Claim: Ad Attacking Obama For Canceled Troop Visit Mainly Intended For Media
Okay, this is interesting: It looks as if the new McCain ad falsely attacking Obama over his canceled troop visit may not really have a lot of money behind it, suggesting that its real purpose isn't getting it before voters directly.
Rather, the real target audience may be the media -- meaning that the McCain camp's goal is largely to get the ad debated in the press and to drive the conversation that way.
Evan Tracey, who tracks media buys at the Campaign Media Intelligence Group, took a look at the McCain buys and discovered that an earlier McCain foreign policy attack ad, as well as the troop visit attack spot launched this weekend, are running in almost no battleground-state markets, with the new spot only running in Denver and Washington, D.C.:
"They're probably one part ads and one part press release," he said of the two spots. "I don't think these are in any part cornerstones to his message these days -- I think they're really designed to get in the press."
So, the bogus troop-visit attack ad's primary goal is to get reporters and pundits to talk about it. The McCain campaign is counting on the media to amplify the message for them.
Maybe that alone could persuade media folks to gear up those fact-checking skills and start calling out the ad as false?
The irony is, this is the part that will backfire. The media has been McCain's base, but tactics like these are starting to alienate them (see: Klein, Joe).
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
July 28, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
maybe. hard to say just yet...
July 28, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm pretty sure a good number of them are still licking bbq sauce off their fingers from this weekend's party at the Straight Talk Ranch.
I'll believe that they are doing their jobs when they actually do them. Just look at Halperin....
July 28, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe all the vortexes on John McCain's so-called "ranch" in Sedona are the media's problem! That could be why he keeps hosting BBQs out there. He's using New Age spiritualism to exert some form of mind control. Quick, someone tell the right-wingers!
"Sedona is famous for its so-called vortex sites, spots where the earth's energy is supposedly increased, leading to self-awareness and various kinds of healing. (Think of them as spiritual hot tubs without the water.)"
Can we get rid of this whole business of if a conservative politician owns it, it's a ranch? What McCain owns is a just vacation property. I'd call it a second home, but it's hard to know which of his 12 houses is really his second home. Maybe it's his 12th home.
Anyway, Sedona is known for two things, and neither one is ranching: 1. hippie tourists and 2. "paunchy and ponytailed local hippies." If Obama owned a property there, we'd have never-ending coverage of how only DFHippie liberals hang out in Sedona, so Obama must be one.
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/09/travel/09sedona.html
(This whole NYT article about Sedona is hilarious btw.)
July 28, 2008 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
its the swiftboat strategy.
make an absurd and demostrably false claim, that way, it'll get all the free air time the corporate media wants to give it as preface to a "discussion" or "debate" about the ad.
your ad gets shown. the message gets out. and you don't have to spend a fortune to do it.
July 28, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep and it appears to be working. Obama needs to refute McCain's claims then call out the media for peddling smears.
July 28, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's working pretty well, too! Seems to be driving the narrative this morning.
I wish the MSM would get a clue....... they're being used.
Or, maybe they don't mind.
July 28, 2008 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Below is a sleeper that should break into a bigger story, as the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and today big focus is on economics. Bear in mind that McCain barely survived the Savings and Loan debacle - Keating 5. It should have killed his career. Now this: (Huff Post)
***Well, 20 years later, we're back in the middle of another banking crisis and federal regulators have already begun seizing insolvent banks, and this advisory ran on the wires over the weekend:
Silver State Bancorp (NASDAQ:SSBX), the holding company for Silver State Bank, announced today that Andrew K. McCain submitted his resignation today as a director on the Boards of Directors of Silver State Bancorp and Silver State Bank, citing personal reasons.
Mr. McCain previously served as a director of Choice Bank in Scottsdale, Arizona from 2006 to April 1, 2008 when Choice Bank merged into Silver State Bank. Mr. McCain had been appointed to the Boards of the Company and Silver State Bank in February, 2008 and had served on the Audit Committee.
Andrew is none other than the son of John McCain.***
July 28, 2008 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. This is something. The Obama campaign needs to run with this. McCain being connected to yet another banking scandal.
July 28, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am not sure this story is ripe to run with just yet. What is needed now is some journalism. Who? What? When? Why? How? There may be nothing to the story. It might be big. It might be in the middle. We just don't know.
July 28, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg,
why not a story on Research 2000 -- NEW polling numbers:
7/25-27. Likely voters. MoE 3% (No trend lines)
Obama (D) 51
McCain (R) 39
Barr (L) 3
Nader (I) 2
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/28/114910/877/167/558168
July 28, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because the McCain campaign's ability to get the MSM to repeat their BS without questioning it is more important than polls. BHO has been ahead for a long time, and he'll probably win, but this is something that needs to be addressed, especially when Tweety goes on tonight with the ridiculous assertion that Obama hasn't 'closed the deal' in spite of being ahead eight or nine points in the Gallup tracking poll.
July 28, 2008 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish the Obama camp would respond in some official way (with an ad) to the McCain smear-attempt. Last year, McCain stood on the senate floor and said we should never try to politicize our troops. They need to remind voters he is doing precisely that!
July 28, 2008 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
HA HA HA HA HA AHA HA HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
(wiping tears of laughter from my eyes....)
I just love your sense of humor.
July 28, 2008 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
And then McCain could distance himself from pushing the attack saying "Well it was just a small buy in two cities..."
July 28, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
May be I'm in the minority, but I like the way Barack is totally ignoring McLame's crazy fits. Any response to this B.S. will only dignify the claims and B.S. and Dignity are a oxymoron.
I love the way how Obama switched quickly onto economic issues the moment he's back on the homefront.
At the end of the day most people are looking for solutions, and Obama is looking like a man working hard on substative issues. Those who don't want to vote for Obama really have lame, inconsequential reasons not to vote for him.
July 28, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
THIS IS HUGE! They got caught!
Now is time for some offensive. I agree with FreeRider.
You know, the Obama camp should consider getting Errol Morris to do some ads. It would be interesting to do something different this time around than the usual political ads.
July 28, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg,
Check out the email that Armbinder got from a 'prominent GOP strategist:'
story here
July 28, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
We might be more successful trying to funnel information about these non-ads to the media in a timely manner. No one has ever had much luck getting them to ignore patently false attacks, but letting them know about blatant attempts to get free advertising by feeding them press releases disguised as "ads" -- that might have a chance. In particular, I'm thinking about letting the advertising side know that the political reporters are getting faked into running free ads by McCain and right-wing smear groups.
July 28, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who couldn't tell that much? I knew from the limited buy that it would generate more activity in the news than they ever could with money.
I mean SNL? Who watching SNL has a remote possibility of voting for John McCain in November? That was probably the only nationally televised broadcast they could get to in short order.
July 28, 2008 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've seen this ad three times during prime time here in MO.
July 28, 2008 2:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know what alarms me about this is how well it is working and the conclusion that there may just be someone really bright running McCain's campaign. We certainly can't count on the media to do any work, and this strategy will allow McCain to get lots of bang for very little buck.
July 28, 2008 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
USA Today/Gallup have released a poll completely contradicting their daily tracker. McCain has a 5-point lead according, this is the first time McCain's held a lead in months and comes when all other pollsters are showing an Obama bump.
"Surprisingly," no crosstabs were provided.
July 28, 2008 2:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
They polled his pets.
July 28, 2008 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can you provide a link? I can'tn find that anywhere.
July 28, 2008 3:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/07/gains-for-mccai.html
Christ, this is all they'll be talking about pretty soon. I was hoping Obama's bump would come in just enough time to prevent any poll from showing a McCain lead but one got through and it will be the one the media focuses on.
July 28, 2008 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't see why it should be so close among any kind of voters, especially after the great week we just had.
July 28, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Halperin is blasting it out right now.
Cue the "no bump for the trip, was it a mistake on Obama's part and maybe those negative ads are having an effect" discussion that we will hear for days.
July 28, 2008 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep.
July 28, 2008 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not to mention, "we must play those negative ads that weren't actually aired anywhere again to discuss of people watching us airing them repeatedly had an effect."
July 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not even a real poll.
The actual poll shows Obama with a 3 point lead but then they apply a 'likely voter' filter to squeeze out a McCain lead.
And as 538 has pointed out, USA Today has an abysmal track record.
July 28, 2008 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain is ahead when "likely voters" are included, but it's within the margin of error. And Obama remains ahead when it is confined to registered voters.
The data was collected Friday through Sunday.
July 28, 2008 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Get the pundits OFF the air. They are the ones who perpetuate and inflate this muck.
July 28, 2008 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
"The McCain campaign is counting on the media to amplify the message for them."
Well, they've certainly been able to count on TPM amplifying every smear thery've put out so far.
July 28, 2008 3:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Robert Gibbs put this to rest on Morning Joe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwuz_es10yU
July 28, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain . . . Speaking to his base.
Is there a version coming out of the White House tagetting rich, white folks?
July 28, 2008 3:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obamabots are all excusing the inexcusible.
Of course Obama should have gone and visited the wounded troops, instead of going shopping and working out at the Ritz, even if he could not use the troops for a photo opp. Hopefully the Superdelagates will come to their senses and
switch to Hillary soon and end Obama's 15 minutes of fame. Obamabots can move on to being Moonies or Scientologists or whatever other koolaid drinking cult comes along. The man wants to be Commander in Chief and would rather hang out at the Ritz than visit wounded troops? Disgraceful.
July 28, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
EPIC FAIL.
What a load of horsehit. Your racist ass can sit home on Election Day stewing about the reason your pitiful candidate is NOT on the ballot: she ran a PATHETIC, incompetent, devoid-of-stragety, negative, divisive campaign that did nothing except assure people that she is eminently NOT worthy to be the person to be the first female Presidential candidate. Her fucking husband even couldn't stand the vetting process for VP fer Chrissakes, so just GIVE. IT. UP. She's NOT getting back in the WH. She's DONE. Bagging on Obama for imagined "faults" and "missteps" isn't ever going to change this!
But is IS so nice to see another Hellbot spouting Rethug talking points - do you get paid for spreading their lies? You might want to ask for a raise!
You really are a committedly ignorant fucker.
July 29, 2008 8:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
I saw the "wouldn't visit the troops without cameras" BS ad this morning in Missouri (KC media market).
July 28, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why isn't the media covering the fact that McCain called his wife a cunt in public.
If it had been Obama they'd be on it like flys on shit.
July 28, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
DemBillC, please drop dead. We don't need faux Hillary supporters who are really McCain operatives trying to spread their shite on this board. If you think you're fooling anyone, you are stupider reven than your post portrays you.
July 28, 2008 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink