Mike Hatch's new TV ad

Governor Pawlenty isn't the only gubernatorial candidate with a new ad out; Mike Hatch has one too, and you can see it here.

Wow. You know what this ad reminds me of? That time in the 2004 Presidential race when Kerry went hunting in Ohio or somewhere. Being compared to the Kerry campaign is not a good thing. I wonder if Hatch is using the same ad people?

Seriously, Hatch's ad is so clichéd and tired it's sad. Starting off with the gun stuff is just idiotic. I don't think gun control is going to be an issue in this year's election at all, and nobody has brought it up, so why is Hatch doing it? Whenever you start off a campaign by saying, "This is what I won't do..."then you are already on the defensive, and you are losing. The deep, serious voice and mindless laundry list of "accomplishments" don't help. The dog? Come on.

Here's the deal: Governor Pawlenty is a likeable, charismatic fellow, who is currently facing no great crises in the state (the budget deficits have passed). And yet, he is still well under 50% in the polls. People want to vote against Pawlenty, but they need a good reason to vote for somebody else, somebody likeable, somebody they can relate to. Hatch can be that person if he runs a good campaign with innovative, not hackneyed, commercials. Mike Hatch is not Roger Moe and doesn't need to act like it.

I hope that this ad, if it is running on TV, is only running in rural areas where it might, might, not do very much harm. If it is running in the Twin Cities area, it's a waste of money. If the Hatch campaign doesn't figure out how to use the media in an innovative, interesting way, they will lose.