Bradley Plugs His Purity
The CBS News Political Unit is tracking campaign commercials in key races around the country. Sean Richardson analyzes a new TV ad by Bill Bradley, Democratic candidate for president.
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The Ad: The Bill Bradley for President campaign has launched a new 30-second television ad, titled 99 Percent. The new spot, which will begin airing Friday in all states voting on March 7th and March 14th, highlights Bradley's 99 percent lifetime voting record with the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) and his commitment to reproductive choice for women.
Audio: Female Voice Over: "Of the five men running for president, only one candidate has been pro-choice for everyone all the time. Bill Bradley."
Bill Bradley: "This is the kind of issue that you can't straddle. You can't be on both sides. You have to decide which side you're on. Are you anti-choice? Or are you pro-choice? And I decided a long time ago that I'm pro-choice."
Female Voice Over: "Bill Bradley for President."
Video: The spot begins with text appearing on a blank screen highlighting what the voice over is stating, Five Men ... One Candidate ... Pro Choice ... All The Time ... Bill Bradley. The spot then cuts to several action scenes with Bradley interacting with voters. One in particular shows Bradley having a discussion with a woman. The ad then shows Bradley, wearing his customary red, V-neck sweater, talking to the camera.
Fact Check: No inaccuracies.
Strategy: 99 Percent is a direct appeal to pro-choice women voters. It's also a direct response to NARAL's endorsement of Gore this week. The 99 percent contrasts with Gore's mixed record on abortion issues. As a member of the House of Representatives, Gore earned an 84 percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee.
The Bradley campaign has tried to lessen the impact of NARAL's endorsement by criticizing the vice president's consistency on the issue and by claiming that the endorsement has "more to do with politics than a woman's right to choose." Leaders at NARAL, on the other hand, are upset with the Bradley campaign for using the abortion issue as a political wedge.
This ad is similar to the Always spot that Bradley ran in New Hampshire. In both spots, Bradley draws attention to Gore's early voting record in Congress. As a member of the House of Representatives and Senate, Gore opposed federal funding of abortions. Prior to his 1988 candidacy for president, Gore wrote several constituent letters in which he states, "In my opinion, it is wrong to spend federal funds for what is arguably the taking of a human life." He also wrote, "It is my deep, personal conviction that abortion is wrong. I hope that some day we will see a drop in the outrageosly large numbers of abortions which currently take place." However, Gore is pro-choice and NARAL's endorsement could hurt Bradley's efforts to use this issue to draw comparisons between the candidates.