Jarring John McCain ad jumps from Bill Ayers to housing crisis

At the least, a John McCain television ad unveiled today will be the likely frontrunner for the year's most-jampacked-30-second-spot award.

The ad starts with zinging Barack Obama over his connection to notorious Vietnam-era radical Bill Ayers, then segues (jarringly) to blaming congressional Democrats for the collapsed housing market.

It happens all in less than 50 words (not counting the required McCain approval line for the spot):

The different moods emanating from the two campaigns, meanwhile, were on stark display in morning appearances by the two presidential contenders.

Obama, riding front-runner status in recent national and state polls, focused on the nation's economic turmoil in remarks made in Ohio. "Now is not the time for fear. Now is not the time for panic. Now is the time for resolve and steady leadership," he said, clearly hoping voters would see him as offering those attributes.

McCain, speaking in Wisconsin, began by stressing his new plan for aiding beleaguered homeowners. But he quickly launched a series of direct attacks at Obama, clearly hoping voters will judge his character superior to his rival's.

He reprised a barb from earlier this week, sarcastically telling his crowd that were he ever to need guidance in being truthful to the American people, he would not seek it from a "Chicago politician" (i.e., Obama).

-- Don Frederick 

Comments

[Christine B]

You gotta love how neocons try to rewrite history in a pathetic attempt to convince themselves their naked emperor is wearing fabulous clothes. The CRA was a good thing until Phil Gramm (McCain's economic advisor) got the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act passed in 1999 which helped make the banking meltdown possible. Most neocons are so hypnotized on their own Koolaid they will insist manmade global warming is a myth though even the Bush Admin admits it's real. Denial is not a river in Egypt, and Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

[carlton]

As readily as the McCain campaign is highlight even the most insigificant association of Obama with undesirables, don't you conspiracy theorists think that this stuff would be all over McCain campaign ads if it had the slightest hint of validity? And I grew up in the projects and went to the same Harvard Law School that Obama did without the help of any shady characters. That's what loans and scholarships are for. What nutcases.

[Michael]

People better be careful with this election! McCain is increasingly erratic, and it seems that touches of alzheimers are showing up. Palin is just a nut case religious fanatic who keeps her lack of contact with reality under slightly better wraps than, say, Jimmy Swaggart or Oral Roberts. She believes that teaching abstinence and only teaching abstinence is intelligent social policy, even though her unwed 17 year-old is now about to make her a grandma!! These two nutcases are the perfect follow-ups to Bush, to offer the final coup de grace to this once-great nation.

[Larry linn]

What is "Republican Logic"? It must be an oxy-moron

[Aaron Howard]

Listen everyone,

The reason that people are trying to liken Obama to being Muslim is that he has a different name and he does not look like all of the other past US presidents. As an African-American, even I understand the trepidation that many whites feel, because even I have caught myself buying into the notion that only old white men should be president. It's not our fault, it's the fault of the media and a society that only portrays "white as right."

That's why many African-Americans supported Hilary initially because they knew nothing about Obama. They figured, this guy with the funny name has no chance. Now, here he is close to getting into office, and all of a sudden the American media and right-wingers start throwing their default fear tactic of "terrorism" into the mix.

We would have to be idiots to buy into this charade once again. EVERY Republican presidential race is run on fear and loathing of the underclass. Reagan targeted crack cocaine in the inner-city. The first Bush used Willie Horton as a symbol of fear. The second Bush used terrorism to get TWO terms. Now McCain--who admitted that "if we talk about the economy we lose!"

Everyone has unsavory associations. . .let's not get into the Bush, McCain (Keating 5 anyone, also cheated on his wife after a terrible accident--talking about cold and heartless), and Reagan (Iran-Contra anyone?) dealings.
Let's face it, a black upstanding family man with eloquence and wit is not something we're used to. Had he been arrested on COPS or America's Most Wanted, perhaps the above posters could pigeonhole him.

For the above know-it alls, student loans are how most medical doctors and lawyers afford school--these loans and soar into the mid six figures easy. I'm at Fuller Seminary after going to UCLA and SDSU and my loans are already at 100,000! And yes, my wife and I took a trip to New York...and Iranians did not have to finance it.

American people, c'mon and wake up. Your savings and retirement are in the toilet. Will you be stupid enough to let fear grant you four to eight more years of the same crap? Someone who wants to further deregulate when deregulation got us into this mess? We HAVE to be smarter than this. Then again, it is Obama who has the Harvard education and appeals to the educated ones while it is McCain and Palin whose targeted audience is "Joe Six-Pack" and "Hockey Moms." Sorry, I don't drink or play hockey. But I do expect my government officials to be insightful, calm in the midst of the storms, and beyond attacks based on racism and fear.

[Larry linn]

What is "Republican Logic"? It must be an oxy-moron

[Scy]

McCain/Palin . . . fiddling while Rome burns and the politics of desperation. Keating Five and Palin is tied to Iran through the Alaskan Independent movement. The real terrorists in our midst are McCain/Palin.

[rc]

*posted by woodstock

Please, anybody with any common sense, please pass this on, which is what I am doing. This came from a writer on Craigslist....

Posted by: woodstock1969 | October 10, 2008 at 10:23 AM

Hmmmm....did you have the common sense to research this info on Obama from the writer on Craigslist before just passing it on? Where are the sources for his infomation? Can they be fact checked?

[Scy]

The few remaining in the right wing mob remind me of the changed humans in "I am Legend". They run around screaming, beating their heads on the wall, the ground, etc. Wanna see a Republican? Check out the virus infected humans in" I Am Legend".

[Craig]

The latest McCain ads brand Obama "too risky". There's only one guy who's too risky for America right now and it's the old guy flailing around in the midst of an economic crisis, making up silly policies as he goes along and turning a blind eye as his campaign crowds get ever more extreme. Some of the bile coming out at McCain/Palin rallies is a disgrace to this great nation of Lincoln, Adams and Franklin.

[lc]

Question:
If you were hiring somebody to run your company and you had two resumes in front of you (the resumes did not have names). One resume had 7 years experience while the other one had 26 years of experience. Who would you pick?

[Michael]

Sarah Taylor, you're comments really frighten me.

[John Johnson]

The election has created a problem that could be as dangerous as the current economic crisis. I'm over 60 and I've NEVER seen such rabid, hateful remarks coming out of a campaign or the people at its rallies. Untold damage is being done to the psyche of this country by the McCarthy-like campaign being waged by the McCain/Palin ticket. These two parties are going to have to work together in the next 12 months to pull us back from the abyss of another depression, but John McCain's speeches suggest that when he reaches across the aisle, it will be with a closed fist. He and his running mate need to put an immediate stop to the violent threats being screamed out at their rallies and make it clear that we are all in this together. So far, to their discredit, they've allowed this behavior to continue and even appeared to encourage it with remarks. At a time when we should be coming together, we're being told that the front-runner in this election is a "terrorist" who can't be trusted. Shameful.

[BasicShape]

You racist people sicken me and make question wether or not to continue living in this otherwise great country.

[gurnemanz]

NeoCons scream about guilt by association. Okay, fine. Here you go, then; a few of McPain's known associates.

The Keating Five
The Iran Contra Gang
Economic sub-genius Phil Gramm
Various (and varied) girlfriends since marriage to the beer heiress
A charity crashed and destroyed due to misdeeds of the beer heiress while actively addicted to pain meds
Alaskan separatists
Oil companies
TrooperGate participants
White supremacists

In a funny way, I have to agree that experience counts. In this case, it counts against McCain and Palin.

[John Johnson]

No politician in a large urban area lives in a bubble and is completely insulated from any one with a questionable past. No one! And popular rising stars in politics are fly paper to the people who want to peddle influence or gain favors. It is the nature of the political world. If you wanted to disqualify every politician who ever sat in the same room with anyone who had a criminal past, we would lose 90% of our House and Senate. And the remaining 10% would be people who were ineffectual. Did any of you ever watch "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"? Watch it. Bill Ayers, who was Chicago's Citizen of the Year in 1997, is an advocate for education in poor areas of his city and it only makes sense that he and Obama would have shared that and ONLY that common objective. To paint Obama as a domestic terrorist sympathizer is right out of Joe McCarthy's playbook, and the McCain/Palin ticket should be ashamed of itself for this and many other transgressions in this despicable campaign.

[Ruth]

Okay people ! Use your brain !!! Hopefully the American public are not so gullible that they would take ANYONE at their word today without having some PROOF to back up their claims. Don't you think the McCain/Palin, and those in agreement with them, have gone far enough? Where's your PROOF !!!! And for you racists - do you really care so much about color that you could put your family and their future - for generations - in jeopardy? Please people - stop shaming our nation.

[Rick]

You wanna' understand the subprime mess reads this interesting Newsweek article:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/162789

[Vic ferarri]

Dems platform is a perverted platform. They only want to have the right to kill their babies before they are born and then make to grow up to be gays!

[K]

lc:
hiring someone for a company is different from electing someone as president. mccain's experience has not helped him help the country move forward in the 26 years he's been in government; why would i trust his experience would change anything now? the country needs new direction, new strategies, a more methodical, objective and scientific approach to leadership that mccain's traditional style of politics does not possess or believe in. obama may not be perfect but at least he has a plan that has specific actions for getting the country out of this mess.

[Alessandro Machi]

Hillary Clinton retained 50% popularity even as Barack Obama outspent her in 3-1 on media buys. Hillary Clinton retained 50% popularity against Barack Obama even as Barack bought off so many parts of the democratic national party, the D.N.C. has become a joke.

I don't want someone like George Soros influencing our democratic process. Once each main party has elected their choice, I understand the billionaires will get involved, it's Soros early involvement in the selection of the democratic candidate that I find so sleazy.

http://www.HILLARY-WINS.com
http://www.WALLSTREETCHANGE.com
http://www.HILLARYCLINTONFORUM.net

[Brave Hero or Traitorous Coward?]

Retired Pheonix Police Officer John McLamb, has the distinction of being the most highly decorated police officer in the history of Phoenix, Arizona.
McLamb explained that as a Vietnam veteran, he knows and is in contact with veterans, and a few P.O.W.s.

"All the P.O.W.s that I've talked to over the years say that John McCain is a lying skunk...."

"...You know, he never was tortured. When he came in with his two broken arms because he failed to pull his arms in when he bailed out of his plane, and had a leg injury, he immediately started spilling his guts about everything because he didn't want to get tortured..."

McLamb goes on to say that John McCain made 32 videos for the communists, speaking out against America's Vietnam Policies. This information is now sealed and classified.

[Jared]

Since Palin's bag says, "Real women hunt moose..." I think Mc Cain should carry something similar that says, "Real men don't choose VP's that hunt moose!" Where is PETA when you need them?

As a side note, I wonder what would happen back in the day when George Washington was president? Think he would hire Palin as his Vp? Hmmmm... didn't think so.

[cbk16]

The stock market fell when Democrats controlled congress, the Dems like Barney Frank pushed risky loans so poor could all buy homes. Bank deregulation was signed by Clinton in 1999. With the Dems controlling congress, the bad economy is not all Bushes fault.

[JimHarrison]

McCain is gonna give himself a stroke or heart attack he's so angry. He's doing damage & needs to shut up.