Today’s political process rewards two things – preemption and money.

Exhibit Umpteen of both, from Thursday’s New York Times:

In TV Ad, Cuomo Vows to Clean Up Corruption

More than a year before he is to appear on the ballot for re-election, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is dipping into his ample campaign account to pay for television advertising that showcases his efforts to clean up the scandal-plagued state capital.

Mr. Cuomo, who intends to run for a second term in 2014 but is not expected to announce his bid until sometime next year, reported $27.8 million in cash in his campaign treasury last week. On Tuesday, he began using some of that money to broadcast a 30-second commercial drawing attention to a commission he established to investigate corruption among public officials.

The spot:

Of course, this move by Cuomo has more angles than a spider web, as John Updike would say. Just one: This is a classic “news ad” – Cuomo spends $20,000 to run it and gets a million dollars’ worth of publicity.

Stay tuned for further details.