http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/new-mccain-ad-hits-obama-on-celebrity-again/New McCain Ad Hits Obama on Celebrity Again
By Kate Phillips
The McCain campaign obviously senses the pulse of some polls — including one by the Pew organization — that indicate a little fatigue with Obamamania. So, in its latest TV ad, to be cycled through in key state buys along with so many others in the last week that we’ve lost count, the Republican candidate’s campaign again attacks the celeb phenom as it surrounds Senator Barack Obama.
(You can hear the cheers of O-Bam-AH in the background.) Paris and Britney don’t seem to appear, and there are no parting seas or heavenly skies. But there is — and does this translate to envy? — a female narrator’s voice saying, “Life in the spotlight must be grand. But times are tough for the rest of us.” The imagery then moves to a series of a magazine covers, including one with a quarter-shot of Jennifer Aniston and one of L’Amerique with “Revolution” on the cover and an Obama image.And then the ad, titled “Painful,” thematically hits Mr. Obama on the issue of how he would raise taxes — an issue that has been repeatedly dissected and disputed.
Visually, this is another intriguing spot. One that features Mr. Obama’s visage and his crowds more than Mr. McCain’s. One that uses some far left magazine covers to paint Mr. Obama as an extremist. Interspersed are images of presumably real people, old and young, as the commercial turns to talk about family and the elderly and what tax increases would do to them and their budgets.
FactCheck.org has already debunked this claim that Mr. Obama’s vote on a budget resolution would have raised taxes on a family making a rather low income. But the McCain campaign keeps repeating this. FactCheck says in an update: “We reiterate: McCain’s $32,000 figure is phony.” Or on $42,000. “The resolution does not contain a specific provision to raise tax rates, but rather assumes that most of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire as scheduled in 2011,” it said.
The script:
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.
The Obama campaign slams back. Hari Sevugan, a spokesman, issued this statement: This ad is a lie, and it’s part of the old, tired politics of a party in Washington that has run out of ideas and run out of steam.“Even though a host of independent, nonpartisan organizations have said this attack isn’t true, Senator McCain continues to lie about Senator Obama’s plan to give 95% of all families a tax cut of $1,000, and not raise taxes for those making under $250,000 a single dime.“
The reason so many families are hurting today is because we’ve had eight years of failed Bush policies that Senator McCain wants to continue for another four, and that’s what Barack Obama will change as president.”
