Edwards Campaign Ad Presents Washington Insiders as 'We the People'

May 3, 2007— -- John Edwards' first television advertisement, "We the people," demands that Congress confront the president over the Iraq War, with a succession of ordinary-looking faces and voices appearing on camera pleading with lawmakers not to back down.

But "We the people" is more K Street than Main Street, it turns out.

At least two of the nine people the Edwards campaign included in the ad are Washington-based political professionals. One is a Democratic political consultant, and the other is a top fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian advocacy organization.

Edwards Camp Defends 'We the People'

Eric Schultz, a spokesman for the former North Carolina senator and 2008 presidential candidate, said the ad features "friends of the Edwards campaign" who live in Washington because that's where the ad was filmed.

They all volunteered to appear on camera, and none were paid for their services, he said.

Schultz added that the ad was meant as a vehicle to get "real people" to send their own contributions, and he said more than 100 people so far have e-mailed film clips of themselves saying "We the people" on camera.

Many of those contributions are now highlighted in a longer, Web-only version of the ad, though the ad appearing on television has not changed.

"John Edwards is approving the American people's message," Schultz said. "The Edwards campaign is all about empowering people all across America."

He added that the ad has helped the campaign raise more than $100,000 via its Web site since yesterday, and said the money will help keep the ad on the air longer in Washington, D.C., and possibly other media markets.

Consultants for the Common Man?

The reliance on Washington insiders is particularly noteworthy for Edwards, because he has criticized D.C.-based consultants during his second run for the presidency.

"Consultants can make it hard to tell the truth," Edwards told Newsweek in February. "They want you to be so cautious it makes it hard to say anything."

The first and most prominent face in the TV ad belongs to Ruthanne Buck, a Democratic consultant who has had done work for TeamBlue Politics Inc., a political consulting firm.

Also featured is Kevin Layton, a senior development officer for the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign who raises money through the group's Federal Club, which requires annual dues of at least $1,200.

A spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign said employees are free to engage in political activities on their own time, and added that the group has not endorsed a candidate in the 2008 presidential race.

Buck did not immediately respond to a request for comment.