Opinion: Obama spot kicks off California ad wars

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Californians who’ve contributed hard-earned cash to presidential campaigns finally will start to see some of what it buys: TV ads.

Democrat Barack Obama raises the curtain Saturday with the first television pitch by a presidential candidate on Golden State stations this cycle. The environmentally themed spot is slated to air on broadcast outlets in the Bay Area, according to a campaign official.

The 30-second ad’s last lines encapsule Obama’s efforts to define himself as a politician willing to break from the past: ‘We can’t just tell people what they want to hear. We need to tell them what they need to hear. We need to tell them the truth.’

It’s titled ‘Quiet,’ and you can view it here.

No word on how extensive the ad buy is or when the campaign will go up in the most populous -- and costly -- Southern California market.

-- Don Frederick