“Another opening – another show...” — Hillary Clinton and her team demonstrate real need to try another re-introduction

It ain’t for “...  Philly, Boston or Baltimoh...”  —  It’s for New Hampshire and Iowa  —  And it ain’t “... A chance for stage-folk to say hello...”  —   But make no mistake, “...  It’s another opening for another show !”

This time, it's in the form of a TV advertisement featuring Hillary Clinton’s dead mom in early caucus & primary states

The WaPo’s Chris Cillizza sees the recently announced HRC campaign ad buy as a necessary re-introduction of the leading candidate, Hillary Clinton, at a time when her total standing with voters seems to be slipping badly 

Early showing by "Independent" Bernie Sanders, and a new Democratic challenger, VP Joe Biden, waiting in the wings are also seen as a possible motivators for Hillary and her peeps

Chris Cillizza says that  “Hillary Clinton is spending $2 million on a flight of ads in Iowa and New Hampshire that seek to re-introduce her to a public who almost certainly feels like they already know everything about the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state....  And, the commercials -- produced by longtime Clinton adwoman Mandy Grunwald and 2008/2012 Obama adman Jim Margolis -- are quite good.  "Dorothy", which tells the story of Clinton's mother, abandoned at a young age by her own parents, as a way to explain Clinton's lifetime dedication to fighting for children, in particular stands out....”
(See  “Hillary Clinton’s new ads are good. But it’s remarkable that she has to run them” by Chris Cillizza, 8/3/15, Washington Post/ The Fix [http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/03/hillary-clintons-new-ads-are-good-they-are-also-absolutely-necessary/]).

Is this a puff piece for Hillary Clinton by the WaPo’s Chris Cillizza ?  –   Based on his lead paragraphs, it sort of looks like it....  NOT SO FAST !

CILLIZZA ASKS:  IS IT A COINCIDENCE THAT THE CLINTON ADS ARE GOING ON TV >>> RIGHT WHEN HILLARY’S IMAGE HAS SLIPPED NATIONALLY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN CANDIDACY GROWS WITH EACH PASSING DAY

After making a brief historical comparison with 2008 when the Hillary Clinton campaign failed to run any similar ads, the WaPo columnist recounted how this year’s effort on behalf of HRC claims that it did not intend to make the same mistake, and had long-planned to make and play these ads at this time.  However, Cillizza made this pointed personal observation: “... I find it very difficult to believe the Clinton campaign spin that spending $2 million on ads in August -- typically a dead time on the TV airwaves because of the number of voters away on vacation or totally dialed out from the process for the summer  – was always part of the plan....  If it was always part of the plan, that Clinton is going on TV at a time when her image has slipped badly nationally and there is rumbling of a potential candidacy by Vice President Joe Biden is one hell of a coincidence. (My guess? The campaign filmed those ads a while back and had them in the hopper, knowing they would run them but not sure of the exact timing.)...”

CILLIZZA’S VIEW IS SIMPLE AND STRAIGHT-FORWARD

According to Chris Cillizza, “....  A reintroduction of Clinton was clearly in order given that the first few months of her candidacy have been defined by her struggles to adequately explain why she had a private e-mail address while at State and to dismiss questions raised about donors to the Clinton Foundation. As Clinton has been mired in those two storylines, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I/D) has emerged as a surprisingly strong liberal alternative to Clinton -- particularly in New Hampshire....  Whether or not these Clinton ads are long-planned or reactive to her current problems, the campaign's goal is the same: To quiet concerns among the chattering class and doubts among voters that Clinton is ready to not just run but win the race. Given what the campaign has weathered to date, that's a message that needs affirming....”