Nah, these ads may be funny, but they're no good for Bill.

The reasons Richardson looked so much better in the commercial:

It was totally scripted for him
It was heavily rehearsed
There were retakes
He didn't have to do very much

I've seen Bill Richardson live, "up close," and he's not that impressive. Sure, he has a great resume, but he's now playing at the top level, and he doesn't live up to that level.

Yet.

He still has time to refine his message, his delivery, and his image. But I'm willing to bet long odds that it won't happen.

Let me point out that What's So's position on Richardson - "the best candidate out there" - is a personal, and not an editorial, view.

These ads will help Richardson, although the first is much more effective than the second. They effectivly hi-lite his many accomplishments without making him look pompous. If these are how many people in Iowa first hear of Richardson, I'll think that he will get their attention and get them talking. If he follows them up with a more serious ad, I think it's would be a good combo.

I agree that Richardson is not the most charismatic candidate in front of a crowd. He has to work on that. However, when I saw him at the DL21C event, even though he was sweaty and stumbled on a few of his sentences, he stood there and answered questions for about an hour on heavy policy issues. I think in the end the crowd forgave him his imperfections because he showed his substance. I do hope he does better in the up coming debates.

And yes, of course, the original post was merely my opinion. I hope nobody would have confused my first blog post as the official position of the Daily Gotham.