Filed by KOSU News in US News.
December 5, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul may not be leading in any of the major presidential polls (though he’s in second place in Iowa according to a recent poll.) But he arguably is setting the pace when it comes to the 2012 presidential campaign ads.

After unleashing a fiery anti-Newt Gingrich ad in which he accused the former House speaker of “serial hypocrisy,” Paul on Monday went up with a catchy new ad in Iowa in which he portrays himself as the real budget cutter and consistent conservative.

A blend of live video and animation set off by headbanger rock guitar, the ad starts with visuals of a rottweiler and lap dog. A narrator says:

“What’s up with these sorry politicians? Lots of bark but when it’s showtime, wimpering like little shih tzus. You want big cuts. Ron Paul has been screaming it for years.

The commercial then drives home its point that Paul proposes ending the Education, Commerce, Interior, Energy and HUD departments by making them disappear in puffs of dark smoke.

The kicker? “That how Ron Paul rolls.”

OK, maybe the ad’s hipness clashes somewhat with a candidate who often comes across like the old guy around the corner who shouts at the neighborhood kids to keep off his grass. But the “big dog” ad is still best of breed so far.

[Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]