Jerry Brown Campaign Finally Produces Commercial

Spot attacks Republican primary rivals' attack ads

Running practically unopposed for the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination, Attorney General Jerry Brown has done little campaigning.

Instead, he got to sit back and watch Republican primary rivals, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, bash each other in the press, online and on television.

So it comes as a surprise that the Brown campaign's first commercial attacks Whitman and Poizner for spending $110 million to attack each other -- when such attacks ultimately benefit Brown!



The spot begins without the dissonant notes of bickering politicians, including Whitman and Poizner, behind somber reminders of the state's budget and employment problems, before cutting to Brown haloed by a blue background with some lite jazz noodling to contrast the discord.

In other words, it's no "Demon Sheep."  Though the cheap production value is in line with Brown's reputation for frugality which has only been reinforced by his drop-in-the-bucket campaign spending relative to Whitman and Poizner.

But coming literally a week before the actual primary election -- and well after absentee ballots have already been mailed -- it's clearly intended to give an image of a bi-partisan, moderate Brown ahead of the general election.

And according to the latest poll from the Los Angeles Times and the University of California, it's going to be Brown versus Whitman, assuming Whitman's incredible shrinking lead over Poizner holds in time for next Tuesday.

Jackson West wonders if Poizner's attacks on Whitman being a crypto-liberal might not help her re-position herself as a moderate after the primary.

Care about the future of California's cash, kids and jobs? Read Prop Zero, our state politics blog, and join the conversation @PropZero on Twitter.

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