Mom's the word in Clinton ad

2007-12-14 07:22

Washington - Mother still knows best ... even if her daughter is trying to become America's first woman president.

Hillary Clinton's mother Dorothy Rodham, appeared on Thursday in a new campaign advertisement for her daughter, who is fighting her top Democratic rival Barack Obama in a tough and nasty 2008 White House battle.

Rodham, 88, a familiar face during Clinton's years as first lady, but who normally keeps a low political profile, says in the spot she would think Clinton ought to be elected, even if she was not her daughter.

"What I would like people to know about Hillary is what a good person she is," said Rodham in the ad, which notes that mother and daughter now share a home, and features a family snap of Clinton as a baby.

"She was never envious of anybody - she was helpful, and she's continued that with her adult life with helping other women."

The advertisement comes as Clinton fights for the crucial bloc of female Democratic voters, which her campaign has predicted could help sway the 2008 campaign her way.

It may also have been intended to soften Clinton's image after several weeks of tense battles with Obama, who has wiped out her leads in early voting states, three weeks before the Iowa caucuses kick off the nominating process.

Clinton has been portrayed by rivals and in some media accounts as calculating and prone to saying whatever is most likely to get her elected.

But the ad, and her appearance on the campaign trail last weekend with Rodham and her daughter Chelsea, seem intended to debunk that perception, and paint her as a warm family member in touch with voters' every day concerns.

A national poll last week by the Pew Research Centre showed Clinton with a vast lead of 52 to 21% over Obama among women voters.

But the Illinois Senator had closed the gap in New Hampshire largely due to women switching allegiance, a CNN poll showed.

- AFP