IS THIS SERIOUS? – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton is about to release her first big TV ads of the campaign.  And they're about...her mother.  I kid you not.  From ABC: 

There's one person Hillary Clinton really wants the voters of America to get to know more than anybody else. And her name is Dorothy Rodham.

Dorothy is Clinton’s late mother. She died in 2011. But she's playing a starring role in her daughter’s presidential campaign, and is the focus of Clinton’s first television ads.

On Tuesday, Clinton’s campaign will begin broadcasting two TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. The one-minute spots, which will air over the course of five weeks, emphasize Clinton’s mother’s story over her own.

The first ad, titled “Dorothy,” is almost completely devoid of any discussion of Clinton’s credentials. Instead, it's focused on recounting her mother’s trauma-filled childhood.

Clinton, who narrates the story over old photos of her mom, describes how her mother is the person who most influenced her desire to fight for families and to run for president.

COMMENT:  This is not a good move.  It's transparent and obvious, an attempt to divert attention from the scandals surrounding Dorothy's daughter.  I'd be interested to see the response, but my guess is that ads like this preach only to the converted, and may actually bring ridicule.

August 3,  2015