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In TV Ads, Third-Party Liberal Groups Attack McCain's Health, Temperament
September 26, 2008 7:20 PM
Two third-party liberal groups have teamed up to run this TV ad seeming to imply that Sen. John McCain , R-Ariz., will die in office.
Showing pictures of McCain's cancer scar, the script is as follows:
Text on screen: John McCain is 72 years old and had cancer 4 times .
Dr. Michael Frakin: The relevance of knowing the details of his course with melanoma are very important. Another bout of cancer for John McCain while he is president of the United States would profoundly impact his capacity to lead.
Noah Craft, Ph.D.: Melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers and the chances of survival, if you have melanoma spread through your body, are very, very slim.
Text on screen: Why won't John McCain release his Medical Records?
Announcer: Brave New PAC and Democracy For America are responsible for the content of this advertising.
Another Brave New PAC TV ad features former POW Phillip Butler saying of McCain, "he would blow up and go off like a Roman candle. John McCain is not somebody that I would like to see with his finger near the red button,"
These ads are more what is called "flares" -- with little-to-no presence on TV, but a big internet presence that the groups are trying to use to get free media attention.
Republicans are insinuating that the Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has something to do with them. Obama told Democratic contributors to refrain from contributing to these independent groups, but The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reported this month that "after a year of telling donors not to contribute to 527 groups, of encouraging strategists not to form them and of suggesting that outside messaging efforts would not be welcome in Obama's Democratic Party, Obama's strategists have changed their approach. An Obama adviser privy to the campaign's internal thinking on the matter says that, with less than two months before the election and with the realization that Republicans have achieved financial parity with Democrats, they hope that Democratic allies -- what another campaign aide termed ‘the cavalry’ -- will come to Obama's aid."
The Obama campaign says this is not true.
The Republican National Committee's Danny Diaz points to the fact that Democracy for America is run by Jim Dean, the brother of Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, to insinuate that Obama and the DNC are behind these ads. He also says that Larry Lessig, an adviser to Obama on technology issues, is chairman of the board of Brave New Foundation -- which is separate from Brave New PAC, though both were founded by film director Robert Greenwald.
"The fact that Howard Dean's brother and an adviser to the Obama campaign are behind despicable and cheap smear ads against Senator McCain is deeply disappointing, but in no way surprising," says Diaz. "Barack Obama has promised Americans an elevated debate offering nothing but gutter, Chicago-style politics."
The Obama campaign insists it has nothing to do with the ads at all, and argues these connections are pretty tenuous.
- jpt
September 26, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (53)
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I saw this ad and took it as, if something happens to McCain we will get Palin as pres. That scares me more than anything.
Posted by: erin | Sep 26, 2008 8:45:31 PM
mak, it's one thing being misleading. Fudging about political issues and such. That is expected in political advertisements. Unfortunately, all politicians do it. However, swiftboating is not misleading, it's outright lying. That's what doomed Kerry...outright lies. That is what the truth squad is about. Telling the truth whenever you hear a lie. Not letting a lie slide by without calling it out as a lie.
Posted by: Liz | Sep 26, 2008 8:34:13 PM
Ira, that is not an Obama ad. It's a third party group. Which is why Obama did not want 527 groups advertising on his behalf but after all the sinister ads of right-wing 527 groups on behalf of McCain he has said in the last month that he won't stop the third party 527 groups advocating for him anymore.
Posted by: Liz | Sep 26, 2008 8:29:25 PM
I understand this, Liz. But I do not hear any mention of searching for false or misleading ads put out by Obama's campaign. And please, don't tell me Obama's campaign doesn't put them out there.
Posted by: mak | Sep 26, 2008 8:29:00 PM
By the way you shouldn't be linking to these ads Jake. That is also despicable. You are airing them for free. MSNBC has pulled them from their cite. You should do the same, although I think they will hurt Obama and the Democrats more than McCain.
Posted by: s.b. | Sep 26, 2008 8:24:46 PM
I am a staunch Obama supporter and a lifelong Democrat. I am not in any way a fan of Senator McCain.
I watched in shock this ad as it aired on MSNBC and I was disgusted.
There are important issues in this campaign, and there is no room for this garbage.
Posted by: Ira | Sep 26, 2008 8:23:47 PM
mak, the truthsquad is about telling the truth to rebut lies. If Missouri has ethics laws about lying in TV ads then oh well. However, I never heard the prosecutors say one word about prosecuting regarding the ethics law, only the reporter. The prosecutors said they are there to tell the truth when they hear lies. Right-wingers aren't going to get away with swiftboating free and clear this time without a fight.
Posted by: Liz | Sep 26, 2008 8:18:08 PM
Is Sarah Palin really that clueless or is she really going to show herself and kick bidens butt ?
Is it all a stunt ? Or is she really that dumb ?
Posted by: Ex Republican | Sep 26, 2008 8:14:31 PM
BOTH canidates would rather spend 1 billion a year in Iraq and 700 billion as a gift to there buddies on Wall St. rather than return your phone call. Never forget it.
Posted by: hmn | Sep 26, 2008 8:12:49 PM
Wade
They didn't release the medical records, they just allow reporters to view them for 3 hours in a lock room with no cameras, cellphones, or laptops. How's that for transparency.
Posted by: MM | Sep 26, 2008 8:12:00 PM
"Why won't John McCain release his medical records?"
Uh, he did, in May.
May 23, Chicago Sun-Times:
"McCain releases medical records"
"three-time melanoma survivor John McCain appears cancer-free, has a strong heart and is in otherwise general good health, according to eight years of medical records reviewed by The Associated Press."
This ad contains a blatant, intentional lie. There is no other explanation for such ignorance of the facts.
Posted by: Wade | Sep 26, 2008 8:10:00 PM
I wonder if the prosecutors and sheriffs in MO are aware of these ads. Oops, I forgot. I guess they only keep an eye out for ads against Obama. (See Drudge for link - OBAMA 'TRUTH SQUADS': Campaign asks Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies, runs misleading TV ads...)
Posted by: mak | Sep 26, 2008 8:05:34 PM
Jim: Obama's doctor of the last 21 years issued a statement to certify that Obama is in good health. He stated that Obama has seen him for regular checkups, and minor ailments such as rashes, upper respiratory infections, and minor injuries. He gave details of blood pressure, pulse, cholesterol (all fine).
There's no indication of any major problems there, unless you think his doctor is lying.
Posted by: Aengil | Sep 26, 2008 8:02:25 PM
Re: "the representation that a "Great Depression" will happen if we don't cave into the Democrats is pure bull."
It's not the Democrats who asked for this bailout, you liar. Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson did. They are REPUBLICANS.
They want unfettered access to our tax money.
Posted by: McHooverville | Sep 26, 2008 7:57:32 PM
I have to say, now that Dean,s brother has brought up health issues I would like to know more than one paragraph about Obama. I am the same age as Barrack and also smoked, I just quit after having a stint open up my left coronary artery that was 90% blocked, just 2 days ago. I was lucky but stupid.What is Barack's health like? We don't know because he won't release any records. WHY?
Posted by: Jim | Sep 26, 2008 7:56:43 PM
Jake- I live in California and I saw the Cancer ad several times yesterday on MSNBC (as an ad, not as part of a story about the ad).
Posted by: MayBee | Sep 26, 2008 7:53:53 PM
If you apply for a job, any job out there, your age and health condition will be factors that matter. They matter even more if you're running for the highest office and most responsible job in the country.
Posted by: hill | Sep 26, 2008 7:53:53 PM
The ad company is run by Howard Dean's brother.
This is no third party ad.
The far left democrats have taken over this country.
This is change? The far left takeover of Dean and Obama who cheated Hillary.
Posted by: Jeff | Sep 26, 2008 7:52:52 PM
Dear hmn: You could turn that around the other way. What about Obama making a fool out of himself in the meeting yesterday? Word is the Democrats tried to set it up for him to be the hero and he blew it. That wasn't his fault either was it? He had no clue without his teleprompter. His comment afterwards was presidential politics shouldn't be involved. You can bet your rear end he'll milk it for all it's worth tonight. His arrogance far outweighs his talent. He couldn't afford to wait on the debate-all his memorizing would go to waste.
Posted by: RL in Illinois | Sep 26, 2008 7:50:41 PM
I guess this is probably as gross as it gets ... anybody see where the obama-con is denouncing this?
Posted by: Francisco Cardenas | Sep 26, 2008 7:48:57 PM
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