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Will Shafroth's Political Ad Is Textbook Play

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Jul 23, 2008 9:23 pm US/Mountain

Will Shafroth's Political Ad Is Textbook Play

Reporting
Raj Chohan
DENVER (CBS4) ― The first political ad by conservationist and candidate for Congress Will Shafroth uses the standard textbook play for first-time politicians. You know the one -- I'm an outsider and I'm here to change Washington.

The ad states: You expect it out here. (football player tackle) But in Washington D.C., where things get ugly, and constant bickering in Congress means nothing gets done

Not exactly. Even in gridlock things get done. Budgets get passed, money gets spent and government still generally provides the services we expect. If current predictions play out, Democrats will increase their majorities in the House and Senate, and they could well win the White House as well. In other words it could be a pretty congenial atmosphere for Democrats no matter which one gets elected to this seat.

AD: I'm a political outsider who's spent 27 years getting people to solve tough problems

Its true Shafroth has never been elected to office, but it's not the whole story. He's not exactly a political outsider. Part of his career involved serving under then California Gov. Pete Wilson as an assistant secretary for natural resources. As for his claim about getting people to solve tough problems, that appears to be true.

Shafroth has an interesting resume which includes working for American Farmland Trust on conservation issues that would often pit farmers, developers and environmentalists against each other. It meant getting Republicans and Democrats together to find common ground on tough conservation issues.

When he worked under the Pete Wilson administration, Shafroth helped put together a plan for California's ocean wetlands. During his time as executive director of Great Outdoors Colorado, he worked with a bipartisan board of directors.

Ad: I'm Will Shafroth, and I approve this message because Washington politicians need to stop hitting each other and finally start tackling America's challenges

Bottom line. This ad is heavy on platitudes and light on policy. This commercial doesn't tell viewers much about Will Shafroth. He recently got a nice endorsement from the Rocky Mountain News. Maybe his next ad will tell us why.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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