Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul, now making his third bid for the presidency, unveiled two new television advertisements that will be running in a number of the key early states.
The Paul team will run the two ads in Iowa, which holds the first presidential caucus, and New Hampshire, which will hold the first primary. The ads will also be run in two other early battlegrounds -- South Carolina, which will hold the first primary in the South, and Nevada.
Paul took fifth place with 10 percent in Iowa in 2008 and hopes to improve on that showing this time around. There are signs that Paul will do better in the Hawkeye State in 2012 -- namely his strong second-place finish in the Iowa Republican straw poll in Ames in August. Paul has also focused on New Hampshire, announcing his presidential bid during a speech in the Granite State.
In the first ad, Paul ignores his rivals to focus on his plan to cut federal spending -- including pulling the plug on five Cabinet agencies, cutting $1 trillion from the federal government, reducing American military involvement overseas and ending the Federal Reserve. Paul has claimed that his plan would lead to a balanced federal budget in three years.
In the second ad, Paul takes off the gloves and rips into a number of his opponents. The ad features a clip of President Barack Obama, labeling him a failure. The ad also shows primary-rival businessman Herman Cain, who is surging in both state and national polls. The Paul ad reminds voters that Cain backed the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), highlighting a clip of Cain supporting the 2008 federal bailout of financial institutions. The ad also features a clip of another presidential candidate -- former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts -- praising TARP for economic stimulus. The ad also features Gov. Rick Perry of Texas for backing TARP in October 2008.
The ad then attempts to show that Paul has been consistent on the role of the federal government in regard to the private sector. It features a clip of Paul from 1988 -- when he broke with the Republicans to be the Libertarian Partys presidential nominee --and then a clip from his 2008 bid for the GOP presidential nomination. The ad argues that Paul has remained constant on his principles while the other Republican candidates have flipped on them.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
