As the Republican primary heats up, that can only mean more ads. Which ones succeed? Which fail? We'll be reviewing them as they come out. Today Ron Paul scares us with some scary Newt Gingrich video clips.

The Ad: Ron Paul, "Newt Gingrich: Selling Access"

The Issues: Politicians in bed with lobbyists and special interests, mandated health care

The Message: Newt Gingrich is one of the old bastards of the political machine, someone who's in lobbyists' and other special interest groups' pockets. This is all told to us through a fancy sort of holograph television machine that seems to have poor reception. Through the fuzz and other picture problems, we can glean that Gingrich is a hypocrite out for his own financial gain. Presumably Ron Paul is outside of the machine that's made Gingrich a political hooker, even though Paul's been in Washington on and off for 35 years. The use of futuristic "technology" is maybe supposed to make the 76-year-old Paul seem more cutting edge. Or whoever made the ad just bought a new graphics package.

Who It's For: All the Republicans who are starting to side with Newt Gingrich. "No, remember?? This is who you don't want," the ad cries. (Through the static.)

What Everyone Else Sees: While it's cool that Ron Paul built himself some sort of state-of-the art Holo-TV, he really should switch cable companies.

The Effect: It's always worth pointing out that many politicians are on the take, because so many of them are. But the aesthetics of the ad are silly and the execution a little boring. Plus, the routine of cranky old Ron Paul complaining about people isn't going to endear him to many new people, so maybe he should start explaining himself a little better. Again, pointing out Gingrich's fat-cat-ism is important and all, but maybe balance it with some stuff old Doc Paul has done. C

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Richard Lawson