Click here to watch "Gimmick."

In a concerted effort, MoveOn.org and the Sierra Club unveiled ads today deriding John McCain's proposal for offshore drilling. The ads are part of a national campaign, also including Campaign Money Watch, focusing on energy and gasoline prices.

MoveOn.org's "Gimmick" (subscription) features a middle-aged father sitting in a living room. "Senator McCain, you let me and my kids down," he says into the camera. "From the very beginning, I told them, 'This is a principled guy.' So when you said you were going to help me drive affordably again, I believed you." The man goes on to claim that McCain's offshore drilling proposal won't make a substantial difference in gas prices: "That's not a solution, Mr. McCain. That's a gimmick. We expected better."

The ad's setting and tone echo "Not Alex" (subscription), MoveOn's controversial June ad that featured a woman talking directly to McCain about how his Iraq policies were a threat to her infant son. In a conference call today with reporters, MoveOn Executive Director Eli Pariser said the overwhelming success of "Not Alex" -- as evidenced by a survey The Hill recently conducted -- prompted the organization to take that route again in this ad.

"We want to bring real voices into the debate," Pariser said. "Gimmick" "builds on this theme we started with the 'Alex' commercial -- a real person talking to the camera about an important issue."

Continue reading "Going After McCain's Oil 'Gimmick'" »

Click here to watch "Celeb."

There's nothing like the Hollywood notoriety of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to add some juicy gossip to the increasingly heated attacks between John McCain and Barack Obama. Reaction to McCain's new ad, "Celeb" (subscription), has been widespread, divisive and, at times, simply sarcastic.

The Obama campaign released an ad of its own (subscription) Wednesday evening in response to McCain's attacks in general but clearly triggered by this latest spot. Citing media reports that denounce some attacks the Arizona senator has launched against Obama, an announcer says: "John McCain. Same old politics. Same failed policies." The ad then aims to reaffirm Obama's commitment to solving the energy crisis. This ad is fresh on the heels of another spot the Illinois senator's campaign released earlier this week also responding to McCain's barrage.

Comments from both campaigns, as well as the blogosphere, have circulated faster than perhaps even Hilton's infamous sex tape. Here's a roundup of a few noteworthy ones:

Obama's initial response, from Missouri, when a reporter asked him about the ad: "You know, I don't pay attention to John McCain's ads. Although I do notice that he doesn't seem to have anything to say very positive about himself. He seems to only be talking about me. You need to ask John McCain what he's for, not just what he's against."

McCain adviser Rick Davis, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday: "This ad obviously also addresses a unique facet in Barack Obama's campaign that is unlike any other campaign we've seen in modern political history. A campaign that is focused on the development of an enormous image of celebrity status.... In the early aspects of the ad, we have images of other celebrities that demonstrate that the focus of the Obama campaign has been as much to create that celebrity status of his as it is to discuss the hard issues that the American public are forced to debate during the course of this campaign."

Continue reading "'Celeb' Ad Elicts Heated Reaction" »

A new report [PDF] from the Wisconsin Advertising Project, an effort by the University of Wisconsin to track political ad spending, reveals that the John McCain and Barack Obama campaigns have spent nearly $50 million to air over 100,000 general election TV ads over the past two months. Fully 10 percent of that total was spent by Obama in Florida, where McCain hasn't run a single spot since June 3. Another surprising finding: While Obama has cut the word "hope" entirely from his TV advertising, McCain has used it in over a third of his.

Ken Goldstein, director of the project and an expert in political advertising, spoke with NationalJournal.com about the study, both candidates' efforts to widen the electoral playing field and what to expect this fall.

Q: Besides both candidates spending more this election cycle, what other trends did your analysis turn up?

Goldstein: They spent more over a comparable time period. The general election in 2004 started much earlier -- started in March. But if you just look at June 3 to July 26, they're spending more this time.

I think one of the major, major things that really comes out is, there's been lots of talk about how 2008 is different; there's been lots of talk about Barack Obama expanding the playing field. But you look at the numbers, and once again it's those four big battleground states in the Midwest that are receiving the lion's share of the advertising: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio.

Q: What else has changed since 2004?

Goldstein: Obama has definitely expanded the playing field. States that did not receive advertising in the past are getting advertising, which is a different thing. But, as we note in the release, let's talk again in September or October and see how serious that is. We'll then really know if the playing field's getting expanded.

Continue reading "Q&A: Obama And McCain Already Out $50M For TV Ads" »

Click here to watch "Old Politics."

Reviews of John McCain's most recent TV advertisements have been anything but glowing. Today's Washington Post challenges the premise of his "Troops" (subscription) spot, while the New York Times editorial page chides the Republican candidate for going negative. Meanwhile, Barack Obama's campaign has released a response (subscription) to McCain's "Pump" (subscription) ad, which suggests that Obama is responsible for rising gasoline prices.

"Have you seen John McCain’s TV ad?" an announcer asks. In case viewers haven't, the most accusatory clip of the McCain spot plays before the announcer says incredulously: "John McCain is blaming Barack Obama for gas prices." The spot labels McCain's tactics as part of "the same old politics" before launching into a defense of Obama's energy plan and directing viewers to his Web site for more details.

The spot is less acerbic than another one (subscription) Obama released early in the month responding to an ad from the Republican National Committee, and perhaps reflects an attempt on Obama's part to stay above the fray. So far, Obama's strategy in the general election has looked very similar to his primary tactics: Don't attack your opponent unless they strike first. In the primary, he attempted to repel negative ads from Hillary Rodham Clinton by dismissing them as "old politics."

According to a new report [PDF] released today by the Wisconsin Ad Project, the GOP has indeed been the source of more vitriol on the airwaves in the presidential race. Ninety percent of the ads released by the Obama campaign from June 3 through July 26 were positive spots, according to the group, whereas one-third of McCain's were negative. The RNC has also spent about $3.6 million on presidential ads, all of which characterize Obama negatively.

Click here to watch "It Could Happen To You."

Every election cycle raises the same fundamental question about young voters: Will they matter this time around? While turnout among this bloc was up in this year's primaries -- 6.5 million people between the ages of 18 and 30 voted, nearly doubling results from the 2000 election -- experts debate whether this will be the year of the youth vote.

Barack Obama's own youth and outsider message seem to resonate with those under 30, and he holds a strong lead there, 61 percent to John McCain's 31 percent, according to Gallup. But partisans from both sides are expanding efforts to reach out to young voters, and the GOP is by no means ceding this group to the Illinois senator.

MTV has created a new opening for those trying to reach young people this year by overturning its 27-year ban on political advertising. Jeannie Kedas, executive vice president of communications for MTV, said that, "given that the youth vote has been increasingly engaged in the election this year and has played a growing role," the network decided it was time to take a second look at its advertising policy.

The network also thought it would complement their Choose or Lose initiative, a get-out-the-vote effort the network has sponsored every election year since 1992. According to Kedas, the network will accept ads from candidates and party committees and will consider third-party ads on a case-by-case basis.

Ads from two outside groups hit the air recently; both took Obama as their subject, although that was about the only thing they had in common politically.

Continue reading "New Front Opens In Battle For Young Voters" »

Click here to watch "A Good Senator Knows -- Part 1."

Once considered one of the top contests to watch this cycle, the Maine Senate race between Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Tom Allen is increasingly looking like a safe bet for the GOP. Though polls have narrowed slightly since the spring, Collins has consistently maintained a double-digit advantage.

Still, Collins is being careful not to identify herself with the Republican Party. In the first TV ads to go on air in the contest, she steers clear of mentioning her party ID, focusing instead on what she has accomplished for Maine in her 12-year Senate career.

Continue reading "Collins Courts The Center In Maine" »

Click here to watch "No Joke."

If Minnesotans are half as nice as stereotype dictates, they can't be much pleased with the ongoing Senate contest between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and his main Democratic challenger, Al Franken. Both candidates' advertising got so acrimonious last week that Franken released a spot defending himself against an earlier Coleman ad that bashed him for "tasteless, sexist jokes and writing all that juicy porn."

"Look, I'm not proud of every joke I've ever told," Franken admits in his newest spot (subscription), released Thursday night. "But I know there's a difference between what you say as a comedian and what you do as a U.S. senator." He then pivots to Coleman's record as senator, criticizing him for supporting President Bush on the Iraq war and for taking "millions from big oil and special interests." (The Center for Responsive Politics, a group that tracks campaign donations, reports that Coleman has received some $3.1 million from political action committees.)

Continue reading "'Sexist Jokes' And 'Juicy Porn' Enter Minnesota Ad War" »

Click here to watch "Troops."

John McCain isn't letting up on Barack Obama. His new ad, released Saturday, blasts his Democratic rival for not visiting wounded U.S. troops while overseas last week. The ad received a great deal of buzz over the weekend on various talk shows, and both camps rushed in to explain or elaborate.

"He made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops," an announcer says in "Troops" (subscription). The 30-second ad refers to Obama's decision to cancel a visit to a U.S. military hospital in Germany and cites reports that the senator made time to exercise at a hotel gym earlier that day, before his speech in Berlin. The campaign said it was because the Pentagon told him his campaign staff couldn't go with him and that the visit might be viewed as politically motivated. "Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras," the announcer says, making a not-so-subtle jab at the amount of press coverage Obama has been getting; the ad concludes, "John McCain is always there for our troops." While Obama didn’t visit, he did make phone calls to wounded troops at the hospital.

Response to McCain's ad was quick. Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., who accompanied Obama on his trip to the Middle East, appeared on CBS' "Face The Nation" on Sunday. Hagel said McCain is "treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives and when we start to get into 'You're less patriotic than me, I'm more patriotic.'" Reed defended Obama's dedication to U.S. troops, citing numerous trips the three senators made in the Middle East to visit them. "That is a completely distorted and, I think, inappropriate advertisement," Reed said.

Continue reading "Gym Trumps Troops, Ad Says" »

Click here to listen to "Obama Chooses Washington Over Our Military."

While Barack Obama was delivering his much-anticipated speech in Berlin on Thursday, the Republican National Committee was busy making sure that voters back home got a different message about the Illinois senator. As a counterpoint to Obama's stop in Germany, the RNC launched a radio ad (subscription) in Berlin, Penn., Berlin, Wis., and Berlin, N.H., accusing him of putting politics ahead of America's troops.

Today, timed with Obama's visit to France, the ad is also running in Paris, Mo., Paris, Mich., and Paris, Maine; and Saturday, when Obama is in Great Britain, it will air in London, Ohio, and London, W.Va.

“As Barack Obama is globe-trotting across Europe, voters back in Berlin, Paris, and London, USA want to know why he voted against funding our military and refuses to admit that he was wrong on the troop surge," RNC spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson said.

Continue reading "While Barack's Away..." »

Click here to watch "Iraqi Freedom."

With attack ads from Planned Parenthood and the Alliance For Retired Americans still fresh, John McCain has taken a hit from a group representing one of his traditionally dependable voter blocs: veterans.

VoteVets.org is launching a nationwide ad, "Iraqi Freedom" (subscription), today that calls out the GOP candidate for not supporting a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. This ad comes on the heels of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s announcement that he favors a timetable similar to the one Barack Obama has advocated. Al-Maliki and Obama aren't the only ones pushing for a stricter timetable: A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows 60 percent of Americans favor one.

Continue reading "Ads And Iraq: Timing Is Everything" »

Click here to listen to "Nuestro Propio Camino."

Barack Obama has established a firm lead over John McCain among Latino voters in recent polling, but the Illinois senator is not letting up in his efforts to court them. He has recently attended events of three national Latino groups -- the National Council of La Raza, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials -- and on Wednesday his campaign launched its first Spanish-language ad of the general election.

"Nuestro Propio Camino" (subscription), a radio spot, relates Obama's background to the experience of the Hispanic community. "Some people have power and connections, but most of us have to make our own way through life," the ad begins. An announcer tells how Obama was raised by his mother and his grandparents because his father left and how the candidate worked his way through college. "Obama never forgot his roots," the announcer continues, working “with churches to help families get job training and after-school care for their children."

Continue reading "Some Love For Latinos" »

The Democratic National Committee has set up an independent campaign to advertise in support of Barack Obama this year. Such an operation allows the party to exceed the $19 million spending cap placed on ads released in coordination with the candidate.

Sources familiar with the decision told AP that former John Edwards adviser Jonathan Prince will head the campaign, which is expected to meet or exceed the $118 million the party's independent expenditure arm doled out during the 2004 presidential race.

The RNC already has in motion a counterpart campaign, which earlier this month spent $3 million on an ad buy attacking Obama's energy plan.

The DNC's move follows the announcement of a joint fundraising agreement between Obama, the DNC and 18 state Democratic parties that the party hopes will give a boost to Obama's White House bid and strengthen the bottom of the ticket.

In the downballot arena, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already reserved $53 million worth of ad time this cycle. The Washington Post's The Fix blog breaks down the spending in a recent round of buys.

The funding of certain "issue ads" by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meanwhile, has drawn claims that the spots circumvent campaign finance laws by featuring the candidates and coordinating with their campaigns.

Advertising Age's Campaign Trail blog also reports on spending in downballot races.

In other advertising news:

Continue reading "Outside The Spotlight: Dems Expand Ad Spending" »

Click here to watch "John McCain's Social Security Disgrace."

Going into this election, John McCain might have considered the senior vote a safe play. After all, the 71-year-old GOP senator falls into that age bracket himself, regularly cashes in his retirement checks and leads Barack Obama among voters 65 and older in recent polls.

But a senior advocacy group is aiming to separate the Arizona lawmaker from those voters in light of comments he made a couple weeks ago calling Social Security a "disgrace.” The comments prompted the Alliance For Retired Americans, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, to launch two TV ads in the battleground state of Pennsylvania that call McCain out for shunning Social Security while reaping the benefits.

Continue reading "Social Security Give And Take" »

Click here to watch "Lunsford Gas Tax."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., became the latest Republican to fire an attack ad at his Democratic opponent over the much-discussed issue of gasoline prices late last week. His latest TV ad (subscription), and the first of the general election campaign for McConnell's Senate seat, accuses businessman Bruce Lunsford of raising the gas tax, a move that the McConnell campaign claims "has already cost Kentuckians hundreds of millions." The vote in question was held nearly 30 years ago. But that has not stopped McConnell from insinuating that Lunsford is personally responsible for Kentucky's high fuel prices, even as the national average has shot up over the last several months.

Both parties are trying to use high fuel prices to score political points against their opponents. In a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, 85 percent of respondents said that gasoline prices were extremely or very important to them when considering whom to vote for this year, placing it behind only the economy on voters' list of concerns.

Continue reading "Gas Wars Go National" »

Click here to watch "Every Night."

Oregon Senate candidates Gordon Smith (R) and Jeff Merkley (D) are going after each other's tax records, as the incumbent Smith seeks to portray his opponent as a typical tax-and-spend liberal and Merkley gets more help from state and national Democrats in portraying Smith as a George Bush Republican.

Smith went on the offensive last week, launching twin TV ads lambasting Merkley for raising taxes "44 times" while serving in Oregon's legislature. Merkley "voted for the two largest tax increases in Oregon history," an announcer charges in "44 Times" (subscription), adding that there is barely a single demographic group that has been spared from the increased fiscal burden he helped to create. "Every Night" (subscription) uses video footage of Merkley against the candidate. He is shown telling an audience, "I advocate for tax hikes every night in living rooms across Oregon." "Jeff Merkley isn't kidding," an announcer quips. He's "voted for higher taxes on seniors, farms and income."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee came to Merkley's aid today, as he still lags far behind Gordon in fundraising revenue and has yet to run a general election ad of his own. "It didn't take long for Gordon Smith to launch misleading negative ads," an announcer remarks in the DSCC's "Long" (subscription).

Continue reading "Tax Attacks In Oregon" »

Click here to watch "Pump."

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Perhaps that’s the idea John McCain is borrowing as he joins virtually every segment of the media -- reporters, pundits and talk-show hosts galore -- in focusing on Barack Obama. Of course, McCain will only follow up to a point -- he’s blasting Obama on everything from Iraq to gasoline prices in a pair of new ads, one of which was released on the eve of Obama’s highly anticipated trip to the Middle East and Europe.

On Friday, the GOP candidate's campaign released "Troop Funding" (subscription), an ad that accuses Obama of flip-flopping on the Iraq war, and followed it up with another spot released today, "Pump" (subscription), that blames high gasoline prices on Obama's unwillingness to drill domestically. While the McCain campaign has released ads before that implicitly attack Obama, these are the first that mention his Democratic rival by name.

Continue reading "Barrage On Barack" »

Click here to watch "DeSoto."

Missouri gubernatorial candidate Jay Nixon (D) invites viewers of his new ad (subscription) to ride along with him through his hometown of DeSoto, Mo. The 60-second biographical spot is the state attorney general’s first ad of the election; he’s been watching from afar as Rep. Kenny Hulshof and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman squabble in the increasingly bitter GOP primary. (Steelman fired another volley (subscription) today.)

Continue reading "There's No Place Like Home" »

Click here to watch "Fighter."

Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu is considered Republicans' best, and perhaps only, target for switching a Senate seat from the blue to the red column in November. Her opponent, state Treasurer John Kennedy, ran for Republican David Vitter's seat in 2004 as a Democrat but switched parties in 2006.

The two appear set for a fierce contest and both reported healthy fundraising totals in June, although Landrieu maintains a cash advantage of about $5.5 million on hand to Kennedy's $2.7 million. She is also leading in early polling, though by about 5 or 6 points, certainly leaving Kennedy within striking distance.

Landrieu unveiled her first TV ad of the cycle Wednesday, previewing her strategy for the contest: highlight the tangible results she has achieved for the state over her two terms in Washington.

Continue reading "Bayou Battle Begins" »

Click here to watch "Out Of Touch."

For Planned Parenthood, John McCain's silence speaks volumes. In a new ad (subscription) released Wednesday, the organization re-airs footage of an interview last week in which McCain paused for nearly 10 seconds before responding to a reporter's question on whether it was fair for insurance companies to cover Viagra but not birth control.

The 30-second spot devotes almost a third of its time to McCain's pause, which is followed by his delayed reply: "I don't know enough about it to give you a informed [sic] answer."

Continue reading "McCain's Birth Control Blooper" »

Click here to watch "Energy Plan."

The race to replace retiring Virginia Sen. John Warner (R) is threatening to turn into a landslide for Mark Warner. Warner, who is not related to the current officeholder, boasts a vast cash advantage over Republican Jim Gilmore in a battle of former governors; the Democrat this week reported $5.1 million in cash on hand, compared with Gilmore’s $117,000. Warner is also dominating Gilmore in early polling; RealClearPolitics.com shows him up by an average of 27 points.

Warner tapped into his funds for his second ad blitz of the general election on Tuesday. His new TV spot, "Energy Plan" (subscription), lays out a multifaceted approach to reducing gasoline prices. The candidate presents America's reliance on foreign oil as a security threat as well as an energy problem, pointing out that "America [is] spending over $1 billion a day on oil from countries who don’t like us." And he chastises a government that "does nothing" while gasoline is “headed to $5 a gallon."

Continue reading "Warner's New Dominion" »

Click here to watch "Some In Washington."

Iraq has taken some of the limelight back from the weak economy this week as both Barack Obama and John McCain have talked up the topic on the presidential trail. Two third-party groups, meanwhile, are up with new ads calling out certain lawmakers on the war.

Vets For Freedom continues its campaign highlighting the success of the surge strategy in Iraq with its latest ad (subscription), launching today in five battleground states. MoveOn.org Political Action, meanwhile, is chastising (subscription) McCain on national cable for not supporting a timetable to withdraw troops from the region.

In the Vets For Freedom spot, called “Some In Washington,” seven veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan call out Washington critics -- specifically Obama and Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. -- for saying early on that the surge would fail. "Some in Washington told us the war was lost," one veteran says. “Others said the surge would fail,” another asserts. "Today, even the harshest critics agree: The surge worked," another one says. The ad concludes by reiterating the message of the group's first ad (subscription): "Finish the job" in Iraq.

MoveOn.org Political Action, on the other hand, isn't too happy about McCain’s rejection of a timetable. In “Timetable,” a narrator says that the Arizona senator is at odds with everyone -- both at home and abroad -- on this issue. "In Chicago, in St. Louis and in Seattle, the American people are demanding a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq," the narrator says. "In Baghdad and Basra and Tikrit, the Iraqi people -- and now the Iraqi prime minister -- are also demanding a timetable. But John McCain doesn't want a timetable."

Continue reading "Of Surges And Timetables" »

The netroots aren't planning to let Democrats off the hook for supporting a law that amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expand domestic spying powers and grant immunity for telecom firms that have participated in wiretapping.

Web activists are raising money online for a new political action committee, Accountability Now, to purchase ads in early August criticizing Democratic lawmakers for backing the measure, Wired reports.

The Internet-savvy group won't be the first to skewer Dems over this contentious issue. Blue America PAC previously deployed television ads against Reps. John Barrow, D-Ga., and Chris Carney, D-Pa., Blue Dog Democrats who pushed for the bill.

The Senate Commerce Committee, meanwhile, recently compared behavioral profiling to spying during a hearing on Web advertising, Advertising Age reports.

"We don't want the government to go and examine what books we are reading at the local library," Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D) said, questioning "whether we are going to allow other people within the private sector [to] examine the same thing and then use it for a commercial advantage."

In other advertising news:

Continue reading "Outside The Spotlight: Ads On (Wire)tap" »

Click here to watch "Ethanol."

The mudslinging continues between Missouri gubernatorial hopefuls Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R) and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) in a pair of new ads.

Steelman's "Ethanol" (subscription), released Monday, underscores the candidate's changed position on the state's ethanol mandate, enacted in January, which requires stations to sell fuel with 10 percent ethanol as long as it isn't more expensive than regular gasoline. Earlier this year, she tentatively supported the law, but now says she believes ethanol, which is derived from corn, is part of the cause for high food and gasoline prices. In the ad, an announcer takes a jab at Hulshof for supporting the mandate, quoting him as saying, "The idea of high corn prices is appealing to me."

Hulshof's latest ad (subscription), launched Thursday, opens with a splatter of mud, as an announcer says, "Sarah spends all her time attacking Kenny Hulshof. She won't talk about her own record." He then compares Steelman to state Attorney General Jay Nixon, who is running for governor on the Democratic side.

Continue reading "Corn, Mud Fuel GOP Battle" »

Click here to watch "America's Leadership."

Coinciding with his speech today on Iraq and national security, Barack Obama is releasing a new TV ad discussing his vision of America's role on the international stage.

In "America's Leadership" (subscription), Obama expresses his intent to "restore America's leadership in the world," striking a note reminiscent of President Reagan's "shining city on a hill" message in the 1980s. "We are a beacon of light around the world," he tells a small group of voters in a town hall meeting. "At least that's what we can be again. That's what we should be again."

He goes on to identify what he considers to be the "single most important national security threat that we face" -- "nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists." "What I did was reach out to Senator Dick Lugar, a Republican, to help lock down loose nuclear weapons," Obama says, emphasizing his ability to work across the aisle on a topic he is passionate about.

The spot will run in the 18 states previously targeted for Obama's first set of general election TV ads, including Florida, Iowa, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Click here to watch "Right Now."

New Mexico’s Senate candidates weighed in over the weekend on who’s to blame for soaring gasoline prices. Rep. Steve Pearce (R) argued the solution lies with domestic drilling. Democratic Rep. Tom Udall’s finger was pointed at oil speculators, a theme he carried over into an ad released today. "Right Now" (subscription) outlines Udall’s plan to lower prices right away.

"Is there anything we can do right now to lower gas prices?" Udall asks in the ad, which shows him at a gas station. "First, stop hedge fund speculators from driving up the price of oil." He adds that he would encourage oil companies to build clean refineries in the U.S., or, if they don't agree to do that, "take away their tax breaks.”

Click here to watch "One Nation Left Behind."

In a three-pronged attack on America's "subpar" education system, an advocacy campaign called Strong American Schools -- initiated by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- intends to thrust education into the limelight of this year's presidential election. Strong American Schools' new ad campaign, "One Nation Left Behind," includes TV, radio and print ads in seven states, citing statistics that suggest American students are lagging far behind their counterparts in most other industrialized nations.

"The countries with the best schools attract the best jobs," actress Jamie Lee Curtis says in the TV spot (subscription). "And if jobs move to countries like Finland and South Korea, our children's opportunities dry up. And so does our economy."

Continue reading "Electing Better Education" »

Click here to listen to "Makin' Stuff Up."

In what is beginning to look like a pattern, Barack Obama is again shooting back at John McCain and the GOP after the Republican National Committee released what the Obama camp considers a false ad.

An RNC radio spot, which features the voice of a teacher, alleges that Obama voted to raise taxes on Americans making "as little as $32,000" and is "acting like a typical politician" by "saying one thing and doing another."

In a sharp response, Obama released his own radio ad Friday in two important swing states -- Virginia and Ohio. In "Makin' Stuff Up" (subscription), a man and a woman accuse McCain of using the George Bush/Karl Rove playbook to fight dirty. "This is shameful. He's just makin' stuff up," the man charges, before pointing to independent Web site FactCheck.org, which has disputed the RNC's claims about Obama's tax policies. In reality, the man contends, "Obama's plan cuts taxes on the middle class and won't raise taxes on anybody making less than $250,000 a year."

McCain, on the other hand, "wants billions in new corporate tax breaks" but has "no way to pay for it," according to the Obama spot. "Sounds like George Bush all over again," the woman muses, while the man adds: "Guess that's why they say: John McCain -- McSame as Bush."

The spot continues what has been Obama's main strategy (subscription) for contrasting himself with McCain: link the Arizona senator to the Bush White House and its increasingly unpopular policies.

Click here to watch "Stay And Fight."

In an election year in which House Democrats expect to make major gains, in a state where Democrats hope to perform particularly well, perhaps no congressional district appears as likely to flip from red to blue as New York's 25th. The seat, soon to be vacated by retiring Rep. James Walsh, currently tops the Hotline list of the seats most likely to change hands, and early fundraising totals suggest businessman Dan Maffei will enjoy a sizable cash lead over his Republican opponent.

Putting his advantages to good use, Maffei this week became the first Democrat in the state to buy time for a TV ad, airing a biographical spot (subscription) highlighting his local roots and commitment to improving the economy. In the ad, Maffei talks about the Rust Belt district's economic downturn, noting that, "by the time I went to my 10th high school reunion, most of my classmates had left." He ends on a positive, if nostalgic note, promising in vague terms to "make upstate New York great again."

The ad itself is standard fare for a debut, one intended to reintroduce Maffei to area voters who might not remember him from his narrow loss for the seat in 2006. But such a significant investment (it's airing in the Syracuse and Buffalo media markets) so early (the primary isn't for another two months, and neither party's front-runner currently faces serious competition) signals an aggressive approach by Democrats to winning targeted House seats this year.

Click here to watch "God's Children."

Conspicuously timed amid a slew of appearances in front of prominent Latino organizations, John McCain released a new ad today in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, praising Latinos for serving in the U.S. military and alluding to immigration reform.

"God's Children" (subscription) replays comments McCain made at a 2007 primary debate. "When you go to Iraq or Afghanistan today," McCain says, "you're going to see a whole lot of people who are of Hispanic background" -- including some "who are not even citizens of this country, who love this country so much that they're willing to risk their lives in its service in order to accelerate their path to citizenship and enjoy the bountiful, blessed nation." He concludes by encouraging viewers to "remember that these are God's children."

The ad also mentions McCain's stance on immigration, which some say has shifted throughout the campaign: "They must come into the country legally, but they have enriched our culture and our nation as every generation of immigrants before them," McCain says of Latinos, as Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., the anti-immigration candidate, looks on uncomfortably.

Continue reading "McCain's Latino 'Children'" »

Click here to watch "Respect."

The Democratic Party of Oregon has sparked controversy with two new TV ads it is running; while ostensibly they are issue ads -- one about veterans and one about protecting children -- they also happen to feature the party's nominee for Senate, House Speaker Jeff Merkley, speaking directly into the camera.

In "Respect " (subscription), Merkley criticizes Congress for failing to take care of America's veterans. "Our troops have done everything we've asked with distinction. We need to start giving them the respect they deserve," he declares. "Back To Basics" (subscription), meanwhile, goes even further by specifically emphasizing Merkley's legislative record. "I passed one of the toughest Internet predator laws in the country and supported new laws to keep track of sex offenders," he says.

Neither ad states that Merkley is a candidate for Senate or encourages viewers to vote for him in November. But his opponent, Republican Sen. Gordon Smith, claims that the spots clearly overstep the bounds of issue advertising. Smith's campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday accusing the Merkley campaign, the Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (which is helping to pay for the ads) of conspiring to circumvent federal campaign finance laws.

Continue reading "Smith Takes Issue With 'Issue Ads'" »

Click here to watch "Indian Gaming."

For Seattle basketball fans, things are even gloomier than usual in the rainy Northwest -- the SuperSonics are picking up and leaving for Oklahoma City. While voters may not list sports as a high-priority issue in this year's governor's race between incumbent Christine Gregoire (D) and return challenger Dino Rossi (R), it evidently is for the pro-Rossi group It's Time For A Change.

In one of its latest attacks against Gregoire, the Olympia-based group released a radio spot (subscription) last week blaming her for the team’s departure. It opens with sounds of a large crowd. "Listen up, Sonics fans, the 2009 season’s almost here," a sports announcer says. "This talented young team will be a force for years to come and can only be seen right here in… Oklahoma City." The spot's sarcastic opening gives way to a narrator explaining how, rather than working with investors to ensure the team stayed in Seattle, the governor did nothing and let it go. "Gregoire sat at the end of the bench and accepted defeat. Now the clock has run out and the real losers are you, the fans," the narrator says.

Continue reading "Rossi Backers Crash The Boards" »

Click here to watch "Not Now."

Some veterans, at least, are none too pleased with John McCain right now. New TV and radio ads up this week scrutinize the Arizona senator on his congressional voting record relating to veterans legislation, specifically on health care.

The AFL-CIO's new veterans council is releasing a TV ad (subscription) Thursday that features Navy veteran Jim Wasser, who served with John Kerry in Vietnam and took part in a similar direct-mail campaign (subscription) for the labor organization this spring. "Every vet respects John McCain’s war record," Wasser says in the 30-second spot, hearkening back to retired Gen. Wesley Clark’s recent comments. "It’s his record in the Senate that I have a problem with. He wants us to continue spending $10 billion a month in Iraq just like Bush."

Continue reading "Vetting McCain" »

Click here to watch "No Wonder."

This week, Minnesota TV viewers will see the men who played Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni of "The Sopranos" and Stuart Smalley of "Saturday Night Live" without tuning into either show; both currently appear in political ads in the state's Senate race.

Al Franken, the former "SNL" actor and front-running Democratic candidate, today began airing a TV ad (subscription) in which he blames legislators-turned-lobbyists for high gas prices and proposes a law to ban retired lawmakers from a second career in lobbying. "In Washington, they debate whether former members of Congress should wait one year or two years before they can become registered lobbyists," Franken says in the ad. "How about never?"

Continue reading "Battle Of The TV Stars" »

Click here to listen to "Do The Right Thing."

Republican senators are feeling the heat (subscription) from medical professionals for allowing a pay cut for doctors serving Medicare patients to go through in late June. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which passed overwhelmingly in the House, would have prevented a 10.6 percent cut, but the measure fell one vote short of Senate approval.

The Bush administration granted a temporary reprieve, giving Congress one more crack at the bill; a vote was expected this afternoon. In advance of that vote, the progressive group Americans United For Change is targeting two Republican senators (both up for re-election) for their votes against the bill. The group launched radio ads in Kentucky (subscription) and Mississippi, calling on Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Roger Wicker, respectively, to "do the right thing" and vote yes today.

Continue reading "Senate Showdown Over Medicare" »

Click here to watch "Will They?"

John McCain and Barack Obama have pledged to reform America's health care system if elected. A new coalition of labor groups, liberal activists and health care organizations called “Health Care For America Now!” is prepared to spend millions over the course of the next year to hold the candidates to their word.

The umbrella group -- which includes the Service Employees International Union; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Americans United for Change; Center for American Progress Action Fund; and MoveOn.org, among many others -- held a news conference in Washington, D.C., and rallies in 52 cities on Tuesday to kick off a campaign designed to make health care reform the top domestic priority for the next administration. The group launched the first of what it says will be several TV ads, as it plans to spend about $25 million on paid advertising between now and the end of the year.

"Will They?" (subscription) features several average-looking Americans asking a Magic 8-Ball if their health care plan will meet their needs. "Will they pay for his inhaler?" a mother asks, sitting next to her son. "Not likely," the ball predicts. An announcer poses the underlying question: "Will health insurance companies ever put your health before their profits?" "Not a chance," the Magic 8-Ball says. The ad declares that "we can’t trust insurance companies to fix the health care mess" and that it is time for Americans to "demand quality, affordable health care" by joining the campaign.

Continue reading "Concentrating And Asking Again" »

Click here to watch "New Energy."

Barack Obama is striking back against a TV ad (subscription) from the Republican National Committee that accuses him of offering "no new solutions" to the nation's energy situation, launching his own spot today. "New Energy" (subscription), which details the "Obama Energy Plan," will run in the same four swing states where the RNC ad is on-air -- Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The spot seeks to discredit John McCain on energy issues by tying him to President Bush. "McCain and Bush support a drilling plan that won't supply a drop of oil for seven years," an announcer charges, as video of the two men hugging each other appears on screen. The ad emphasizes that McCain has been in Washington for 26 years and has voted with Bush "95 percent of the time," while suggesting that the Arizona senator "will give more tax breaks to Big Oil" if elected.

Obama, on the other hand, "will make energy independence an urgent priority," the announcer proclaims, in contrast to the RNC's suggestion that the Illinois senator is a "No" man when it comes to fixing the problem of rising energy costs. The spot goes on to detail Obama's proposals, including a $1,000 tax break "to help families as we break the grip of foreign oil."

Both candidates are focusing on the economy this week, seeking to portray themselves as more in touch with the needs and anxieties of working-class Americans amid continued grim fiscal news.

Click here to watch "Home."

After releasing several ads touting his support among Democrats -- even going so far as to cite ties to Barack Obama in one (subscription) -- Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon released a more typically conservative spot in late June. But the ad has set off a fierce back-and-forth between Smith and Democratic opponent Jeff Merkley over who would be a better voice for rural Oregon.

In "Home" (subscription), Smith, who was born in the eastern part of the state, tries to reach out to rural voters by praising their rustic way of life and vowing to protect Oregon's countryside. "I see Oregon’s natural beauty and more -- its people, jobs and a way of life," Gordon says. "I believe no part of our state should ever be left behind," he adds, playing on some voters' assumptions that rural communities often get overlooked in favor of urban centers.

"Some say lock the land up and the people out," Smith says. "No way. Because no one loves the land more than the farmers, loggers and ranchers who care for it." Finally, again aligning himself with rural Oregonians, he concludes: "What some call the rest of Oregon, we simply call home."

Continue reading "At 'Home' With Rural Voters" »

Click here to watch "Love."

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark's comments casting doubt on how John McCain's military experience prepares him for the presidency must have really irked the Arizona senator. The campaign is up today with a new ad that couldn’t make any clearer the "Love" (subscription) McCain feels for his country -- and how this patriotism qualifies him to be president over Barack Obama.

The ad opens with images of 1967’s "Summer of Love," complete with hippies protesting the war and frolicking with each other. The announcer then shifts into a more somber note: "Half a world away, another kind of love -- of country. John McCain: Shot down. Bayoneted. Tortured." Speaking over pictures of McCain serving in Vietnam, the announcer stresses how the Republican's patriotism has shone through during his time overseas and his years in Congress. "His philosophy: before party, polls and self -- America," the announcer says.

The spot then makes a direct attack on Obama's infamous "change we can believe in" rhetoric and "hope" slogan. "John McCain doesn't always tell us what we 'hope' to hear. Beautiful words cannot make our lives better." The ad concludes with one more jab at the Democrat: "Don't 'hope' for a better life. Vote for one."

While the Illinois senator has been accused of flip-flopping on a number of key issues, including his stance on the Iraq war, McCain has capitalized by highlighting his comparably steadfast and consistent record on the war.

Click here to watch "Tragedy."

Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., forgoes the usual political debate over gasoline prices, the environment and a weakening economy to talk about an atypical election issue -- drunk driving -- in his latest ad. With New Mexico's portion of Interstate 40 in the background, Udall recounts an accident that occurred there on Christmas Eve 15 years ago, when a drunk driver killed a mother and her three children.

"I was attorney general back then, and I'd been fighting for tougher drunk driving laws," Udall says in "Tragedy " (subscription). "But it wasn't until this happened that we were finally able to get tough laws passed." He concludes by asserting, "It shouldn't take a tragedy for government to do what's right."

Udall, who is facing Rep. Steve Pearce (R) in the race for the seat of retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R), has been able to have a continuous presence on the airwaves thanks to the $5 million he has raised so far. Pearce, on the other hand, hasn't released one general election ad yet, with his campaign funds drained after a contentious primary battle against Rep. Heather Wilson (R). Pearce won't release his fundraising totals until the July 15 deadline for submitting campaign finance reports, but he had less than $250,000 on hand as of mid-May.

Click here to watch "Hands."

After the death of former Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., over the weekend, his famous 1990 attack ad against former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt began to make a comeback in the world of viral video.

"Hands," also commonly known as the "white hands" ad, shows a white man crumpling a job rejection notice in frustration as an announcer intones, "You needed that job, and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is."

"It dealt with people's worst fears," Gantt said years later. "We couldn't believe that someone in 1990 would run an ad like that." But the ad's creators have denied any racist intent. "The message in that spot's very clear," political consultant Alex Castellanos told PBS. "And that is nobody should get a job, or be denied a job because of the color of their skin. The vast majority of Americans believe that."

Continue reading "Ad Spotlight Classic: Jesse Helms, 1990" »

Click here to watch "Finish The Job."

As Barack Obama catches heat for "refining" his stance on Iraq, a veterans group has launched a new ad toeing the John McCain line on the war. While the ad does not mention either of the presidential candidates by name, the message is clear: Obama's plan to end the war is misguided.

Vets For Freedom is an organization of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans which, according to its Web site, aims to "educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts." The group is embarking this week on a "Four Months, For Victory" media and grassroots campaign, set to run from now until Veterans Day, highlighting what it claims has been the "phenomenal success" of the surge strategy in Iraq .

"Finish The Job" (subscription), which kicks off the media blitz, features six veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, as well as a mother whose son is still in Iraq, explaining "the facts" on the ground. "Casualties are at an all-time low," one vet states, while another adds, "Al Qaida in Iraq is decimated." A quote from a Washington Post editorial also appears on screen, stating that "the Iraqi government and army have gained control."

Continue reading "Vets For McCain?" »

Click here to watch "Balance."

The Republican National Committee began running a TV spot on energy over the weekend in four key battleground states, making this the first ad either party has released since the general election campaign began in earnest this summer.

"Balance" (subscription), running in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio, touts John McCain's "balanced" energy plan while attacking Barack Obama for offering "no new solutions."

"Record gas prices, climate in crisis -- John McCain says solve it now with a balanced plan: alternative energy, conservation, suspending the gas tax and more production here at home," the ad's narrator says. Ironically, the RNC praises McCain in the ad for bucking the party. "He's pushing his own party to face climate change," the narrator says, in contrast to Obama, who she says offers "just the party line" on energy.

Continue reading "Let The Party (Ads) Begin" »

Click here to listen to "Our Values."

John McCain may be far behind Barack Obama in his quest for the Hispanic vote, but at least one Latino is showing strong support for the GOP nominee. In the Spanish-language radio ad "Our Values" (subscription), released today, McCain's roommate from the U.S. Naval Academy, Frank Gamboa, shows some love for his former bunk buddy.

The ad, running in New Mexico and Nevada, stresses that McCain shares Latinos' "conservative values and faith in God," as Gamboa says in Spanish. "He knows that family is the focal part of our lives and that we value hard work."

Gamboa also doesn't shy away from making a not-so-subtle jab at Obama. "This election, it seems to me that the other candidate has just discovered the importance of the Hispanic vote. So when it comes to our values and understanding Latinos this election, I know for John it's not political; it comes from the heart," Gamboa concludes.

This ad buy comes on the heels of another Spanish-language ad McCain's campaign released Wednesday in Florida touting the Arizona senator's support for the free-trade pact proposed between Colombia and the U.S. McCain clearly sees the Southwest as a prime place to target Latino voters, as evident in an earlier Spanish-language ad addressing economic issues (subscription) he released in the region in early June.

Click here to listen to "From His Heart."

Barack Obama has done more than any recent Democratic presidential candidate to reach out to religious voters, just this week announcing that, as president, he would expand faith-based initiatives and actively encourage religious groups to get more involved in social campaigns. And yet Obama is facing an onslaught of viral attacks questioning his Christian values and accusing him of being a Muslim.

A new Christian political action committee, the Matthew 25 Network, took up Obama's cause with a radio ad released in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Wednesday. Obama was in town that day to discuss patriotism and service to country, but the city is also an evangelical hub, home to Focus on the Family leader James Dobson, a conservative evangelical who has forcefully criticized Obama in recent weeks.

Matthew 25, led by John Kerry's director of religious outreach, Mara Vanderslice, announced in June that it intended to reach out to particular religious communities that it believes Obama must do well with to win in November, including Catholics, moderate evangelicals, Hispanic Catholics and Protestants. This is the group's first ad buy.

Continue reading "Courting Christians" »

Click here to listen to "Colombia Trade."

Capitalizing on his trip to Latin America this week, John McCain released a Spanish-language radio ad on Wednesday touting his support for a proposed free trade agreement between Colombia and the United States.

"Colombia Trade" (subscription), which is running on Spanish-language stations in Florida, features Tony Villamil, the state's former director of Tourism, Commerce and Economic Affairs, praising the Arizona senator for his support of the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.

"Colombia is Florida's third most important export market, and this trade agreement would create almost 5,000 new jobs," Villamil says in the ad. "John McCain supports the Colombian agreement, knows about our alliances with our hemisphere and understands our economy grows thanks to trade."

Villamil also takes a swipe at Barack Obama: "In this election, there are some that talk about revising the free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada and oppose the agreement with Colombia. This would hurt our economic future."

Continue reading "The Free Trade Express" »

Click here to watch "Real Solutions."

Barack Obama and John McCain have had a lot to say during this election about fixing a wobbly economy and an imperfect health care system. AARP is devoting $20 million to holding them accountable for their promises. The organization’s message to the potential commanders in chief: When it comes to health care and financial security, Americans need less talk and more action.

AARP has joined with Business Roundtable, the Service Employees International Union and the National Federation of Independent Business to create the Divided We Fail campaign, dedicated to "engaging the American people, businesses, non-profit organizations, and elected officials in finding bi-partisan solutions to ensure affordable, quality health care and long-term financial security -- for all of us," according to the Web site. As part of the campaign, AARP on Wednesday launched "Real Solutions" and "More Than Talk" (subscription), two TV ads that will run off and on until Labor Day.

Continue reading "A Little Less Conversation" »

Click here to watch "Celebrate."

In response to Medicare legislation that stalled in the Senate (subscription) last week, two major health care organizations -- the American Medical Association and America's Health Insurance Plans -- are running dueling ads through the Fourth of July weekend.

The bill, H.R. 6331, would have blocked a 10.6 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursements to doctors. The cuts, which were supposed to go into effect Tuesday, have been put on a temporary hold in order to give Congress another chance at blocking the pay cuts when it returns from recess next week.

The AMA's ad buy, launched Tuesday, includes TV and radio ads appearing in six states. Designed to bolster support for the measure, the ad campaign targets 10 Republican senators (seven facing re-election) who voted against it, including New Hampshire's John Sununu (subscription).

Continue reading "Medicare Fireworks" »

Click here to listen to "Bread and Milk."

The partisan squabbles that stonewalled congressional efforts to decrease gasoline prices recently have shifted to the airwaves. The conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch has joined the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in releasing ads in more than a dozen districts -- each aimed at blaming incumbents of the opposite party for skyrocketing gas prices.

The ads that Freedom’s Watch released Tuesday in 16 districts will run through the Independence Day weekend, like the DCCC's 13-district ad buy. In the one-minute spots, an announcer chastises lawmakers for voting against domestic drilling, even though "we have enough untapped oil in the U.S. to fuel 25 million homes and 60 million cars for the next 60 years." In the version (subscription) targeting Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa., an announcer contends that "producing our own oil would help lower costs and create more American jobs. But Chris Carney stands in the way while we cut back on gas and groceries, family outings and summer vacations."

Although all the ads send essentially the same message, Freedom's Watch went one step further for Reps. Nick Lampson, D-Texas, Travis Childers, D-Miss., and Don Cazayoux, D-La., citing more specific instances where the lawmakers either voted against or blocked attempts at increasing domestic oil production.

Continue reading "Stepping On The Gas" »

Click here to watch "Dignity."

As Barack Obama embarked on a week-long patriotism tour, aimed at fighting a sustained whisper campaign questioning his love of country, his campaign released its second TV ad of the general election Monday afternoon. "Dignity" (subscription) touches on many of the biographical details emphasized in his previous ad, "Country I Love" (subscription), but builds on the theme of the candidate's dedication to working-class Americans.

A narrator touts the Illinois senator's modest background and up-by-the-bootstraps story as black-and-white images of a young Obama flash on screen. "He worked his way through college and Harvard Law," then "turned down big money offers" to help workers and their families in "neighborhoods stung by job loss." The narrator then lays out a series of Obama's initiatives in the Illinois state Senate and Capitol Hill aimed at helping hardworking citizens: Obama "fought for workers’ rights," "passed a law to move people from welfare to work, slashed the rolls by 80 percent" and "passed tax cuts for workers, health care for kids."

As president, the narrator continues, Obama plans to punish companies that outsource jobs and reward those that create more jobs at home. Finally, showing video footage of the candidate touring a factory and joking around with a group of women in an industrial kitchen, the spot concludes: Obama will "never forget the dignity that comes from work."

Continue reading "Working For The Workers" »