Hard hitting Obama ad: McCain owns SEVEN houses (OMG)

[Eraserhead]

11 pages already. Damn, this certainly seems to have struck a chord, much like McCain's celeb ad.

[ottermax]

McCain's campaign says:
"Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses?"
"Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people 'cling' to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who's in touch with regular Americans?"

Careful.  That's all I have to say.

Except Hawaii has no private beaches.

Great.  I'm not Brian Rogers.  And neither is John McCain, jfern.

It's a big difference in my opinion... it sort of emphasizes how many of the statements people say about Obama are false.

[Brittain33]

Careful.  That's all I have to say.

Do you understand that this means, "McCain's going to attack you, but don't attack back, because if you do, he might say other bad things about you"?

McCain's going to respond anyway. I don't have the faith that you have in his ability to always attack better and more effectively than Obama will. I think the Obama campaign probably won't listen to that advice, no matter how well-intentioned.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I'm trying to decide which commercial is worse? McCain comparing Obama to Moses or Obama attacking McCain for owning several houses? Surely if Obama wanted to create a "real" attack ad, he should have attacked McCain for doing this to President Bush. Now that would scare the American public

Anywho, I suppose, like American Presidential Elections in the past, the present and the future, that a vast majority of these commercials released by the respective candidates will never focus on the issues at hand. If that day ever comes, may I disregard my atheist views.

[Sbane]

Surely if Obama wanted to create a "real" attack ad, he should have attacked McCain for doing this to President Bush. Now that would scare the American public

Oh don't worry it's coming. I am guessing he is saving the best for last.

[Nym90]

I think this ad could have some legs. It didn't help Bush 41 any that he had never seen a bar scanner at a grocery store before and was utterly fascinated that such things existed. Also that he had no clue what the price of a gallon of milk was (when given the multiple choice answers of 20 cents, 2 dollars, 20 dollars, or 200 dollars).

[Brittain33]

The problem is, he's been going on for months about running a clean campaign and talking only about the issues.

So has John McCain, though. So do many politicians. It never holds in the end, except for those politicians too incompetent to do what has to be done to take down the opponent. The trick is to sound elevated while landing punches. Bush did this very successfully with surrogates. Obama is better at this than McCain is.

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We've had several weeks of McCain attacking Obama and Obama's suffered some damage in the polls. McCain now has the reputation as the guy who started it. At this point, Obama benefits more from looking like a tough guy who responds to fights than someone who is above it all. You must understand, after 2000 and 2004, Democrats have empirical evidence that looking like a better person than the campaign that unleashes attack ads only reinforces the image among voters that Democrats are weaklings who would rather munch arugula than defend themselves--or the country.

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I think his attack ads are smart. They're not a contest of ideas, for sure, but they're respectable and make a serious point, and Obama often works his own positive message into them instead of simply tacking on an approval at the end for legal purposes. Whether that works in the long run, I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised to see Obama head into the gutter.

Obama's image is golden among the base. They'd follow him to the ends of the Earth. What he needs to avoid is too many people seeing McCain as the default option. If they both run dirty campaigns that drive down turnout in the middle, Obama will win, because the Democratic base is currently larger and better energized than the Republican base, and people looking for a clean start will go with him. If Obama is too gentlemanly while McCain attacks, McCain will keep the Republican base and all those wavering Indys and Democrats who want a President who will kick ass for America.

I believe Obama's making the right decision, and I say that as someone who was worried about his toughness for a long time. I think anyone who believed he would change politics deserves what they get.

George W. Bush successfully promised to run as a bipartisan fixer who would bring together people from both sides while he and his campaign kicked the stuffing out of the Democratic candidates. We've all learned that lesson. The difference is, Obama could actually govern that way.

[memphis]

This whole debate about who's more "ordinary" is ridiculous. Regular people don't run for president. Frankly, I don't want a mediocre person as president. OMG, im elitist!!!1111

[cp]

and since when has house ownership been a measure of someone's normality?

[Brittain33]

Obama drops a new ad, this time featuring some McCain campaign footage from the last good week Obama had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZdi1JnMxFU

[Democratic Hawk]

So is this the first negative press McCain's had in a decade, or what?

Sounds about right. The mainstream media is still giving their old bus mate his free pass. Somethings ain't ever gonna change

Dave

[Dan the Roman]

This story actually seems to be catching on. First the inane drilling insanity, and now this. My faith in the American electorate is dropping rapidly.

[Brittain33]

Joshua Micah Marshall explains why Obama's response to this is so crucial. It also explains, I think, why some people on the McCain campaign may feel cheated that the Democrats aren't behaving in the same ineffective way they did in 2000 and 2004 when faced with similar tactics.

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[Aizen]

So much for this story "not getting any traction". It already has. Fortunately for McCain, it'll fade away very soon.

[Dan the Roman]

This probably puts a damper in the Romney VP decision if it is real. Can anyone imagine the new housing ad against McCain-Romney.

[elcorazon]

bad article.  lots of errors.

[Brittain33]

This probably puts a damper in the Romney VP decision if it is real. Can anyone imagine the new housing ad against McCain-Romney.

I've seen Ann Romney's stables at the Lake Winnipesaukee estate. They're bigger than most people's houses!

[J. J.]

If it wasn't for Rezko, this would be a great story, but the counter attack is too heavy.

[ChrisFromNJ]

If it wasn't for Rezko, this would be a great story, but the counter attack is too heavy.

The Rezko has been beaten over and over again over the last year. There is nothing there.

[Aizen]

If it wasn't for Rezko, this would be a great story, but the counter attack is too heavy.

Nobody cares about Rezko. This is the first time in a while where Obama is on the winning side of an argument. This is just what Obama needed after his barrage of attacks from McCain over the last several weeks that have caused his poll numbers to sag.

[NOVA Green]

If it wasn't for Rezko, this would be a great story, but the counter attack is too heavy.

The Rezko has been beaten over and over again over the last year. There is nothing there.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This was one of the positives for Obama from the long and drawn-out  primary season, there simply isn't any new material here to keep the press interest in this.

[Democratic Hawk]

So is this the first negative press McCain's had in a decade, or what?

Sounds about right. The mainstream media is still giving their old bus mate his free pass. Somethings ain't ever gonna change

Dave

Nice jab at his age, you sly pootz!

Not at all. It's more a case of stating that McCain has been given a free pass for way too long by an all too fawning, servile, mainstream media ready to take the so-called "straight-talk express" at his word

Dave

[cp]

Whenever I hear someone blame the media for favouritism or bias I just want to shake them and scream 'YOU'VE GOT IT BACKWARDS!'

The media is a lens and information can pass through it in different directions, but distortions like 'favouritsm' and 'bias' are rare. What's not rare is the ability of certain people to position themselves so that they project a certain persona that the media's lens amplifies. When McCain first emerged he garnered popular press because he fashioned himself as a popular figure. He had the underdog, maverick persona that makes for good television. The media wasn't playing favourites, McCain was making himself into the darling of the race. Obama's done the same thing, albeit with a different persona. His is more of the transformational change and momentum of history style, but the projection to the media is still essentially the same: a good story that plays well on the air.

[J. J.]

If it wasn't for Rezko, this would be a great story, but the counter attack is too heavy.

The Rezko has been beaten over and over again over the last year. There is nothing there.

Never investigated really, the "coincidental" same day sale, which Obama admits was "poor judgment."  There is substantially more there that McCain's houses or the "Keating Five."

[NOVA Green]

If it wasn't for Rezko, this would be a great story, but the counter attack is too heavy.

The Rezko has been beaten over and over again over the last year. There is nothing there.

Never investigated really, the "coincidental" same day sale, which Obama admits was "poor judgment."  There is substantially more there that McCain's houses or the "Keating Five."

I'm sure if there had been more substantive material Hillary Clinton would have been all over it in the primaries. The press has looked into this, both the national and the Chicago based media outlets.

Granted hitting Obama back on Rezko makes sense as a counter to McCain's gaffe, but ultimately the best McCain can hope for here is a draw, and that that this misstatement gets buried under coverage of Obama's VP pick.