First, watch the spot:
Make any sense? It doesn’t have to. That’s the whole idea.
The web video, touting Jon Huntsman Jr.’s campaign announcement in six days, was made by the master of getting online attention in Republican politics, Fred Davis. (Remember Demon Sheep?) I would bet that we are in for some more videos, with some more non sequiturs before the final announcement is made.
Davis shot the video, using Huntsman’s motorcycle and gear, and a helicopter, in Monument Valley. But Huntsman was not driving the bike this time, even though motor cross is his favorite hobby. Question: What kind of presidential candidate pays to have an ad man shoot bucolic shots of the rust-colored Utah wilderness with a guy on an off-road bike? Answer: The same kind of candidate who, at the age of 51, still brags that his high school hair band was called “Wizard.” That is, a candidate who wants to appear to be something different.
One other note of interest: The ad was paid for by Jon Huntsman Jr., but the spot says the ad was paid for by Jon Huntsman, which is the name of the candidate’s father. This is an early sign that Jr. will be dropping from the candidate’s name on the campaign trail.
That said, the Jon Huntsman website is still www.jonhuntsmanjr.com–where the candidate is referred to as only Jon Hunstman–but that’s only because some Huntsman foes seem to have taken over www.jonhuntsman.com.
