JOHN E. CLOSES STRONG

There is less than a week until the Iowa Caucuses. The three Dem front-runners are making their closing arguments. With the clock ticking down each has two story goals:

1) To explain the core Passion that drives their candidacy so that people care enough to actually go out on a cold, dark night to the caucuses and vote.

2) Offer them a chance to be a hero in their own story knowing their vote really matters.

John Edwards has two new ads that do an excellent job on both counts. Check them out.

The first, “A Time to Tell the Truth” has him rallying the troops with a real barn burner of a speech. The core of John E’s candidacy is unabashed economic populism. The Middle Class is being squeezed and someone has to be strong enough to stand up and fight. As he makes his case people in the audience nod their agreement. It is easy to see how he won all those big-ticket lawsuits against deep pocket corporations. I counted seven shots that featured an American flag. The ad ends with thunderous applause. I defy anyone to watch it and not get a little fired up.

In the second, “The Choice” Edwards faces the camera and makes a one-on-one personal appeal. You can almost feel him leaning over the jury box, turning on the charm. And he does a very nice job of pigeonholing his opponents without naming names (saying “the status quo and good intentions aren’t enough’ – gee I wonder which is Hillary and which Obama?)

Both ads end saying something big is starting “right here in Iowa” that will sweep the nation. He makes it clear that what he is doing (running) and what the people of Iowa are doing (voting) are equally important. Equality is the essence of a democratic hero.

It is very, very nicely done indeed.