New Richardson TV ads use humor to woo voters

Gov. Bill Richardson has unveiled some humorous and clever television commercials he plans to begin running in Iowa on Thursday.

The commercials are designed to “make light of the political establishment’s view of the governor’s campaign for president,” a news release from the campaign states. The first two ads in a planned series portraying a mock job interview were released today and will begin running Thursday. You can watch them at the end of this article.

The first begins with the camera on Richardson, who is waiting while an interviewer looks over his résumé. The interviewer then runs through Richardson’s credentials – “14 years in Congress, U.N. ambassador, secretary of energy, governor of New Mexico,” and on and on about negotiating with dictators and being nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

But the interviewer appears to be bored. As he takes a bite of a sandwich, he says, “So, what makes you think you can be president?”

The ad then cuts to some comical music and a snazzy new logo for the Richardson campaign, then goes back to Richardson, who turns to the camera with a look that seems to say, “Are you kidding me?”

The words “To be continued” end the commercial.

The second commercial begins with the interviewer asking Richardson to tell him about what he has done as New Mexico governor. Each time Richardson speaks, the interviewer interrupts to finish sentences about job growth and increased teacher pay. He looks unimpressed.

“For what we’re looking for, you might be little overqualified,” the interviewer tells Richardson. Then the same snazzy logo flashes across the screen.

Campaign Manager Dave Contarino said the goal was “to do something original in a presidential campaign, and that was to use humor to communicate Governor Richardson’s vast record of achievement in public service, foreign affairs and as governor of New Mexico.”

“By highlighting Governor Richardson’s sense of humor about his status in the race, we’re also giving voters a window into the governor’s personality and his willingness to poke a little fun at himself and the process of running for president,” Contarino said.

The idea is brilliant. The ads will get attention, leave voters with the impression that Richardson has a great deal of experience, and make him seem likeable and funny. Since star power is so important in the current age, it’s a way for Richardson to distinguish himself.

The ads are spin, of course, and one glaring issue stood out to me. The interviewer, when going through Richardson’s résumé, says the governor “got a cease fire in Darfur.” The truth is more complicated. Richardson returned from Sudan last year saying he had pledges of a cease fire from the government and rebels, but the rebels are fractured, and some groups said they had agreed to no ceasefire.

The ceasefire never really materialized, but Richardson’s visit did help pave the way for more U.N. involvement in the conflict.

The strategy: Focus on Iowa and New Hampshire

The commercials will begin airing on broadcast stations and cable television in Iowa on Thursday.

It appears that, since former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack dropped out of the race in February, Richardson has decided to put a lot of resources into Iowa. Last month, he became the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to run commercials in any state. Though his campaign made a small media buy in New Hampshire, he spent most of the money for those first commercials in Iowa. Now he’s running commercials again in that state.

An e-mail from Contarino to campaign supporters says the new ads will also run in New Hampshire, but doesn’t say when.

He makes reference in the e-mail to the ever-shifting primary calendar and Richardson’s strategy.

“With more than 20 states holding primaries and caucuses in the two weeks after Iowa and New Hampshire, these two early contests are more important than ever,” Contarino wrote. “A strong start will give our campaign a wave of momentum that will carry Governor Richardson to the nomination.”

Here are the commercials. They should get a smile out of even Richardson haters.