Edwards milks Southern charm

Senator John Edwards is a personable guy, a man of the people despite his wealth, and good in front of a crowd. So it stands to reason that his television ads would try to capitalize on his charms.

Last week, the Edwards campaign released "Values," a 30-second spot running in the early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Set in a small-town cafe somewhere in America (hint: Old Glory hanging in the window), it's a verite-style glimpse of Edwards in his shirt sleeves, addressing a crowd of regular folks. Edwards challenges President Bush's tax-cut plan -- "This president says he wants a values debate. We ought to give him a values debate." -- while touting his intention to provide health insurance for every child in the United States.

No details on the health plan are given. Just a reference to Edwards's website, some dramatic, soaring music suited for movies on Lifetime, and approval from the regular folks, who nod as Edwards speaks and applaud when he finishes.

The good news for Edwards: Jamieson Scott thinks he's smooth. He's 21, a southern New Hampshire native, and a junior at the University of New Hampshire studying political science and environmental conservation. He's impressed with the North Carolina senator's Dixie-bred charisma, and the way it comes across on the small screen.

Not everything in the spot rings true, Scott said. Edwards's reference to "innocent children" feels like "a little bit too much of a playing of my strings." The close-ups of voters just happen to represent "each key demographic of his electorate." The triumph: Edwards manages to take a direct knock at Bush, but does it gently, "without the sour aftertaste many associate with [Howard] Dean."

There are people in New Hampshire, Scott said, who aren't interested in a bulldog.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, agrees that the ad helps solidify Edwards's image. His language is consistent with his message on the stump and in debates. For once, he doesn't mention that he's the son of a millworker.

But she wonders if the ad is timed well enough to accomplish what Edwards badly needs: a media buzz. "Edwards is in crisis at this point," Jamieson said. "The purpose of this ad is straightforward: He's trying to push up his poll numbers."

To that end, she said: "Any ad that is an attack on George Bush is more newsworthy than any ad that doesn't attack George Bush."

But launching your ad the day after California voters ousted their governor and elected Arnold Schwarzenegger? Perhaps unwise. The press, she said, was a little distracted last week.

JOANNA WEISS