"New Ad: Obama Asks Iowans to Believe" (with video)

NY Times, with video (01:01):

Senator Barack Obama is going on the air today with a new 60-second television commercial in Iowa, talking directly to the camera as he makes his case to voters about the kind of not-from-Washington experience he brings to the race.

The ad, titled “Believe,” is a synopsis of the argument Mr. Obama has been making on the campaign trail since Labor Day. The spot, which arrived at television stations Tuesday, will be seen with greater frequency than others by Mr. Obama. By stepping up the ad buy, the campaign hopes to shake up what many Democrats believe is a fairly static, three-way race in Iowa.

The commercial, for the first time, features Mr. Obama looking directly into the camera, speaking directly to voters. There is no music or footage from campaign rallies and no mention of his rivals.

Before it is released later today, here is an early look at a few lines from the script:


“Every time I speak about my hope for America, the cynics in Washington roll their eyes.
You see, they don’t believe we can actually change politics and bring an end to decades of division and deadlock. They don’t believe we can limit the power of lobbyists who block our progress, or that we can trust the American people with the truth.
And that’s why we face the same problems and hear the same promises every four years. My experience tells me something very different.”


Before closing the ad, the camera draws closer as he reminds voters that he “defied the politics of the moment, and opposed the war in Iraq before it began.”

For now, the ad is only expected to be broadcast in Iowa. Watch for it to expand to other early-voting states in the weeks to come.