As a native resident of North Carolina and still living in Western North Carolina, I feel physically ill each time I see Clinton's ad. While the ad makes me cringe with how stilted her delivery is, but my primary concern is her lack of knowing anything about the culture of North Carolina. I've always thought it was important for a candidate to attempt to melt into the culture of where they are campaigning (hence Obama in a cowboy hat in Texas etc...). Now while this does occasionally backfire, Clinton's staff definitely did not do their homework for this ad.
My problem comes at 15 seconds in where she talks about talking to people from Winston-Salem to Fayetteville. Unfortunately, these cities are not the corners of the state. It seems she forgot both Western North Carolina and Eastern North Carolina.
AND if you ask most of the folks who are originally from North Carolina about their state they'll mention the often quoted line "From Murphy to Manteo" that does point out the far points of the state. It basically means from the mountains to the sea and it is used all over the state. A large number of websites associated with North Carolina use this phrase and I just cannot figure out how Clinton's researchers missed this phrase. It makes those who live in Western and Eastern North Carolina seem as if they don't matter and unfortunately most folks from these areas already have something against the middle of the state when it comes to funding problems with the state government and Clinton just rubbed some salt into that wound.
Sorry if this diary seems rant oriented, but if you are going to campaign in any place, it's best to use phrases that the locals identify with and not with a phrase that cuts off both ends of the state. These least the fools who put together this commercial could have done is research phrases that would build some bridge between Clinton and the residents of North Carolina.
Here's the ad in question: