New Obama Ad Hammers McCain's Shaky Leadership Amid Crisis
The Obama campaign goes up on the air in Virginia with a new spot that launches one of its most direct hits yet on McCain's temperament and steadiness under pressure:
The ad uses the growing unease with McCain's handling of the economic crisis, which is reflected in multiple polls, to undercut the Arizona Senator's own claim to being more prepared to handle crises than the unseasoned Obama.
"Senator McCain and Governor Palin talk about experience. A steady hand," the ad says. "But in this economic crisis, it's McCain who's careened from stance to stance. Been erratic. Poured gasoline on the economic mess."
One thing the meltdown did was enlarge the playing field on which the battle is playing out over who's better prepared to handle crises in a general sense, a category where Obama has now gained a pronounced edge. Indeed, the new Pew poll, among others, suggests an interesting paradox in this race: The focus away from national security and on to the economy has actually improved Obama's numbers on national security by improving perceptions of his overall preparedness.
Great Ad. Especially when McCain is going around saying- he' tested in crisis crap.
He failed every time he was tested. A failed Naval officer, a failed senator and a failed Presidential Candidate.
October 21, 2008 3:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Word.
October 21, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good ad, I'm fine with it... but
I hate when any candidate uses quotes from newspaper editorial submissions, as opposed to actual articles.
October 21, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
The line distinguishing editorials from reportage has grown so thick that the very real ethical dilemma you present doesn't mean nearly as much to me as it once did.
As far as the ad goes, it's excellent, and taken with the direction of the campaign, helps bring the elements of Obama's fact-based critiques of McCain and GOP policy to a climatic synthesis.
October 21, 2008 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't like negative ads in general, particularly the "B&W w/scary music" genre, but at least in this one the campaign states in the cite line that the quote is from an editorial -- I've not seen that in any of the negative ads from the McCain camp.
October 21, 2008 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ouch.
October 21, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well I think they blew it using the word careened... not a common word for rural Virginia but otherwise a good ad.
October 21, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Careen" is known to all good NASCAR fans.
October 21, 2008 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rubbin' is racin', son.
October 21, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're right. Besides, rural Virginia isn't the America we are about anyway. Obama and us...we're all the anti-Americans.
Great ad.
October 21, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
The ad states what everyone clearly saw and witnessed as the financial crisis worsened. Erratic is putting it nicely, yet it is still a good label with which to hammer this incompetent political opportunist from now until 11-04.
October 21, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, not my favorite ad. But then, I have no clue about Virginia.
October 21, 2008 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Synergetic optimism. I don't know anyone who can compartmentalize such a wide array of important issues and then isolate one's feelings about one such that it doesn't have a follow-on effect on the others. If the violinist can wail on Paganini, then it's a pretty safe bet that he can handle Tartini too.
October 21, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow! :-)
October 21, 2008 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I dunno. Tartini was one hella mean, beefy dude.
October 21, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a rural Kentuckian, I'll speak for rural Virginia and say it works.
As for "careened," you'd be surprised at the words that pop up in the Appalachian vocabulary. "Careen" is what speeding cars do on those narrow, windy mountain roads, and you hear it a lot.
October 21, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
;)
No we all speak in words of single syllables down South.
When we aren't just grunting.
LOL
October 21, 2008 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ugh.
October 21, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I lived in Virginia for awhile. Many sounds common to Texans are unknown to Virginians. Gestures usually work.
Or a whap upside the head.
October 21, 2008 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a little something you won't read on Drudge
Pew Research poll released today show Obama stretching his national lead to 14 points, 53% to 39%.
If this shows up in other polls then all those people who have been saying that Obama hasn't "closed the deal", and "he should be leading by 15"
can now shut the hell up.
October 21, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
And this is combined with the Gallup Traditional Poll which had him at +2 a few days back, and a lot of pundits were pointing to it to say the race was tightening, and now it has grown to +7 in three days. McCain has Obama right where he wants him.
October 21, 2008 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Same Pew poll has early voters breaking for Obama 58 to 34.
October 21, 2008 4:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Careening McMentum!
October 21, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
this is the longest 2 weeks of my life. i cant wait to go to bed so i can wake up another day closer to Nov 4th.
October 21, 2008 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I feel the same way.
October 21, 2008 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pretty touch ad.
October 21, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pretty tough ad I meant.
October 21, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I saw your debate with the Penguin . . .
October 21, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
What debate? Penguin ran away with it! Misquoting:
October 21, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ominous music. Quotes. And the devastating self-inflicted harm of his own behavior. Plus the Pew internals show that this behavior is turning voters off. Combined with his age and his the poor judgment of his terrible VP pick....
October 21, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I felt that his demeanor had to be off-putting to more people than just us here. He's bundle of weird tics and obvious rage.
And he's contemptuous and nasty and rude.
And he doesn't even try to hide it!
October 21, 2008 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really think they should hit Palin's secessionist ties and McCain's connection with Liddy (G. Gordon, not Dole), at least a couple of times, to see how that flies. But maybe they don't need to.
Still, the other side is trying to preemptively delegitimize an Obama victory, so shouldn't we be tainting their candidates at least a little? Their folks are more radical than ours, but the low-information types still don't quite know that.
October 21, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
This ad was probably necessary due to Biden's blabbermouth while in Seattle...
McCain is trying to make political hay out of it.
I wonder if Colin Powell has agreed to be used in any ads?
October 21, 2008 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd say the videos of his endorsement ARE ads.
October 21, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Biden's rep for being gaffe prone has helped in this election. When he says things like that, most people just assume that wasn't what he meant to say. And he has such high favorability rating, most people just let it slide and don't hold the gaffe against him.
October 21, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
The problem for McCain is he has no credibility left. When you potray your opponent as a socialist terrorist celebrity- you have dried up your credibility capital.
I agree Biden had no need to pontificate, but no one believes in McCain anyone.
October 21, 2008 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Powell, on Meet the Press, said he would not campaign for Obama. I think his endorsement means more if he doesn't because it's his military impartiality (with a given bias toward the party strong on national security) that makes the endorsement what it is.
October 21, 2008 5:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
McShaky
Off topic but has everyone seen the comedy central and the Wasilla mayor interview. It's freakin' hilarious.
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=188638
October 21, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was a classic interview.
October 21, 2008 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kickass. They should take it national.
Foot on the neck time.
October 21, 2008 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
CNN isn't paying attention to those polls that show Palin has become a drag on the ticket. Instead, CNN is suggesting that she's still a rising star and may save the McCain campaign, if not the Republican party:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/palin.factor/index.html
October 21, 2008 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
They scored a Palin interview for this afternoon, therefore it's time to kiss some wrinkly ass.
October 21, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palin is wrinkly??
October 21, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I mean McCain.
October 21, 2008 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I know -- just some lame humor on my part.
October 21, 2008 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
When your opponent's down, throw him an anvil
October 21, 2008 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was long due.
-----------------------------
London Mayor Boris Johnson of the center-right Conservative Party endorses Obama.
This was a counter to what McLame said jealously the other day on a radio address, "socialist leaders in Europe admire Obama."
October 21, 2008 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also GOP State Senator in WI endorsed Obama today as well.
October 21, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
LMAO!
For some reason that really cracked my shit up!
October 21, 2008 5:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where's Max Headroom?
October 21, 2008 4:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.funwithmccain.com/
October 21, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.entertonement.com/collections/5065/Shaky-Leadership-Amid-Crisis-Ad
October 21, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Everything that comes out of Obama and Biden's mouth is negative and sarcastic. Example of Obama's negative jabs at McCain was witnessed today at Obama's so-called job forum when he again ripped into McCain's economic plan. Why is he not able to speak without going negative on McCain. If Obama is truly in the lead and sits on an obscene amount of $150 million then why does Obama even acknowledge McCain. Biden is absolutely hysterical and often lunacy characterizes his speeches. McCain constantly gets criticized for being negative but that is only because the network media and CNN has jaundiced eyes when it comes to being objective on Obama. Speaking of the "little guy or main street" as Obama likes to pretend he champions: why doesn't he "spread his wealth around" and have us share in the $640 million he has raised and will use to buy this election. How can anyone truly believe that he cares about the "working class" when he can waste that amount of money convincing us that he is "the One" and have his wife feast on lobster, Iranian caviar and champagne last week in New York. Come on America...stop drinking the Kool-Aid and wake up!!
October 21, 2008 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink