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McCain Ad Tries to Attack on Two Levels

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June 24, 2008 12:21 PM

ABC's John Berman reports:  If you pay close attention, you realize that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick helped write the latest internet ad from the John McCain campaign criticizing Barack Obama. 

That might sound curious given that the two Democrats, Patrick and Obama, are close friends, and that Patrick has worked tirelessly for the Obama campaign.  It is even more curious given that the entire ad pulls snippets of Obama speeches, and that the focus is Obama’s decision to break his pledge earlier in the campaign to support public campaign funding and instead forgo public financing in the general election. But therein lies the genius of the ad (for lack of a better word.)

The ad is titled “Words,” and replays many of the old statements from Obama asserting that he would stay in the public financing system.  But a refrain throughout the ad is a clip from another Obama speech altogether, delivered last February in Wisconsin.

"Don't tell me words don't matter,” you hear Obama say again and again in the Februar speech.  On the surface, the obvious point the ad makes is that Obama went back on his word in changing his campaign finance position.

However, there is a more subtle jab.  If the refrain “Don’t tell me words don’t matter,” sounds familiar, it is because it was at the center if a dust-up during the primaries. 

The rival Hillary Clinton campaign at the time pointed out that parts of Obama’s speech were incredibly similar (as in, almost exactly the same) to a speech given by Massachusets Governor Deval Patrick.  Obama brushed off charges of plagiarism, saying, “I really don’t think this is too big of a deal.”  And Patrick added, “We often share ideas about politics, policy, and language.”

The dust up eventually went away, until now.  An aide to McCain says the message of the new ad is “whether it is the borrowing of people’s words or the empty promises associated with them, it is increasingly difficult to discern what Obama truly believes at his core on the issues of importance in this election.”

Internet-only ads from campaigns are rarely get much attention. By releasing them to the web only, the campaign does not have to pay for pricey TV air time and so these ads are often designed to make a political point, even if they don't reach a large audience.  Internet ads, then, are normally fairly blunt tools in a campaign's arsenal.  It isn’t often you see one with a trace of subtlety.

June 24, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis | Permalink | User Comments (16)

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Here is another example of the McCain campaign grasping at straws...

Posted by: truthtell | Jun 24, 2008 12:32:41 PM

Umm...tell me again why the Republicans are crying because Obama didn't want to waste taxpayers money running an election? This is becoming a sickening subject. It's like they have nothing better to complain about. What, is the McCain camp that uncreative to come up with better ways to serve Americans? So it seems.

Posted by: Lonnelle | Jun 24, 2008 12:33:11 PM

Republicans are too stupid to understand the attacks, So ABC has to explain the attacks in the ad!

Posted by: IslandGirl | Jun 24, 2008 12:47:55 PM

McCain tries increasingly to paint Obama as himself. After all, nobody knows empty promises better than John,

Posted by: JR | Jun 24, 2008 12:56:59 PM

. . . .and further, as your president, I promise a turkey in every oven and a fip flop in every driveway . . . .

Posted by: DAVID NH | Jun 24, 2008 1:15:20 PM

Obama continues to flip-flop:

Consider what’s happened since he clinched the Democratic nomination and Hillary “suspended” her campaign:

• Obama flip flopped on his pledge to spurn private contributions and finance his campaign publicly – as long as his opponent did likewise. McCain said he’s willing and Obama flipped and said he’s not.

• The Democratic candidate was caught flat footed by the sudden spike in oil prices and even defended their high level, lamenting only that we had not been given a period of time to make a “gradual adjustment” to the higher price.

• McCain urged off-shore drilling, which Americans support, according to Rasmussen’s polling, by 70-19, while Obama said no.

• Obama urged that we give foreign terror suspects constitutional rights, including habeas corpus, and even implied that if we caught bin Laden, that’s how he should be treated.

Posted by: david from texas | Jun 24, 2008 1:39:05 PM

What's wrong with changing one's mind (flip-flopping)? At least Obama doesn't stick to a position that is reckless, stupid, ill-advised, inefficient, politically dangerous, financially unfeasible, etc. If Bush had changed his mind about the Iraq War, we would all be in a better position in this country right now. Sometimes changing one's mind on a really important subject is necessary - instead of "staying the course" in a futile, destructive, detrimental War. Maybe we would have the money in this country to fix our infrastructure so flooding could be prevented, bridges fixed, tunnels repaired, roads built, and so on. Maybe gas prices wouldn't be so high, maybe people wouldn't be losing their homes, maybe the jobless rate wouldn't have gone up and maybe our homes would be worth something. But, hey, "stay the course" people. So, stay the course with McCain then. Might as well send this country totally down the toilet.

Posted by: geecee | Jun 24, 2008 1:39:33 PM

Geevill: I find this to be interesting can you tell me where you got this information because I am sure when Obama was running against Hillary all tax statements along with all income requires had to be present and I will tell you, they looked nothing like what you are presenting here.

Posted by: becky | Jun 24, 2008 1:44:51 PM

Gallup Daily: Obama Holds Slight Edge, 46% vs. 43%

Lets see here: Obama is outspending McCain 4,5,6, maybe 7 to 1; has millions more than McCain to spend; is 100% supported by the mainstreet media; can do no wrong in the eyes of the media; can flip-flop from day-to-day; can lie, lie, and lie again about heritage, family, associations, etc., can be arrogant and copy the seal of the President of the US, and can break promises.

Now my question is this: If Obama has ALL of this going for him, why in the hell ain't he blowing McCain out in the polls?

Reason: The American public sees thru this con artist, Obama! They know he's an empty suit with no substance!

Posted by: Jack, Chicago IL. | Jun 24, 2008 1:51:23 PM

RCP Average 06/15 - 06/23 -- 48.2 41.6 Obama +6.6


Jack thinks Obama is supported by the mainstream media?? Now that is "thinking" for ya, too bad its not true!

Posted by: sai.mati | Jun 24, 2008 1:57:14 PM

McCain's the biggest hypocrite on the campaign finance front. He wrote the law and BROKE it. Doesn't get any more blatant than that.

Posted by: pity | Jun 24, 2008 2:15:39 PM

Senator Obama's 3 second statement about using public campaign funding has been replayed on TV a dozen times. Now he has flip-flopped on it. I would simply call it another lie. Lie to deceive and distort. HOPE voters will believe me. CHANGE to a socialist nation. Obama is not honest.
McCain will win in November.

Posted by: Mary | Jun 24, 2008 2:31:35 PM

WOW great video describes Obama exactly.

Posted by: wordly | Jun 24, 2008 2:59:03 PM

I'm sick of these fake conservatives talking about Barack Obama not using PUBLIC FINANACING. Do you know what that means. He doesnt want to use TAX PAYER money to fund his personal interest. That is what REAL conservatives believe. Keep government small. John McCain is nothing but another liberal "Debt Creating" republican like George Bush.

Plus the Ad sucks!

Posted by: Ken | Jun 24, 2008 4:18:44 PM

When McCain makes a criticism of
Obama it is portrayed as an "Attack"
by the MSM, also known as a branch of
the Democrat Party!
When Obama makes a criticism of
McCain it is a "Swipe"!
I guess Obama's friends in the MSM
are trying to make their guy the
"victim"! It Won't Work!
No You Can't!

Posted by: reaganfan | Jun 24, 2008 11:41:48 PM


Obama has flip-flopped again. He has now decided to stick with his campaign contributions. Where did all this money come from? Maybe it's blood money --- but whose blood? Think about it!

Obama will deliver….but what will it be? He speaks of change and hope. I think he’s hopeless. He has based his entire campaign on lies.

He will deliver higher taxes, socialist agenda, and make us a wimpy laughing stock. I am not a McCain devotee either; however, so far…as an independent…he has proven more to me.

Obama has not been truthful to the American people. I question his judgment. I have seen nothing from Obama yet except catchy phrases designed on emotion. There is nothing different than the same old rhetoric that I have heard since I could vote.

The only true statesman has been Ronald Reagan.

I WILL VOTE McCAIN IN 2008.


Posted by: MORE-OBAMA-LIES | Jun 25, 2008 12:32:42 AM

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