This ad will be running in Iowa. It’s a great issue ad. Aside from a minor quibble left over from years of college forensics (don’t fold your hands in front of you while you speak, Governor!) I think it’s quite good.
I am a big “message” guy. Issue positions are like ingredients for a meal. They’re essential, and you can’t make a good meal without good choices at the supermarket, but they are not, without more, dinner. Every campaign needs a message that unifies the issue positions of the candidate into a coherent package that voters can “get” at a gut level. This helps them contrast the candidate with other candidates and also helps them remember the issue stances. Messages are generally phrased in terms of dynamics; the classic example is Clinton in 1992. Change vs. More of the Same.
I have written before that I think the obvious message for the Richardson folks is proven leadership vs. inexperience. In the primaries, you have to be more positive, so Richardson needs to emphasize the good part of that dynamic rather than call out the other candidates as inexperienced. This ad does this, subtly; at the very end, Richardson makes a strong statement: George Bush won’t do that. But I will. The implicit image is of leadership.
It could be more explicit. Mentioning Richardson’s Iraq experience (the hostage negotiations, etc.) might have been better than calling on Congress to do something. But I’m nitpicking at details. It’s a great ad; watch it right now.