A Hairy Situation
Chris Dodd is up with a new TV ad today, highlighting his ability to achieve results.
The 60-second spot, which will run in IA and on nat'l cable networks, introduces John and Jesse -- two barbers at Jim's in Winterset, IA -- who are engaged in a debate over how Dodd's hair got so white.
Full script, "Jim's":
BARBER #1: "You know he was in the Peace Corps. Served in the military, too." BARBER #2: "Is that when it started?" DODD: "No, I didn't get the white hair from the Peace Corps or the military." BARBER #1: "You know, as a senator, Chris Dodd personally helped to negotiate peace in Central America and in Northern Ireland." BARBER #2: "That'll give you some white hair." DODD: "26 years on the Foreign Relations Committee? Oh yeah, that'll do it." BARBER #1: "And it was Dodd who passed the Family and Medical Leave Act. You know, it took gettin' Democrats and Republicans together to get that done." DODD: "I got a lot of white hairs from that one." BARBER #2: "It seems like he's more interested in getting results, not just ... fighting." BARBER #1: "And if he got nominated, we'd have a Democrat who could win. Plus, I figure he'd make the best president of them all." BARBER #2: "Iowa firefighters back him, right?" DODD: "Yep, that's right." [Dodd enters the barber shop] KID: "Hey, it's Chris Dodd! We were just talking about you." DODD [voice fading off]: "Nice to meet you. Looks like I'm up, guys. How much are these haircuts?" ANNCR: "Chris Dodd. Results for a change." DODD: "I'm Chris Dodd, and I approve this message."
The ad follows the same argument that Dodd has been making for months: that he is the experienced candidate who has actually produced results. This serves as a hit against Hillary Clinton, whom Dodd has criticized repeatedly for failing to produce results with universal health care when she had the chance in the '90s. Dodd, in recent interviews and campaign appearances, has made this a centerpiece in his attacks against HRC. He has criticized her for failing to speak about her past health care failures as more than a mere personal failure -- it was also failure with consequences for millions of uninsured Americans.
However, one cannot help but wonder if there is also a subtle dig at John Edwards in the new ad. At the conclusion, as Dodd enters the small-town IA barber shop, which serves as the ad's setting, he asks: "How much are these haircuts?" I'd be willing to bet, a lot less than $400.
