The ad begins with a man, his family and his dogs. There are scenes of the family at work in the garden, canoeing on sun-splashed waters, walking along a road. They're a permanent part of you. On first viewing, the ad has all the earmarks of the kind of family values appeal that has been a staple of Republican campaigns. But something is missing.
Politicians campaign now in an environment of competing and sometimes conflicting values.
For Ridge's campaign, the challenge was to make a family values ad for the late 1990s. Candidates wrap themselves in flag and family, in faith in God. They project solidarity with working people, talk tough about criminals, show sensitivity toward children and the elderly and link education to creating opportunity. Politicians bash big government as they align themselves with popular spending programs. They prize rugged individualism while holding that people should look out for one another.