Dec 20, 2007 7:37 pm US/Eastern
'Tis The Season To Be Civil: Ads Embrace X-Mas
Huckabee's Words Spur Candidates To Get Holiday Spirit
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
In what may be a first, Santa Claus has gone political. And a whole sleigh-ful of politicians are putting Christmas into their campaign ads.
CBS 2 HD has discovered that along with the mudslinging in Iowa and New Hampshire comes a little holiday cheer.
Rudy Giuliani is the only one who has Santa, but there's a big run on Christmas trees and presents in the new round of presidential ads.
Why? Experts say candidate fatigue has taken its toll.
"The candidates are keenly sensitive to the overexposure that they've had," said David Birdsell, dean of the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College.
"And this is a way to put on television an ad that invites a warm approach to voters without seeming so much like the political ads they've seen at other points during the year."
But its not all peace on Earth. The ads have the inevitable digs and messages.
Giuliani: "And I really hope that all of the presidential candidates can just get along
Santa: "Ho ho ho ho … I was with you right up until that last one."
Hillary Clinton focuses on themed presents.
"Where did I put universal pre-K? Ah, there it is."
The rush to put Christmas into the campaign seems to have been driven by Republican Mike Huckabee, who said the candidates should put politics aside and celebrate the birth of Christ.
"If we are so, um, politically correct in this country that a person can't say enough of the nonsense of political attack ads, could we pause for a few minutes and say Merry Christmas to each other … then we're really in trouble as a country," Huckabee said.
The one thing that pundits seem to agree on is that voters should enjoy the genial holiday ads now because after Jan. 1 it's no more Mr. Nice Guy. The attack ads make a comeback.
John Edwards and Barack Obama also have Christmas-themed ads. Obama's is unique. He appears with his wife and two daughters.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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