Adwatch: Clinton stresses work with GOP
December 18, 2007- The Associated PressLENGTH: 30 seconds.
AIRING: New Hampshire.
SCRIPT: Hillary Rodham Clinton: "You would think that after all the sacrifice and service of the National Guard and Reserve protecting our country, they would have had health insurance.
"But they didn't. So I reached across the aisle and worked for three years with Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, to change that. Now every member of the Guard and Reserve has access to the health coverage they need.
"I've learned if you want
to get things done, you have to know when to stand your
ground, and when to find common ground.
I'm Hillary Clinton and I approved this message."
KEY IMAGES: A tight shot of Clinton, looking into the camera, talking about her efforts while black-and-white images of military personnel are cut in. Written text highlights the message, along with a bill citation.
ANALYSIS: Clinton emphasizes her bipartisan legislative work in her latest ad in New Hampshire, where she is in a tight race with rival Sen. Barack Obama and trails among independent voters. A smiling Clinton talks about her commitment to the National Guard, which has 2,700 active guardsmen from New Hampshire.
Clinton, viewed by some as a divisive figure, plays up her work with Graham, of South Carolina. By conceding that sometimes it's better to compromise than not, she touts her legislative record - something her husband, former President Clinton, has sought to highlight in recent weeks.
The ad also comes as Clinton is trying to shore up support among independent voters, who can vote in either the state's Democratic or Republican primary. Clinton leads among registered Democrats, 34 percent to 27 percent, in the latest CNN-WMUR New Hampshire Primary Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Obama bests her by 10 percentage points among registered undeclareds, as independents are officially known in New Hampshire. By showing her work with a Republican, she seeks to offset suspicions that she is uncompromising.
Clinton, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, also notes that it took three years to pass the legislation. That is a nod to the campaign's theme that she sticks with projects even when they are difficult. Although she doesn't specifically state it, she has been working on the measure for about as long as Obama has been in the Senate.