Filed by KOSU News in Politics.
December 5, 2011

Newt Gingrich’s first paid Iowa ad is up and the obvious goal is to portray the former speaker as less the disputatious bomb thrower and more the softer, gentler Reaganesque statesman.

Called “Rebuilding the America We Love,” Gingrich’s voice is heard over iconic scenes of an idyllic America. (For some reason, the ad maker thought the saccharine tones of soundtrack of the 1993 sports movie, “Rudy,” was just the right touch, too.) The current frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination delivering political platitudes like:

GINGRICH: “Some people say the America we know and love is a thing of the past. I don’t believe that. Because working together, I know we can rebuild America…

Hard to argue with that.

Gingrich appears in the ad, sitting in what looks like a dark, woody study and looking directly into camera as he speaks in measured tones.

While it doesn’t get into too many details since the ad’s main purpose is to soften Gingrich’s image, Gingrich does mention some pieces of his economic plan: cutting regulations and reforming the tax code.

While Gingrich doesn’t mention any of his rivals, which is standard operating procedure for a frontrunner, he also doesn’t mention President Obama because mentioning Obama would have meant he would have had to go negative, a no-no in an ad meant to display Gingrich’s gentler side. [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]