AdWatch: McCain ad claims Obama bad for families

[951-Riverside]

Source: The Associated Press

TITLE: "Painful."

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

AIRING: In 11 key states where McCain ads already are on the air.

SCRIPT: Announcer: "Life in the spotlight must be grand, but for the rest of us times are tough. Obama voted to raise taxes on people making just $42,000. He promises more taxes on small business, seniors, your life savings, your family. Painful taxes, hard choices for your budget. Not ready to lead. That's the real Obama."

John McCain: "I'm John McCain and I approved this message."

KEY IMAGES: The spot opens with a montage of cheering crowds, flashing cameras, Obama waving to supporters, Obama's picture on covers of magazines like GQ, US Weekly and Vanity Fair. It is followed by images of a woman and two children with the words, "Obama: Raise taxes on middle class"; of two women in a floral shop, "On small business"; of an elderly woman, "On seniors"; and of a woman and child, "Your family." A smiling Obama appears with the words "Painful taxes, hard choices for your budget, not ready to lead." The final image is one of McCain.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080808/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_adwatch

[shadowknows69]

1. I think there used to be a time you couldn't just blatantly lie in ads

Maybe I'm wrong on this.

[depakid]

17. That time has long since passed

Unfortunately, the Obama campaign's time to define McCain is quickly passing too.

[silverweb]

2. Nice to see the debunking included in the article.

The analysis pretty much pops McSame's bubble here. :thumbsup:

[mediaman007]

3. I think that they lie effortlessly. Then the media debunks the ads, which

amounts to the small print. There really are no consequences for ads that lie.

So, I say that we start worrying about McCain's health. True, he has had cancer. His POW status may have affected his brain function. He says bad things about his wife, would he do something like that with his country?

Lots of fuel here!

[metamars]

5. Terrible idea

Much better would be to condemn the Republican Party, of which McCain is a member, for effectively taxing our children.

Under President Bush, the Federal Debt has grown by about 23%, or 1.7 Trillion dollars.
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/faq.html

1,700,000 million / 300 million people =


$5, 667 for every man, woman, and child


Your federal income tax is going to be used to pay the interest on this debt. (Yes, corporations pay taxes, but I think that their contribution is effectively only about 20% of federal tax receipts, so I'll just ignore them.) I think it's a fair guess that the principal will never be paid off. So, how much money can a "child", aged 22, expect to pay over the next 43 years so that their parents would not have to pay additional taxes during the reign of King George?

I'm not a financial guy, so take the following with a grain of salt. From
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/news/pressroom/currenteebondratespr.htm

we can see that Series I savings bonds earned 4.84%, and Series EE earned 1.40%. So, I'll use 3% interest for my calculation.

3%, compounded yearly for $5,667 over 43 years is

$5,667 X (1.03)^43 = $5,667 x 3.56 = $20,174.52


In other words, so that you and I could enjoy the dubious 'benefits' of Republic economics, your children and mine (if I ever have any) will end up paying $20,174.52.

George Bush, with help from the likes of John McCain, have raised taxes, but in the future. (OK, the verb tense doesn't match up with the word 'future', but I think everybody gets my meaning.) Whatever the exact figure may be, the Republican didn't not tax as much as they placed taxes on our children, without their consent, for their folly and greed.

Now, if Bushco had spent the 1.7 trillion in transforming the US economy to a sustainable, green one, that would not only have been money well spent, but would have strengthened our competitive position in the world such that our children would have a better prospects of getting a good job. Well, instead we got the Iraq fiasco, with $100/barrel oil. Figure $50 / barrel of oil, 22 million barrels of oil a day, and over a 5 year period that means that the American economy has been socked for an extra $195,800 million.

I really have little idea how to translate this into individuals pocketbooks, but guessing that 1/2 this amount ends up coming out of Americans' pockets, that means that besides your children paying $20,174.52 over the course of their lives, you have already paid 1/2 * $195,800 million / 300 million = $3,263 for yourself, and maybe another $3,263 for your child.

All for the privilege of getting a) a tax cut and b) 'leadership' by the cleptocratic Republican Party.

Tax cuts and leadership like this we don't need. I hope Obama's smart enough to let the public know just how badly we've been screwed by 'cut your taxes' George Bush and company. The meme is a simple one - the Republican didn't cut your taxes, they just transferred them to your children.

Recall the very effective ad of the mother with her baby, telling John McCain that "he can't have him". (I think it may have been a moveon ad.) Similar concept - McCain can't make a debt slave out of her child, any more than he can made a soldier out of him.

[mediaman007]

12. I can get behind this idea!

[anonymous171]

20. We need to attack his character, not his policies. No one cares about that other stuff.

[PurityOfEssence]

4. Playing to jealousy and resentment: the reactionaries court the dark side once again

Sadly, the human race has plenty of dark side to go around, and in hard times, it's harder and harder to keep up appearances. As a result ANY taxation is met with violent anger.

They'll play on jealousy in a world filled with people aching to be "somebody". It's another version of the "common man" posturing so necessary in our national psyche. That's why they'll paint him as an elitist and an intellectual. It works.

[CBHagman]

13. Playing to resentment is Nixon's way.

There's a huge flaw in the following review: The reviewer rather stupidly sees Hillary Clinton as a Richard Nixon that Barack Obama has already defeated. Nonsense. Note that McCain relies on a Rove protege, Steve Schmidt; has repeatedly gone negative; has a noticeable mean streak ("McNasty" was his high school nickname); and is of course touting his experience.

http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11326268

It is hard, in the current political season, to read this book without hearing the sound of history rhyming, to paraphrase Mark Twain. George McGovern's promise of “post-partisanship” galvanised America's youth. He trumpeted his opposition to the Vietnam war under the slogan of “right from the start”. He went on to suffer one of the biggest defeats in the general election in American history. “Dirty politics confused him,” Hunter S. Thompson sighed. Nixon chose “experience counts” as his campaign slogan in 1960 and boasted that he had spent “a lifetime getting ready”.

Alternet already posted this on the Nixon-McCain parallel:

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/election08/92918/mccain_channels_nixon/

On edit: From Rick Perlstein's book, Nixonland: "Richard Nixon was a serial collector of resentments."

http://books.google.com/books?id=dM_enWzoghoC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=orthogonian&source=web&ots=6cxondrMBr&sig=EgRB62gkbf2DiBIWciQX0i6dfpE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA21,M1

[Politicalboi]

6. "Life in the spotlight must be grand, but for the rest of us times are tough.

Tough times must be flying in your own jet. I mean you have to pay for the fuel after all. And poor little Johnny's not getting the spotlight. Well his time will come in the debates to be in the spotlight.

[thecrow]

7. More from the Yahoo article ( I find this funny about McInsain)

"In support of its ad, the McCain campaign cites the nonpartisan Web site Factcheck.org, which has been critical at times of McCain's spots, contending they contain false or misleading information. For example, the site says McCain's charge that Obama would raise taxes on small businesses is false, contending that the vast majority of small-business owners would see no change and that many others would see their taxes fall.

When a reporter on Aug. 1 asked McCain about Factcheck's criticism, McCain said he didn't respond to Web sites but added that "I have no idea what they're talking about."

[sourmilk]

10. If there were any truth in advertising, that would be McOld's campaign slogan:

"John McCain - He has no idea."

[thecrow]

14. Heh hehe

:) Exactly!

[LostinRed]

8. Obama needs to run an ad

that shows America how John McCain and Rick Davis cost one town 8000+ jobs. That is bad for families.

[roseBudd]

9. click thru & rate it a 5 so more people see the debunking

[sendero]

11. The only worry I have...

.. is that Obama will figure out too late that he's going to have to hit back hard, and yes maybe even low, against this shit, because in America THIS NEGATIVE LYING BULLSHIT WORKS.

[Barack Marley]

15. maybe America's changing

we've nominated a black person as Democratic candidate..maybe that old negative shit worked on our parents but I think the new generation don't like mean minded assholes who can only attack others and have nothing good to say about themselves..call me an optimist

[Cha]

23. I'm an optimist right there

with you and don't sit around wringing my hands. In fact I was in your City this past weekend at the Farmer's Market in Union Square and had the coolest talks with Obama supporters who had the best campaign buttons that they made and I purchased..one is a Peace Dove in Blue with only "Obama" written under it.

[bushisanidiot]

16. What's bad for families is a hot headed war monger in the white house who wants to

fight in Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia and Iran all at the same time! He will demand that the draft return, I have no doubt.

[Median Democrat]

18. Since Rich Is $5 million, I Now Understand McCain's Claim That Obama...

Would raise taxes on the middle class. Afterall, if $3 million is middle class, then yes, Obama would be raising their taxes.

[GoesTo11]

19. Health care, schools, peace - bad for families.

[fred500]

21. Right wing smears are working

When will we ever learn?

[Top Cat]

22. Not going to work