Edwards Hits a Thinly Veiled Target

THE AD

John Edwards: This system is corrupt. And it's rigged. And it's rigged against you.

Announcer: Finally, someone telling the truth.

Edwards: And we can say as long as we get Democrats in, everything's gonna be okay. It's a lie. It is not the truth. Do you really believe if we replace a crowd of corporate Republicans with a crowd of corporate Democrats that anything meaningful's going to change? This has to stop. It's that simple.

ANALYSIS

This is an attack ad that doesn't mention the person being attacked. But anyone with a passing familiarity with the campaign will know that Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, is talking about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

The New Hampshire spot matches what Edwards has been saying about Clinton on the trail: that she is the Washington establishment's candidate, is beholden to big-money interests, and does not represent real change. He even uses the word "lie" to suggest Clinton is deceiving voters. In this narrative, the former plaintiff's lawyer and hedge fund adviser casts himself as the populist outsider who'll take on greedy corporations.

Had Edwards named Clinton, or even shown a picture of her, he would have risked a backlash against negative campaigning. Instead, he is sending a coded message that makes his target perfectly clear.

Video of this ad can be found at www.washingtonpost.com/politics.