James Taylor Brings the Pain!

We at SAM implored Sen. Obama to get tough and on offense against the McCain campaign. It appears he is ready to do just that with this ad:



Is that the first time someone's referred to using a James Taylor song as "getting tough?" Probably...

Celeb- Reality

Even back in February it was easy to spot the easiest (perhaps only) way for John McCain to beat Barack Obama. McCain needs paint his rival as part of a movement and culture very separate from "regular folks." The best way to do that is to capitalize on the celebrity- culture backlash.

That's what McCain's done, quite effectively, with his ads likening Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and habitually referring to him as "the biggest celebrity in the world." The notion that Obama is revered based relatively few accomplishments is not new, but the parallel between him and an heiress famous for nothing is startling to many, even though it's patently unfair.

In response, the Obama campaign came up with this spot, which I think is good. It reminds voters that it is McCain, not Obama, who, for nearly a decade, has been the media's ultimate DC darling. From appearances on Letterman, Leno, SNL, the View and other programs, not to mention several Hollywood blockbusters, McCain's celebrity is substantial.



After viewing this ad, voters will likely question the validity of McCain's "my opponent's a celebrity, and I'm not" tag-line.

The Chosen One

This is a new McCain ad, although it's kind of hard to tell.

Obamaone1
by dollarsandsense123

McCain hits Obama on Energy

One of the biggest issues this year is the insanely high price of gas, now comfortably over $4/gallon. In response John McCain and the RNC debuted this ad seeking to play up McCain's wounded "maverick" credentials." It notes that McCain's calling for "conservation" and "alternative fuels," and but also appeases conservatives, noting his support for drilling and gas tax relief.

It also unveils the juxtaposition the RNC will use-- McCain pushing his party in a new direction vs. "Barack Obama-- just the party line"

HIllary's Montana Ad

Hillary Clinton is still running for president, here's her first TV ad for the June 3 Montana primary.

Times Op- Ed Slams Hill for Ad

The New York Times ran an Op-Ed piece this morning slamming Hillary Clinton's campaign tactics before her Pennsylvania primary victory. The Drudge Report wondered if it was a withdrawal of the Times' earlier endorsement.

The column took issue with the TV ad that "featured" Osama bin Laden, and said it was part of a pattern to divisive tactics, and Clinton "took the low road to victory." The sentiment echoed stances by the Huffington Post and Keith Olbermann, among others. It's a sentiment I disagreed with here.

The Times wrote:

On the eve of this crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the narrator intoned.

In the 2004 campaign, Rove's tactics related fears of terrorism and to the Iraq War. He used scary images to drive up support for Iraq and the incumbent president who started that war, of whom voters otherwise didn't approve or trust.

Senators Obama and Clinton have nearly identical positions on Iraq and Afghanistan, so if an image of bin Laden drives voters Clinton, it has less to do with them being scared into something against their better judgment, but affirms that voters see her as better equipped to deal with threats in a dangerous world.

Furthermore, bin Laden should not be off limits. We want a president that can catch him and deal with his threat; just as we wanted a president to see us through a devastating economic crisis, or nuclear missiles off our shore, or an Evil Empire-- crises this column suggests should be off limits.

Gotcha, Hill- Dog! Huff-Po Let Down

It's no secret that most liberal websites and blogs favor Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Sites like Huffington Post, Daily Kos and Move On all have well documented Obama- biases. In most cases that's fine. Having an opinion is OK, especially when the site is opinion- based, like Move- On and Kos (and SAM Online, for that matter). Things get a little more annoying when the site has more of a "reporter" function, like Huff- Po, and dumps daily news links under often- misleading headlines.

As a fan of The Huffington Post, I am continually disappointed when the site engages in the kind of "gotcha- politics" that it often ridicules. In the YouTube era, every misstep by a public figure is recorded and released, and those who pounce first and loudest are usually well rewarded.

This leads to non- issues and non- missteps being treated as more. It seems that Fox News, talk radio and other outlets engaging in such practices think consumers won't know (or care to know) the difference.

On more than one occasion, the Huffington Post has unfortunately joined that rank. At one point today, the site's headline (in big red letters) read: "Hillary Plays the Bin- Laden Card," along with the above image, referring to the ad posted below. The ad plays on Hillary's experience and talks about the unforeseen and serious nature of the presidency. Images from the past century's most dire moments are shown, including about two seconds of Osama bin- Laden walking through the mountains. Huff-Po's sub- headline read: "Needs Pennsylvania Landslide to Catch Obama."

The implication being that Hillary is so desperate that her ad showed bin- Laden in an underhanded attempt to scare voters into voting for her.

Here's a quick run- down of how many levels this is ridiculous on:

1) It is perfectly acceptable to show an image of bin Laden in an ad on challenges that face a president. This was a challenge that was unmet by the current president, and Democrats need this issue to win in November.

Dems need to stop being so scared of anything bin Laden, it's like they consider the issue an automatic bump for Republicans. Capturing him and his operatives should be a key goal of any administration.

2) If an image of US public enemy #1 sends voters to camp Clinton en masse, then perhaps she deserves to win the state. Again, bin Laden is an important issue, and if voters identify Clinton as better ready to meet this challenge, then she deserves that support.

3) Any attempt by the Clinton camp to manipulate the public is matched and exceeded by Huffington Post. Huff- Po wants to catch Clinton in an underhanded tactic when none is present, and spin it as part of the "She'll do anything to win" "She's unethical and manipulative" narrative.

I hate ragging on my peeps, like Huff- Po, but this headline and the Post's constant "gotcha" online- journalism is tough to take. I guess I am harder on them because I expect more.

Closing Messages

Clinton's closing PA ad:



Obama's campaign responded by citing this 2004 speech from President Bill Clinton, who made a compelling argument interpreted in its favor.

Obama Responds

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton's campaign unveiled an ad taking Obama to task for his "God and guns" comment. Today, Obama is back with a response.

Obama's Problem, Clinton's Opportunity?

Barack Obama's comments at a San Francisco fundraiser that middle- class Pennsylvanians "cling to God and guns" out of frustration, have had fall-out over the last few days. First, Obama said he chose his words poorly, although he wouldn't outright apologize for what he said. Second, Hillary Clinton's campaign released this ad taking him to task for the remark.

Warning: The following contains gratuitous Democrat-on-Democrat violence.



Judging by that comment, it appears that the Obama campaign failed to read SAM's February post on their candidate's only weakness.

On that note, George Will wrote an article that's kind of annoying: that Obama's comments show the candidate is on a high horse, and is far more Adalai Stevenson than FDR.

Two Ringing Phones: Dueling Ads

Hillary Clinton's campaign debuted this ad focusing on her experience, written by top pollster Marc Penn.


The Obama campaign released this response in "record time" focusing on his judgment.

Rudy Ad

I've been doing a lot of Rudy stuff recently, I don't really know why. Here's his new ad:

Political Ad of the Year

As I mentioned last month, Chuck Norris endorsed Mike Huckabee for president. Huckabee is not hesitating to take advantage of that star power. Below is his first television spot, and it's Chuck approved.

Romney's New TV Spot

Mitt Romney has a new new TV ad that's running in Iowa and New Hampshire, and I have to say I really like it.

It captures your attention and touts the candidate's strengths in a unique way. Also, it invites you to wonder what Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson would look like on a long run (ewwwww).