingrich five years ago...it was just last week. Lazio did serve as Newt Gingrich's deputy whip for four years. And he still says he has absolutely no regrets about voting with Gingrich to take $270 billion out of Medicare. No regrets about voting to shut down the Department of Education. If that's Rick Lazio's view of history...think about what it could mean for our future.”

Visual for Important:
The ad opens with white text on a black screen: “What does Rick Lazio think of Newt Gingrich?” We then see footage of Lazio saying, “I think he was a, a…an important historical figure,” with the source of the footage listed below: “Meet the Press” October 1, 2000. Then the following words run across the screen in quick succession: “Newt Gingrich….” “an important,” “historical,” “figure?” Next we see footage of Lazio and Gingrich standing together, with the text, “Rick Lazio” above and “Newt Gingrich’s Deputy Whip - Source: Roll Call 12/19/94” below. Then we see the text, ‘No Regrets About Voting with Gingrich to take $270 billion out of Medicare. Source RC #812, HR-2491 11/17/95.” Next, the text, “No regrets about voting to shut down the department of Education - Source RC #345, H-Con Res 67 5/18/95.” The image of Lazio and Gingrich gets smaller while the text “If that’s Rick Lazio’s view of history” runs above the image and “think about what it could mean for our future,” runs on the bottom. The ad concludes with the text, “Paid for by Friends of Hillary.”

Fact check for Important:
Regarding Lazio’s vote with Gingrich to “take $270 billion out of Medicare,” Lazi voted in 1995 to reduce the rate of growth in Medicare spending by $270 billion. Lazio contends that slowing the rate of growth does not amount to a cut in the Medicare budget.

Audio for Ostrich:
Announcer: “Over the last 5 years, upstate New York has ranked near the bottom of the nation in job growth. And since 1992, 170,000 young people have left. But Rick Lazio doesn't think the area needs targeted economic help. Guess it's hard to find a solution when you can't see the problem. Hillary Clinton. A strong voice for New York families with a detailed plan to create jobs in upstate New York.”

Visual for Ostrich: The ad opens with a shot of an ostrich and as the announcer says, “Guess it’s hard to find a solution when you can’t see the problem,” the ostrich hides its head. The ad then shifts gears to shots of Hillary walking with people and shaking hands. The ad concludes with the following text on screen: “Paid for by Friends of Hillary. Call 1-888-HILLARY for a copy of her plan.”

Fact check for Ostrich:
While Clinton maintains that Lazio’s economic plan provides no targeted help to upstate New York, Lazio says his overall plan to cut taxes, reduce regulation, and promote technology would spur job growth across the state.

The Strategy:
While Important follows a long-running strategy in the Clinton campaign to tarnish Lazio’s moderate image by linking him to the unpopular Newt Gingrich (as she did in the Oct. 8 debate), Ostrich signals the increasing importance of the upstate region in the final weeks of this senate campaign. Ever since Lazio proclaimed in a Sept. 13 debate that the “upstate economy has turned the corner,” Clinton has attacked Lazio for painting an unrealistically optimistic picture of the upstate economy. Ostrich aims to portray Lazio as being out of touch with the struggles of upstate New Yorkers, thereby turning the carpetbagger issue on its head. Lazio’s take on the upstate economy has been complicated by the fact that New York’s Republican Governor George Pataki is a close ally of Lazio’s and any criticism Lazio might make of the region’s economy could anger Pataki, who is up for re-election in 2002. Ultimately, Ostrich signals the degree to which upstate has become the key battleground in the New York Senate race. Clinton is doing surprisingly well in the traditionally Republican region, and Ostrich reflects her campaign’s awareness that Lazio cannot win without a strong showing upstate.