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New McCain Ad: He "Stood Up To The President"
John McCain's new TV ad confirms that he'll be trying to run far away from Bush during this election season, in his quest to win over moderate voters. This ad focuses on the environment, with a declaration that "John McCain stood up to the President" on global warming:
Clearly, the McCain camp is worried about the Democrats' message that he would simply be a third Bush term, and they're doing what they can to rebut it.
The ad will be running in battleground states and on national cable.
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Yes, which is why he is with Bush on wanting to get rid of Amtrak, because that will apparently help fight global warming:
http://www.thepersonalispolitical.com/2008/06/mccain-fights-mass-transit-as-gas.html
June 17, 2008 9:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, and here is some more about how he isn't really at all serious about fighting global warming or "standing up to Bush":
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/mccain_gw_record.html
June 17, 2008 9:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
A great comeback to this commercial would be showing those videos on YouTube with McCain and Bush hugging and kissing and STANDING UP together on the stages during previous campaign stops during Bush's campaigns.
Yes Senator McCain -- you sure did STAND UP with President Bush!
When Americans needed you to STEP AWAY from President Bush -- You stood by his side instead.
June 17, 2008 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Any insight into when Obama's going to be running some battleground ads? I'm hoping this pause is designed for a reason.
I'm hoping he's going to unleash holy hell soon with an awesome array of ads.
June 17, 2008 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. I've been wondering why Obama hasn't been running ads.
June 17, 2008 9:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think the campaign is getting itself settled for the general, hiring staff, polling, plotting, strategizing...
Be patient. They'll unleash the ads in good time. He still gets oodles of free press by being the nominee and visiting battleground states.
Don't forget, Obama is WAY ahead of McCain in advertisements across the country (minus Florida and Michigan) because of the extended primary. Obama has already visited and campaigned and put up ads in almost every battleground state. McCain is jsut trying to catch up. So I say let McCain spend some dough right now because he won't have long to be dominating the airwaves.
June 17, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I see McCain ads every commercial break here in the Philly market. No Obama ads.
June 17, 2008 9:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Seriously. I live in the St. Louis media market and all I've seen so far are McCain's "I was a POW, so vote for me" ads. I guess it's good that McCain is worried about Missouri, but I would really like to see some Obama ads.
June 17, 2008 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ditto. I am a St. Louisan and I am SOOO tired of the "I hate war" ad.
June 17, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Do you have a sense of which way MO is gonna go?
June 17, 2008 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he wants to give McCain all the rope he needs to eventually hang himself with. Let McCain keep making contradictory claims unchallenged, so he keeps making more and more, each more outlandish than the last and then BOOM! Monster flip-flop ad roll out using McCain's words against him again and again.
June 17, 2008 9:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Of course the jedreport youtube has McCain saying that he was lockstep with Bush on all major issues. I don't understand why Obama isn't challenging McCain on any of these claims he is making. Maybe he figures that nobody is paying attention to ads right now I dunno. Or Obama doesn't want to attack until after he is attacked, and right now, McCain is talking about who he is and not bashing Obama. Maybe McCain is trying to bait Obama into going negative "first".
What money is being spent for these ads? Primary money or GE money? I assume the former? Maybe Obama is putting his money towards organization on the ground in all 50 states.
June 17, 2008 9:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
I can see the ad now:
"McCain often disagreed with Bush during his first term." (Lists for-instances from tax cuts to global warming.)
"But during the past four years, he completely changed his tune." (Make tax cuts permanent, support the war, oppose Roe v. Wade, quiet on global warming.)
"Now he wants you to think he isn't really McSame. It's a bit too late for that, isn't it?"
June 17, 2008 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
He can run, but he can't hide.
June 17, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
"John McCain stood up to the President and sounded the alarm on Global Warming FIVE YEARS AGO."
They actually put that in the copy? Only ten years too late!
June 17, 2008 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
You seriously have to wonder, when you see stuff like this, if McCain even is aware the internet exists. I mean, I know that he's used to the Bush junta saying things that were patently absurd and then having them magically turn into truth through the wonderful filter that is the MSM...
June 17, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Believe it or not, not everyone has access to (or interest in) the internet. Many people still prefer to get their information from the MSM where McCain is not getting a whole lot of critical scrutiny.
June 17, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't he avoid voting on the bill that just came up?
June 17, 2008 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, they wouldn't lard it up with enough pork for the nuclear industry to get his support.
June 17, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is doing fine right now without SPENDING money. He's ahead in the right states and a close tie in some of those that are a toss up.
Why spend money if it appears things are ok? Wait till after the convention, meanwhile store up information to use later against McCain and then right after the GOP's convention in Sept - start laying out the FACTS to Americans.
June 17, 2008 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh they can do this, but as soon as the DNC runs the ad based on that JedReport video. . . he's toast.
"Why does Barack Obama keep calling me George Bush's third term?"
"I have been in lockstep with the president and on the most transcendant issues I am a Bush clone all the way."
June 17, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well...pitching the ridiculous nature of the assertions in this clip from discussion one is left with the fact that it is a poor piece of work. The video sucks folks. I hope he runs it a bunch.
June 17, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Given the success of Obama's campaign team thus far, I'm inclined not to second-guess them. Local organizing is probably much more important right now than blanket ads.
June 17, 2008 10:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Do people really get swayed by 30 second ads? If I were a low information voter, I doubt McCain's "I was a POW, therefore I hate war" ad would sway me because everybody knows he wants to stay in Iraq forever.
June 17, 2008 10:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
He stood up to the president! And, the ad he's got running over and over in Michigan says, he hates war!
McCain's the real anti-Bushie! Next we'll get an ad of him in dreds parading big puppets of Bush and Cheney around Haight-Ashbury.
June 17, 2008 10:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the bottom line:
On the core issues of our time -- the Iraq War, the economy (i.e., tax cuts, minimum wage, unemployment insurance, foreclosure relief), health care, and civil and human rights and the Supreme Court -- McCain represents Bush's third term.
The New York Times this morning confirms the narrative:
John McCain can talk all he wants about more minor issues this election such as global warming, drilling in Alaska, immigration, campaign finance reform, etc. -- where he disagrees with the President -- but on the major issues, he represents a Bush third term.
June 17, 2008 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sure, he stood up to the president . . . but you can still see the skid marks on his knees. He now wants offshore oil drilling. And he opposed Lieberman-Warner even though it's virtually identical to his own global warming bill. And he's against mass transit. What a leader. What a model of courage and consistency!
June 17, 2008 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
Big deal. Everyone stood up to FDR.
June 17, 2008 10:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
And John McSame is proud of having done so!
June 17, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lip service, lip service, no tangible ideas, no action. Hmm, toeing the Bush line I think.
I especially like the closing image of Grampa John in a baggy scruffy shirt looking lost in the wilderness.
June 17, 2008 10:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
McSame bein hella unfare to Dubya. He wuz soundin alarm ding-dongs bout global heatin in 2001.
Doncha memmer Dubya sayin how urgint it wuz dat we get get started researchin dis thingy rite away? Gotta do lots an lotsa research. Gettin Stephen Johnson an EPA flunkies to be studyin bout alla dis mess Real Soon Now.
June 17, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
He stood up to the president and accomplished... what, exactly?
The drawback to running on "experience" is that people expect you to tell them what you've gotten done, not just all the times you've stood up and said "I disagree! Lookit me, I'm all mavericky!"
June 17, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink