The Bernie Sanders campaign will release its first television ad this week, which will air in Iowa and New Hampshire as part of a more than $2 million ad buy.
It runs for about a minute and is intended to introduce voters to the senator from Vermont. In addition to detailing his immigrant roots, it contains lines like this one: “He went to public school, then college, where the work of his life began: fighting injustice and inequality. Speaking truth to power.”
Also on display is his time as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, his strong critique of Wall Street, and his opposition to the war in Iraq.
To highlight his grassroots appeal, the spot notes that his campaign is funded by “over a million contributions.”
In a statement that could be seen as shot at Mrs. Clinton, the narrator finishes by calling Sen. Sanders “An honest leader – building a movement with you to give us a future to believe in.” Could it be that Sen. Sanders is finally getting around to saying or at least implying what so many of his supporters think which is that Hillary Clinton is dishonest and has a belief system of convenience strongly influenced by whatever it will take to get her elected?
For those who have been following Sanders’ fascinating rise to national prominence, there is nothing new here. But these kinds of ads have to be aired because so many people are disinterested in politics and only pay attention when they have to, if they have to.
Personally, I love that Sen. Sanders is saying the kinds of things that need to be said, even if most Americans, even most Democrats, aren’t really ready to listen. Somebody has to lead, despite the fact that politics is frequently about the long game, which frequently means that the first to stand up is not the one who ultimately succeeds at the ballot box.
Here’s the ad, called “Real Change.”