$2.50 per Gallon Gasoline, Energy Independence and Jobs -- An Address by Newt Gingrich

◼ Beyond the soundbites: Gingrich releases 30-minute energy ad - HotAir

It’s as simple as simple can be — just a man, speaking against a blue background. But, in a cycle of 30-second ads, this one stands out for a different reason: It runs for 28 minutes and 59 seconds. It fits that it comes from Newt Gingrich, who has arguably been most stung by the work of skilled videographers at his rivals’ campaigns. While the Gingrich campaign has run its share of attack ads, too, those quick hits never seem to advance his cause in quite the way he’d like. He’s oscillated between a positive and negative approach to campaigning — but he’s always taken a wordy approach to it.

Debates — at least until Florida — have been the most effective vehicle by which Gingrich has promoted himself. This ad offers him the chance to speak fluidly and passionately, as he does in debates, without the pesky interruptions of MSM moderators and the other candidates. He was wise to choose energy as his first topic, too. As he states in the video, it’s an issue that has implications for national security, personal family budgets, the national economy and balancing the federal budget. It’s not like high gas prices work in Obama’s favor, either.