New Biden Ad in Iowa

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 515

Following the introduction of his first TV ad in Iowa on Sunday, Delaware Senator and presidential candidate Joe Biden has introduced a second ad in Iowa, titled "Security."



With his first ad introduced to coincide with last Sunday's debate, followed by this second spot, Biden seems to be betting that larger numbers of voters are now starting to tune in to the race, and that they want to know, beyond anything else, who has the best plan for dealing with the war. That would explain why both of Biden's ads are policy/position oriented, rather than biographical.

The question with this approach, as, indeed, with Biden's entire campaign to date, is whether voters can be persuaded to accept supporting a candidate as Policy Guy, rather than as Guy Most Likely to be Featured in a Hallmark Commercial. Granted, Iowa voters have a deserved reputation for preferring substance over flash, so if such a strategy can work anywhere, it would be here. But I think most political observers would still rate this approach as something of a longshot.

In any case, it is certainly true that if Joe Biden is to survive in this race, he needs to break out of low single-digit polling numbers, and soon. We'll see if the new ads help him do it.