Parks and Recreation Wiki

This site contains spoilers! Proceed with caution!

READ MORE

Parks and Recreation Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Parks and Recreation Wiki

Hey, quick question. That little girl, from your video. Oh my God, she is so cute. Do you think you could talk to her and let her do an ad for me?
Bobby Newport

"Campaign Ad" is the twelfth episode in the fourth season of the NBC television series Parks and Recreation. It originally premiered on January 19, 2012 to 4.25 million viewers.

Synopsis[]

Leslie and Ben disagree about her campaign ad, Chris makes Ron uncomfortable, and Andy and April go to the doctor.

Storyline[]

Bobby Newport, a member of Pawnee's influential Newport family, has entered into the race for City Council and is immediately way ahead of Leslie Knope in the polls, despite his complete lack of experience or interest in politics. Meanwhile, Andy Dwyer, who has health insurance for the first time, meets with Dr. Harris about a possible concussion, but learns he has acquired numerous ailments and injuries over the years and spends the day with April Ludgate visiting specialists at the hospital. Chris Traeger asks for Ron Swanson's help in delivering bad budget news, which the anti-government Ron is happy to do, but he is uncomfortable when Chris asks him out to lunch afterwards.

Since Bobby refuses to have a debate with Leslie, Ben Wyatt decides that she should air a negative campaign ad on television during the halftime of the highly rated Pawnee vs. Eagleton high school basketball game. Leslie is uneasy about it as she always dreamed of running a clean campaign, but Ben says that pointing out Bobby's obvious flaws is the only way to help her poll numbers. Leslie decides to make a positive ad about herself while Ben makes the negative ad, letting the Parks Department decide which one to air; they all vote on Ben's very effective attack ad. Ron continues to avoid Chris' overtures of friendship, and Donna Meagle guesses that Chris misses Ben, who was his closest friend at city hall and was always the one to deliver bad news. To solve the problem, Ron introduces Chris to Kyle, but Chris reveals he was not looking for a friend: he was scouting Ron to see if he would be a good replacement for Ben's old job as Assistant City Manager.

Ben is about to deliver the ad to the television station but Leslie tackles him; they ultimately miss the window to air the spot. Leslie apologizes but says she cannot forsake her morals, so the two work together to make a more effective positive ad for Leslie which they post on YouTube. The ad is well received and garners the attention of Bobby, who asks Leslie to drop out of the race and throws a whiny tantrum when she refuses. Meanwhile, Andy is shocked that his co-pay is $500 because of all the doctors that he visited. He and April flee without paying, but Andy immediately runs into an ambulance parked outside.

Cast[]

Quotes[]

Leslie: He is attractive, and charming, and his family employs half the town. But, so what? I am a lifelong government bureaucrat who's well versed in the issues. And those are the kind of sexy qualifications that win elections.

Bobby Newport: Do you want me to sign that to Ms. Lope or just Nesnie?

April: Hey, Ann, are you still a nurse or did they fire you because you slept with all the doctors?

April: Are you the kind of doctor who gets hooked on his own drugs? I bet you are.

Andy: I was reading... an encyclopedia, and I tripped or fell over and hit my head, or brain helmet.

April: Yeah, he sneezed and smacked his head against the wall.

Doctor Harris: Anything else bothering you, Andy?

Andy: Nope... well yeah. I have this weird rash in my knee pit area. This side of my tongue doesn't taste anything anymore. What else... things far away from my eyes are fuzzy. Sometimes when I walk my ankles make a rattlesnake sound. I once at a twix with the wrapper on it and I've never seen the wrapper come out. I swallowed every piece of gum I've eaten for the past 20 years-

April: Andy!

Andy: I don't know! [Holds up swollen hand] I broke my thumb on the way over here, just fix me.

Bobby Newport: I'm here with my Persian greyhound Raclette, who was given to me by my friend, the pretender to the throne of Alsace-Lorraine

Ann: Oh my God, this magic marker smells like cherries.

Andy: [Looking at eye exam poster] E, F, smudge, smudge, middle finger

April: [Squints confused at sheet]

Andy: Smudge, smudge, the rest are all smudges

April: Oh my gosh, you drove us here!

Chris: Thank you, John, for coming in. The Public Works Department is wonderful and you are the best idea man in the business.
Ron: Also we're cancelling all of your ongoing projects.
John: What? What about the Pawnee River dam?
Ron: Dam's dead. Have a nice day.
John: Where will all the water go?
Ron: Wherever it's headed now. The important thing is the dam is never happening and your dream has been crushed.
Chris: We're very sorry.
Ron: I am not. Good meeting.

Leslie: Positive is always better than negative. Barack Obama said "yes we can" and now he's President. Ben says "no we shouldn't" and now he's working for his girlfriend.

Bobby Newport: Hey, quick question. That little girl, from your video. Oh my God, she is so cute. Do you think you could talk to her and let her do an ad for me?
Leslie: That girl was me. As a 10 year old.
Bobby Newport: How'd you do that?

Trivia[]

Leslie's "Pro" list -- The scrolling list that appears in Leslie's ad of other items she is "pro" includes:

  1. More dog parks
  2. Senior citizen rights
  3. Safe streets
  4. Safe sidewalks
  5. Better schools
  6. Lower taxes
  7. Better parks
  8. Better business climate
  9. Better Better Business Bureau
  10. Cleaner streets
  11. Improve greenways
  12. More snow plows
  13. Protecting Pawneeans
  14. Improving tourism
  15. More trash cans
  16. Energy-efficient street lights
  17. Westside Detoxification and Revitalization Project
  18. Repaving Grand Avenue
  19. More teachers
  20. Fewer libraries
  21. Improve intergovernmental agency communication
  22. Clean-up Barefoot Lake
  23. Passing Pawnee Jobs Bill P-129.4
  24. Playgrounds in every park
  25. Playgrounds in every schoolyard
  26. Playgrounds in every residential block
  27. Clean energy
  28. One police officer for every 5 citizens
  29. One park ranger for every 10,000 raccoons
  30. Resodding Hilltop Cemetery
  31. Start talking to Cuba again
  32. Emergency Evacuation Drill
  33. Plow for Charity
  34. Forming ad Ad Hoc Sub-committee Oversight Committee
  35. Challenging the norm
  36. Pawnee corn Subsidies
  37. Finally Passing PR-61, formally recognizing South Korea
  38. Official peace treaty with the Wamapoke tribe
  39. Four-way stops at every intersection
  40. Unionizing ice cream trucks
  41. Get Europe out of debt
  42. Free trade with Illinois
  43. Enact RRP- Raccoon Relocation Project
  44. Pawnee Community College tuition in exchange for 4 years of public service
  45. Doubling Pawnee Hospital’s emergency room nurse staff
  46. Legalize Korean
  47. Lower the obesity level
  48. Stop global terrorism
  49. Re-open the toucan exhibit at the Pawnee Zoo
  50. Find Gabe the Toucan
  51. More community gardens
  52. Ordinance 11F: To Re-pave City Sidewalks
  53. Budget Reform
  54. Updated Technologies For Local Schools
  55. Better retirement benefits for city employees
  56. Edward Philips Senior Center remodeling
  57. Speed bumps in front of elementary schools
  58. Unemployment Benefits
  59. Re-installing the Main St. Farmers Market
  60. No turtles as pets
  61. New unitforms for youth sports programs
  62. Free Public Wi-fi
  63. Updated childcare facilities
  64. Shutting down the Child Left Behind program
  65. Handicap parking placards for the obese
  66. FREE PARKING EVERYWHERE
  67. Cleaner drinking water
  68. Regulate heights of trampolines
  69. Memorial for those lost in the trampoline “incident”
  70. Control the floods
  71. Funding for public art commission
  72. Fencing in correctional facilities
  73. New police patrol cars
  74. Funding overtime hours for police
  75. Rebuilding the PTA
  76. Prosecuting former PTA president Linda Trifle
  77. Profitable government organizations
  78. Shutting down underground shooting ranges
  79. Making sure city contracts employ local workers
  80. Providing more economic development grants and micro-loans to small businesses
  81. Foster partnership with sister cities
  82. More buses to speed up morning commutes
  83. More streets to accommodate additional buses
  84. Require all city employees to check and respond to email
  85. Working sewers
  86. More parades
  87. Grants for scientist to discover new forms of energy
  88. Leave a lasting impression on all visitors
  89. Challenge the norm
  90. Finish the statue of Burt Bacharach
  91. No more conflict diamonds
  92. Bulletproof glass everywhere
  93. Free cookies at every street corner
  94. One school for every student
  95. Require flattering mirrors in public restrooms
  96. Develop a municipal composting operation
  97. Enforce existing speeding and noise ordinances
  98. Create an anti-graffiti youth outreach program
  99. Free cake when it’s your birthday
  100. Reevaluate NAFTA
  101. Rickshaw Wednesdays
  102. Making it illegal to refuse a hug
  103. Make downtown more people-friendly
  104. Sell candy in government buildings to pay down the debt
  105. Get Pawnee a licensed pharmacy
  106. Better screening processes at local adoption agencies
  107. Funding homes for the adopted children of Day Labor Corp.
  108. Pro 6A: To Recognize all Five Food Groups
  109. Replacing all glass with plastic at Pawnee Psychiatric Clinic
  110. Curfew for minors at the Pawnee Mall
Advertisement