Ron Paul debuted a new ad in early-voting states that refers to his Republican opponents for the presidential nomination as "little shih tzus" and plays up his plan to eliminate fives Cabinet-level agencies, as the Texas congressman looks to parlay his strong libertarian base into a surprise win in Iowa.
The ad, which will air in Iowa and New Hampshire, is stylized like a series of commercials for Ford trucks and seeks to play up Paul as tough on federal budgets.
"What's up with these sorry politicians? Lots of bark, but when it's show time, whimpering like little shih tzus. You want big cuts? Ron Paul's been screaming it for years. Budget cuts? No problem," the narrator says.
The ad goes on to promise that Paul would "cut a trillion bucks year one — that’s trillion with a T" and shows the seals of Paul's targeted Cabinet agencies evaporating into dust.
"Later bureaucrats. That's how Ron Paul rolls," the narrator states as a truck zooms by.
The Paul campaign acknowledged that the unusual style was a hook to get voters to consider its message on budgets.
“This ad is fun and energetic, yet the issues it focuses on are grave and weigh heavily on the minds of voters across America. Through this ad we continue to argue that Ron Paul is the only candidate with a serious economic plan to end out-of-control federal spending, reduce the debt, and curtail government activism that hampers economic growth,” said Jesse Benton, national campaign chairman, said in a statement.
A statement from the campaign also plays up the "shih tzu" theme.
"The spot contrasts establishment Republican candidates unwilling to make difficult choices on spending cuts and debt reduction with the sole candidate whose bite on such matters equals his bark: Ron Paul," the statement said.
A Des Moines Register poll released over the weekend places Paul in second place in Iowa, trailing Newt Gingrich by seven percentage points but leading Mitt Romney.
