Pure Horserace: Richardson Opts For Humor
Just two years ago, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was running for re-election as a heavy favorite to win. Still, his campaign didn't take many chances — and, as a result, turned in some of the most entertaining political ads of the 2006 cycle. In one memorable spot, Richardson was cast as an old-West sheriff, rounding up desperados (criminals) and brining the railroad (jobs) into town.
As a decided underdog in the Democratic presidential campaign, Richardson is bringing that same quirky approach to voters in Iowa. In two new ads released Wednesday, Richardson tries to emphasize his deep resume while getting a chuckle at the same time. In one ad, the governor sits at a desk in a nondescript office to be interviewed by a proto-typical boss who's taking the opportunity to munch on his sandwich during the process.
The interviewer asks, "OK, 14 years in Congress, U.N. Ambassador, Secretary of Energy, Governor of New Mexico. Negotiated with dictators in Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Zaire, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Kenya … got a ceasefire in Darfur … nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize four times … So … What makes you think you can be president?"
The second ad is an extension of the first, emphasizing Richardson's record in New Mexico and ends with the "boss" telling him, "for what we're looking for, you might be a little overqualified."
You can watch the ads for yourself at Richardson's Web site. A couple of funny ads aren't going to shift the political terrain in Iowa or anywhere else, but for voters accustomed to seeing conventional cookie-cutter political pitches, they're certain to be noticed. And for Richardson, who has spent a good deal of time asking voters to take a look at him, that's a good start.
Ad Slots Filling Up Fast: Richardson is not the only candidate on the air. Mitt Romney and John Edwards have already hit the airwaves with campaign ads this year, and both are expanding their buys. Edwards, who last week began running ads in Washington calling on Democrats in Congress to re-introduce the same Iraq funding bill vetoed by President Bush earlier this month, has taken that message to Iowa with a similar ad featuring Iowans.
The ad urges Democrats not to back down in their battle with the president over a timeline for the withdrawal of troops in Iraq, a message many in the party's base likes to hear. Romney, on the other hand, looks to be putting some muscle in his message with a new ad, to run on cable nationally and in Iowa and New Hampshire, in which he pledges to expand the nation's military might. Peace and strength both on the menu for primary voters this week.
Gaffe Watch: It's usually the kind of thing late-night comics dream of, a prominent presidential candidate tripping over his tongue and committing a verbal gaffe of some sort. With the all-time champion of the misspeak entering into the final two years of his presidency, auditions are open for a worthy successor — but don't expect too many laughs at the expense of Barack Obama for his recent slip-up over the recent tragedy in Kansas.
Delivering a stem-winder at a fundraiser in Virginia on Tuesday, Obama referenced the devastating tornado which devastated the town of Greensburg, and then claimed that "ten thousand people died" in the twister which actually claimed 12 lives. Obama apparently realized the mistake a few moments later and told the crowd, "There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes."
A Wild, Wild Test? Hundreds of millions of dollars are being gobbled up by voracious presidential campaigns, tens of millions more are being collected by special interest groups, who knows how much is about to be unleashed by those mysterious "Swift Boat"-type 527s over the next year and a half — and there's no entity in place to police it all? What could go wrong?
The Boston Globe reports on the political logjam at the Federal Election Commission, where not one of the six commissioner slots is currently filled by confirmed nominees. According to the article, three of the appointees have yet to be confirmed by the Senate, two are serving despite the fact that their terms have expired, awaiting new nominations and there is one vacancy. And with partisan bickering expected to keep things tied up for the foreseeable future, that situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.
A Little More Fine-Tuning: The lackluster reviews of Fred Thompson's speech to a gathering of California conservatives last week has caused the former Tennessee senator and putative presidential candidate to revamp his stump speech, according to a report in The Politico.
Thompson will deliver a follow-up speech to activists in Virginia, and aides are predicting a more vigorous performance than Thompson reportedly turned in last week. For a non-candidate, Thompson is receiving an inordinate amount of attention from political watchers and operatives and an increasing amount of not-so-positive press. It's not always easy to be a party's knight in shining armor.
Editor's Note: Pure Horserace is a daily update of political news as interpreted by the political observers at CBSNews.com. Click here to sign up for the e-mail version.
By Vaughn Ververs and David Miller