Click here to listen to the 30-second spot and here for the 60-second spot.

Quadrennial presidential candidate Ralph Nader hit the airwaves Tuesday with two new radio ads -- his first advertising buy of the election season -- to decry the financial bailout and offer himself as an alternative to the two major-party candidates.

"How much more political garbage will you take from the Republicans and Democrats?" the ad’s narrator asks. "On November 4, you have a choice: the bailout boys McCain and Obama, or Ralph Nader, the man who for more than 40 years has stood with you against Wall Street crime and Washington corruption."

The 30- and 60-second spots are running in 22 markets in 12 states -- including battlegrounds like Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. But Jason Kafoury, Nader’s national campaign coordinator, insisted that Nader is not trying to run as a spoiler.

The decision on where to run the ads was based on where the campaign has the strongest numbers. Kafoury pointed to a CNN/Time poll [PDF] released today that shows Nader with 3-4 percent support in Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

And Nader is siphoning most of those votes from John McCain, not Barack Obama, Kafoury added.

"Independents that would vote for McCain are breaking towards third-party candidates," Kafoury said.

Nader, 74, has run in four consecutive presidential elections. In 1996 and 2000, he was the Green Party's nominee; in 2004 and this year, he has run as an independent.

Click here to watch "El Sueno Americano."

Barack Obama is capping off what his campaign claims is "the most aggressive Spanish-language media effort in presidential campaign history" with a series of new TV and radio ads released Monday. In addition, Obama announced that, along with his purchase of 30 minutes of prime-time TV on CBS, NBC and Fox News, he will also run a half-hour spot on Univision at 8 p.m. Wednesday night.

Obama's final advertising push for Hispanic voters centers around "El Sueno Americano" -- or "The American Dream" -- (subscription), a TV spot in which the Democratic candidate speaks directly to viewers in Spanish. The ad is running in battleground states Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia.

"We share a dream," Obama says, going on to detail what the American dream means to him: reward for hard work, quality health care and educational opportunity. Obama makes a direct appeal to voters: "I ask for your vote -- not just for me and the Democrats, but to keep this dream alive for you and your children."

Continue reading "Hispanic Vote Targeted In Obama's Final Push" »

Click here to listen to "Source Of Hope."

A pro-Barack Obama Christian PAC, the Matthew 25 Network, is expanding its advertising into new battleground states, hoping to boost the Illinois senator among a group of voters who have traditionally gone Republican, but whom John McCain seems to be having trouble securing -- evangelicals. The PAC, which has already run ads in Ohio, is now running a pair of new radio spots in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.

"Source Of Hope" (subscription) features an audio clip from a 2007 Obama speech in which he discusses the origins of his faith. "Kneeling beneath that cross, I felt that I heard God’s spirit beckoning me," Obama says of his own spiritual experience. "I submitted myself to his will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth." He goes on to discuss why he believes people should "embrace Christ" and how he came to see faith "as more than just a comfort to the weary, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world -- as a source of hope."

"Welcome" (subscription), meanwhile, features Douglas Kmiec, former legal counsel to Ronald Reagan, explaining to listeners how they can reconcile supporting Obama with being pro-life. "There's more to building a culture of life than just hoping the next Supreme Court justice deals with Roe v. Wade," Kmiec says. He argues that Obama's "bottom-up, faith-based approach" to dealing with maternity leave, health care for children and adoption will decrease the number of abortions in the U.S. "John McCain says he’s pro-life, but he has voted against health care for poor children and support for pregnant women," Kmiec asserts, concluding: "Let’s elect a president who will protect life today: Barack Obama."

Matthew 25 is highlighting a survey from the Barna Group, a Christian polling firm, that shows Obama making huge inroads with Christian voters -- particularly born-agains and young evangelicals -- compared with John Kerry's performance against George Bush in 2004.

Click here to listen to "Hank Williams Jr."

John McCain is receiving on-air endorsements from Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) and country music singer Hank Williams Jr. in two radio ads the campaign recently released with the Republican National Committee.

Both men take jabs at Barack Obama for controversial comments he's made -- recent and not-so-recent. In "Spread The Wealth" (subscription), Crist references what Obama said on Oct. 12 to Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher of Ohio explaining why he wanted to raise taxes for Americans earning higher incomes. "John McCain knows that people don't want to 'spread the wealth,'" Crist tells his Florida constituents. "He knows that Congress should let you keep more of your money, and not take it away."

Another infamous comment -- uttered by the Democrat at a private fundraiser in April -- where he said some rural Pennsylvania voters were "bitter" and "cling to guns or religion," is the focus of "Hank Williams Jr." (subscription). Williams tells listeners the comment proves that Obama "just doesn't understand small-town America." Aiming to pit rural voters against the Democrat, he continues: "We love our God. And we love our guns, especially handed down from our grandfathers. And we resent it when liberals like Obama question our way of life." He concludes by urging voters, "Don't be bitter. Vote McCain."

Williams has been an avid McCain supporter for a while now, even devoting a song to the GOP ticket.

Since both 60-second spots are co-sponsored by the RNC, Crist and Williams occupy just half of the running time in each. By law, these ads must devote at least half of their time to a more general focus. The latter part of both spots give way to attacking "congressional liberals" for their tax-and-spend policies and being "out of touch" with America.

With McCain short on cash, pairing up with the RNC on the radio is a cost-effective measure, but ending on such a generalized tone in each spot may tend to blunt the more pointed attacks made at the beginning. McCain and the RNC did recently discontinue their joint TV ads.

Click here to listen to "Warner."

Barack Obama is getting a little help from popular local surrogates in Indiana and Virginia, two states that went for President Bush in 2004 but where Obama is giving John McCain a run for his money this year.

In the Hoosier State, singer and native son John Mellencamp is featured in a new radio ad focusing on the economy. "I’m seeing small towns across America dying," he laments. Mellencamp describes how Bush's policies "have really hurt" and insists that McCain would continue down the same road. But "Barack Obama gets it," he declares, praising Obama's tax plan and support for "a strong American labor force."

Meanwhile, Virginia Senate candidate and former governor Mark Warner also vouches for Obama in a new radio spot (subscription). "Getting this economy back on track" will require bipartisan cooperation at all levels, he says. "Barack knows that your children shouldn't have to leave their hometown to find a world-class job," and has a plan to fix the economy and improve education and job opportunities, he tells listeners. Finally, he lauds the Illinois senator for his personality and character: "His steady hand, family values and common-sense approach will help get our country back on track."

Click here to watch "Oportunidad."

When Barack Obama captured the Democratic nomination early this summer, many Democratic insiders feared he would not be able to win over Hispanic voters, who overwhelmingly favored his opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the primaries. Less than two weeks out from Election Day, however, Obama is posting a solid lead over Republican John McCain among this voting bloc.

Despite what many saw as McCain's potential appeal with Latinos, the Arizona senator is garnering less than 30 percent of the Hispanic vote, according to Gallup, far fewer than the 44 percent President Bush captured in 2004. And this could pose a significant problem for McCain in several battleground states.

Obama, meanwhile, is using his cash advantage to reach out to Hispanic voters in many key states with a new radio and TV ad. "Oportunidad" (subscription), a TV spot running in Colorado, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico, presents Obama's plan to give a $4,000 college tuition credit to students who participate in community service activities. It also claims that Obama will offer "scholarships to recruit more teachers to make sure our children are prepared."

An aggressive radio spot, "Ataques" (subscription), or "Attack," accuses McCain and the Republicans of telling "terrible lies." Discussing the hardships his friends and neighbors are facing, one speaker tells another: "Enough with the attacks. We are in an economic crisis, and I want to know what the candidates will do for us." The two then praise Obama's economic policies, with the woman touting his tax plan as the man adds: "What matters to me is that Obama has a plan to give health insurance to all. My neighbor will be saved!"

The 60-second spot is running in Colorado, Central Florida, Indiana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin, with a slightly different version running in South Florida.

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar also vouches for Obama in a bilingual radio ad (subscription) that encourages listeners to take advantage of the state's early voting system. Salazar talks about his working-class background and says that Colorado residents share a devotion to family. "You can do something for your family right now: Vote. You don’t have to wait until Election Day," he tells the audience. "With Barack Obama and the Democrats, real change is within our grasp," Salazar declares, hitting on some of Obama's talking points on health care and the economy. "We can’t afford more of the same," he concludes.

Click here to watch "It Gets Worse."

Fresh from raising a record $150 million in September, Barack Obama hit the airwaves Friday with his latest salvo against John McCain's health care policy.

"First we learned he's going to tax health care benefits to pay for part of it," the narrator says in "It Gets Worse" (subscription). "Now the Wall Street Journal reports John McCain would pay for the rest of his health care plan 'with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid.'"

The McCain campaign has vigorously denied the TV spot's contention that the Arizona senator would cut seniors' benefits, and the New York Times questioned some of the ad's claims, suggesting they're based on "assumptions that are stitched together from news reporting and rough back-of-the-envelope calculations by a partisan policy group," the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

Obama also released a radio spot in Florida Thursday accusing McCain of wanting to cut NASA funding, an argument that turns on McCain's proposal to enact a spending freeze to close the budget deficit.

McCain "wants to freeze NASA spending at last year's level," says Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in the ad. "So layoffs would loom larger, and NASA would continue to be starved of funds for future exploration."

For his part, McCain visited the state Friday and promised $2 billion in additional funding for the space agency, arguing that Obama is the one who would cut NASA's budget. The Democrat once proposed delaying the Constellation program, which would return humans to the moon, to pay for his education plan.

All ad summary pages are available to subscribers only.

Louisiana Senate (tip sheet)

• Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) boasts of the "solutions" she has helped legislate for the Pelican State -- bringing defense jobs and voting to keep "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Maine Senate (tip sheet)

• Rep. Tom Allen (D) gets the endorsement of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell in "Courage."

Mississippi Senate (tip sheet)

• Republican incumbent Roger Wicker's new spot, "Who Is Buying Ronnie Musgrove?" suggests that his Democratic challenger is being influenced by left-wing organizations.

•Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee blames Musgrove for the state's deficit and loss of jobs in "Clip."

New Hampshire Senate (tip sheet)

• The NRSC asserts that former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) won't deliver on her promises to cut spending.

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee claims GOP incumbent Sen. John Sununu has "followed" in President Bush's footsteps for the last eight years, helping cause the financial crisis.

North Carolina Senate (tip sheet)

• Democrat Kay Hagan says Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) put tax cuts for Big Oil ahead of "Lowering" taxes for working families.

Oregon Senate (tip sheet)

• "Senior Senator" Ron Wyden (D) encourages Oregonians to support Jeff Merkley.

• And in another spot, Merkley says veterans "deserve better" health care.

• In "More Tax Merkley," the NRSC attacks the Democrat on his tax record.

Virginia Senate (tip sheet)

• In "A Fresh Approach," former Gov. Mark Warner (D) says he will put the country's interests ahead of partisanship in Washington if elected.

North Carolina governor (tip sheet)

• In "Crisis," the Republican Governors Association asserts that Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's record of raising taxes and hindering job growth makes her ill-equipped to handle North Carolina's economic crisis.

• The Perdue camp slams Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory (R) for a record that "Floating" claims has helped North Carolina become a landfill for places like New York and New Jersey.

Washington governor (tip sheet)

• In "Thousands," Dino Rossi (R) assures voters he has the experience cutting spending that would prepare him to do the same as governor.

• A mother expresses her worries about Democratic incumbent Christine Gregoire's record on protecting children from sex offenders in this attack spot by the RGA.

• Several law enforcement representatives show their support for Gregoire in "Law Enforcement," responding to the RGA's attack spot.

Click here to listen to "Ayers."

After several weeks of intense criticism from the right over his relationship with former 1960's radical William Ayers, Barack Obama is addressing the topic head-on in an ad.

A new radio spot (subscription) running in key states echoes a TV ad released by the campaign last Friday which criticized John McCain for his negative campaigning. But while the TV spot made only a veiled reference to Ayers, the announcer of the radio ad gets into the subject in some detail.

Introducing Ayers as a "professor of education," the announcer explains that he "once served with Obama on a school reform board, a board funded by conservative Republicans with ties to McCain." The spot reiterates a point that Obama camp has made repeatedly: that the Illinois senator was eight years old when Ayers began his radical activities as a member of the Weather Underground. "Ayers has had no role in Obama’s campaign and will have no role in his administration," the announcer says.

McCain opted not to bring Obama's relationship with Ayers up in the second presidential debate, despite the fact that he and running mate Sarah Palin were pounding the message on the campaign trail. The Arizona senator recently hinted in a radio interview, however, that the subject might surface in tonight's final showdown.

Click here to listen to "Courage to Change."

The American Federation of Government Employees hit the airwaves with a one-minute radio advertisement Friday, asking blue-collar voters to ignore race and gender in the presidential election and focus on the issues.

The idea for "Courage to Change" (subscription) came from an August meeting of union leaders in Chicago, explained AFGE National President John Gage, who stars in the ad.

"All of us reported getting stinging e-mails and hearing the code words of racism from some members" after the AFL-CIO endorsed Barack Obama earlier in the year, Gage said. (The AFGE is a member union of the AFL-CIO.) "There was a frank discussion of race at the meeting, and we decided to go after it head-on."

The union has already shelled out $500,000 to run the ad in Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virgina and West Virginia -- with "more to come." While a union representative said the ad's focus on racism and sexism means it could apply to both campaigns, there's little doubt from its opening lines that the radio spot is most concerned with the former.

"I’m old enough to appreciate the union movement’s contributions to civil rights -- and I’m white enough to pick up on the code words of prejudice," Gage says, later adding, "There are 100 good reasons for how you vote this year and only one bad reason."

The ad isn't designed to convince voters to give up racism, Gage told NationalJournal.com, but to make the economic costs of that bias clear.

"Prejudice is not free," he added.

Gage isn't the only one making waves on the race issue this election season. Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, blasted racism during a steelworkers convention in July in a speech that has since been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online.

The AFGE also plans to release an advertisement with television personality Judge Joe Brown closer to Election Day that will encourage listeners to resist voter suppression efforts at the polls, Gage said.

Click here to watch "Lose."

Barack Obama is using his cash advantage to overwhelm John McCain on the airwaves, outpacing his opponent in nearly every battleground state according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Ad Project [PDF]. Moreover, Evan Tracy, head of TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, indicated in a blog post last week that Obama is on pace to spend more money on ads in the final 25 days of the campaign than McCain's entire $85 million allotment of public campaign funds. (McCain is also getting help from the Republican National Committee, but the Obama camp still bests both combined in fundraising).

Here are several spots that the Obama campaign has released in recent days:

"Lose" (subscription) pounds McCain for resorting to a "smear" campaign at a time of national economic crisis. "It's clear: With no plan to fix our economy, smears are all McCain has left," an announcer declares. The ad responds specifically to two allegations from the McCain camp regarding Obama's ties to Chicago politics. As a picture of a Ramada Inn appears, the announcer insists that is the location where Obama launched his political career, not the living room of Weather Underground member William Ayers. In response to a spot (subscription) released by the Republican National Committee that calls Obama adviser William Daley the "heir to the Chicago machine," Obama's ad notes that Daley was "confirmed as commerce secretary and praised for his great work by none other than John McCain."

Continue reading "Obama Looks To Bury McCain With Spending Spree" »

Click here to listen to "American Jobs."

Ohio is the place to be this week. Barack Obama, John McCain and Sarah Palin have all been making the political rounds there the past few days. The Sierra Club, capitalizing on all the attention this battleground state is receiving, released a radio ad there Wednesday that contrasts the candidates' stances on clean energy.

In "American Jobs" (subscription) an announcer chides McCain for failure to support the clean energy industry and for voting "to make it easier for companies to outsource jobs." The announcer then claims that Obama is committed to clean energy and will create "5 million new jobs" in that sector.

Energy has been put on the back-burner the past few weeks due to the financial crisis. Through this spot, though, the Sierra Club aims to link energy directly to the issue that, according to organization spokesman Josh Dorner, is most crucial to residents in this industrial state -- jobs.

Click here to watch "Figured."

Oops. Joe Biden declared recently that the Democratic ticket was against clean coal when Barack Obama's energy plan explicitly shows the Illinois senator's support for it. This gaffe, which Biden made at a campaign rally in Ohio, has prompted three new ads -- two by John McCain attacking his opponent over it and one by Obama aiming to emphasize his commitment to clean coal.

Obama's ad makes no attempt to reconcile Biden's comment with the Illinois senator's position on the issue, but rather seeks to portray Obama as a longtime friend of the coal industry. "Figured" (subscription) features Randy Henry, an Illinois miner, vouching for Obama's support of the industry as a state and U.S. senator. While the candidate may be from Chicago, Henry insists that Obama made a concerted effort to visit coal mines in Southern Illinois and help communities that were struggling as mining jobs disappeared.

Meanwhile, the McCain camp released a radio ad, "Clean Coal" (subscription), Monday in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia that features a clip of Biden's comment, charging that "Obama-Biden and their liberal allies oppose clean coal." The spot argues for the importance of clean coal, specifically to the residents of the aforementioned battleground states, and links the Democratic ticket's alleged opposition to clean coal with other energy issues. "No energy independence for America? It's no surprise," an announcer says. "After all, Obama-Biden and their liberal allies opposed offshore drilling." The script of the ad is virtually the same in each state; only the reference of the state name changes from market to market.

The McCain camp also released a mocking Web ad last week, "The Coal Miner," which juxtaposes footage of Obama speaking in support of clean coal with Biden speaking in opposition to it. The ad concludes with text on screen reading: "Obama + Biden. Ready to pander? Yes. Ready to lead? No."

-- Mary Gilbert contributed reporting to this post.

Click here to listen to "Hall."

The race between Barack Obama and John McCain is neck-and-neck in the bellwether state of Ohio, according to the latest polls. But Obama is getting a boost in the state among a traditional Republican voting bloc -- evangelical Christians -- from the Matthew 25 Network, a group that claims to be the first Christian PAC of its kind.

Today, Matthew 25 is launching the first of a planned series of ads supporting Obama on Christian radio stations throughout the Buckeye State. The new spot (subscription) features former Rep. Tony Hall of Dayton, a self-described pro-life Democrat discussing how his Christian faith is leading him to vote for Obama.

Hall describes the hardships plaguing many Ohio families and claims that "we need a president who sees those who are hurting and cares for the least of these." He highlights the fact that "as a child, Barack knew hard times, too," and he stresses Obama's own faith: "As a Christian, Barack believes that God calls us to care for those who are in need. He has spent his life doing just that."

Hall told reporters today that what most impressed him about Obama was his decision to forgo a high-paying job when he graduated from college and move to Chicago to help neighborhoods struggling from plant closings. "I think he’ll be tremendous for the poor people in this country," Hall said.

Mara Vanderslice, the group's executive director, emphasized the timeliness of this ad, as it asks Christian voters to consider the larger implications of the recent economic crisis. Bart Campolo, a minister involved with Matthew 25, said that, as the government undertakes the biggest restructuring of the economic sector in nearly a decade, the American people should make sure that we have someone in the White House "who will restructure the country in a way that works for everyone," not just Wall Street.

Click here to listen to "Change Or More Of The Same?"

Coinciding with the travel schedule of Barack Obama this week, the Republican National Committee is re-airing a pair of radio ads in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.

"Change Or More Of The Same?" (subscription), which initially started running in New Hampshire on Sept. 12, slams Obama and running mate Joe Biden for seeking earmarks, contending that the GOP ticket has fought against this type of spending. The ad is now running in Nevada, New Mexico and Denver.

"Commitment v. Rhetoric" (subscription), is a Spanish-language spot that the RNC launched Aug. 23 in Colorado, New Mexico, Las Vegas and El Paso, Texas. This ad, now running again in Vegas, argues that John McCain has pushed for immigration reform in the Senate while Obama has not.

"The ads are aimed to ensure that voters in these key states are aware of Obama's real record on the important issues facing our country," said RNC spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson.

Click here to watch "Disrespectful."

Between solo and joint ads released today by John McCain and the Republican National Committee, the GOP is covering a lot of ground. Indeed, they had to make up for an ad-free day Thursday, in honor of 9/11 -- though some are questioning whether the McCain camp violated the truce the candidates agreed upon.

An ad the McCain camp released this morning calls out Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., for being "disrespectful" (subscription) to McCain's VP pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. An announcer asserts that Obama and Biden "lashed out at Sarah Palin" and "dismissed her as 'good-looking.''' FactCheck.org contends, however, that the ad takes the quotes out of context and distorts them.

Also out today is a joint ad from McCain and the RNC, a Spanish-language TV spot running in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. "Which Side Are They On?" (subscription) suggest that Obama and his "congressional allies" -- including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., whose images pop up on the screen, sandwiching Obama -- are guilty of pushing "poison pill" legislation that "made immigration reform fail."

Both McCain and the RNC released radio ads today as well. In "Change Or More Of The Same?" (subscription), the RNC claims that Obama has requested a "billion dollars in earmarks" and that Biden has been requesting them "for decades." An announcer also praises McCain for never requesting an earmark and Palin for vetoing wasteful spending and cutting earmark requests "by hundreds of millions of dollars."

McCain's radio ad, "Stem Cell" (subscription), promises that McCain and his own team of "congressional allies" will invest "millions" in stem-cell research, to find cures and relief for conditions such as cancer, heart disease, spinal cord damage and strokes.

Click here to watch "Alaska Maverick."

Both presidential nominees released ads Wednesday drawing attention to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, albeit in different ways. John McCain gives props to his running mate in "Alaska Maverick." And a new radio ad from Barack Obama chastises McCain for opposing abortion rights, a topic that has taken on new currency lately -- first when McCain alarmed his base with a remark that he wouldn't rule out an abortion rights supporter as his running mate, and now with McCain’s addition of Palin, a staunch abortion opponent.

McCain's spot heralds Palin's reformer reputation by highlighting media reports from the Wall Street Journal (which dubbed the duo "A Reform Ticket") and her home state's Anchorage Daily News (calling Palin the "Joan of Arc of Alaska politics"), among others. The ad contrasts that with coverage of Obama that suggests he'll always vote along party lines. From the January National Journal survey that ranked him the most liberal senator to a series of Senate votes benefiting Big Oil, the McCain camp reiterates that his change reputation is nothing but "empty words." It’s worth noting, however, that all the headlines applauding Palin are dated after the Aug. 29 VP announcement, suggesting that before she was thrust into the national spotlight, the national media didn’t see compelling reason to highlight her or her "reformer" reputation.

Obama's radio ad features a Planned Parenthood nurse urging women not to vote for McCain because he supports overturning Roe v. Wade. "John McCain's out of touch with women today. McCain wants to take away our right to choose," the nurse says. "That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are." The spot replays a clip of McCain confirming that he supports a constitutional amendment banning all abortions.

The Obama camp said the ad was released before McCain announced his pick. Nonetheless, with Hillary Rodham Clinton’s supporters potentially in play and with Palin receiving attention as the first woman on a presidential ticket since Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, abortion is making a comeback as a hot-button political topic.

Click here to listen to "What Will Harry Say?"

Conservative group American Future Fund and the Republican National Committee didn’t waste any time attacking Democrats prior to the party's convention. Both groups released radio ads on Friday specifically to get a jump on the events in Denver.

In "What Will Harry Say?," American Future Fund references Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s speech Wednesday to continue its attacks on the Nevada Democrat for leaving on congressional recess before addressing oil prices. "What do you think Reid will say?" an announcer asks listeners. "He could talk about how he blocked the Senate from voting to drill for oil -- even as gas prices skyrocketed -- and then sent the Senate on a five-week vacation." The ad goes on to criticize a measure the "Gang of 10" -- a bipartisan group of senators working on energy legislation -- recently put forth. "The 'Gang of 10' plan doesn’t allow offshore drilling in the greatest oil reserves," the announcer says. "The plan doesn’t open oil shale reserves, which could contain three times the amount of oil as in Saudi Arabia. And it would raise energy taxes that consumers could end up paying."

The RNC's Spanish-language radio ad, "Commitment v. Rhetoric," aims to cast doubt on Barack Obama's commitment to Hispanic voters while highlighting what John McCain has done in Congress in support of immigration. "When Hispanics needed a friend in Congress during the immigration debate, who stood up? Who spoke out? John McCain," the announcer says. "Senator McCain worked with Republicans and Democrats alike to form immigration legislation." The ad goes on to criticize what Obama has done -- or hasn't, according to the RNC -- for Hispanics. "If Obama didn’t even have the courage to stand up for immigrants, how can he claim to have the strength to change the way Washington works?" The ad concludes by echoing the McCain camp's theme -- that the Illinois senator does not have the experience to be president: "John McCain is ready to lead. Barack Obama is not."

While the campaigns of both presidential hopefuls have been busy battling over the airwaves this last week, the conventions will surely trigger both to alter their respective ad strategies. The McCain camp is reportedly preparing to release several ads in an attempt to counteract the aggressive message Democrats are hoping to convey this week. Obama, on the other hand, has scaled back his ad buys in conservative regions like the South to focus more on the back-and-forth in the battleground states.

Click here to watch "Three Times."

After a series of recent John McCain ads calling Barack Obama's tax plan "a recipe for economic disaster," Obama returned fire today with "Three Times" (subscription), arguing that McCain's economic plan will only benefit big businesses, not hard-working Americans.

An announcer claims that McCain's tax plan will give $200 million in tax breaks to big businesses and $4 million to oil companies, and will reward companies that export jobs while "100 million Americans get no tax relief at all." He then cites two newspaper sources that say Obama's plan will cut middle-class taxes three times as much as McCain's would. "Can we really afford more of the same?" he asks, linking McCain to the Bush administration.

Meanwhile, the Arizona senator released a radio ad today, "Millions" (subscription), charging that Obama plans to spend $863 billion in taxpayer dollars on new government programs. An announcer opens the ad with what has become a signature theme: "Celebrities like to spend their millions. Barack Obama is no different. Only it's your money he wants to spend." The ad claims that Obama's plans will ultimately raise taxes for families on everything from income to electric bills to life savings: "Ready to tax. Ready to spend. Not ready to lead."

Both "Three Times" and "Millions" are running in Ohio, Colorado, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia and other battlegrounds.

Click here to listen to "Recipe."

John McCain continues his attempts to win over Hispanic voters from Barack Obama, releasing a radio ad today in Florida and the Southwest -- a Spanish-language version of a spot released earlier this month.

In "Recipe" (subscription), an announcer references several media reports, including a Sept. 2007 editorial by the Las Vegas Review-Journal describing Obama's policies as a "recipe for economic disaster." The announcer concludes, in Spanish: "More taxes. Higher gas prices. A recipe for economic disaster. That's the real Obama."

Campaign spokesman Brian Rogers said the reasoning behind releasing this ad in Spanish as well as English is simple: The economy is something everyone in the country contends with. "Most Hispanic Americans are concerned about mainly the same issues that all Americans are," Rogers said. "It's a message that resonates very widely."

Click here to listen to "Hot Air Solutions."

Recent polls show Barack Obama with a slim lead over John McCain in the battleground state of New Mexico, but the state's Republican Party is doing its part to fight the rising tide of Obamania. In a new radio ad, the GOP revives Obama's "bitter" comments and highlights a more recent statement he made about car tires to portray the Democratic candidate as out of touch with New Mexico voters.

"Hot Air Solutions" (subscription) begins by proclaiming the enormity of the energy crisis, then asks: "What's Barack Obama's energy solution? Barack Obama wants you to inflate you car tires. That's right. Inflate your tires." The spot then hits Obama, once again, for remarks made to a group of San Francisco donors in April, in which he claimed that people from small towns "cling to guns or religion" because they're "bitter." Together, the ad suggests, these two instances demonstrate that Obama doesn't really understand New Mexicans.

Obama did in fact say recently that pumping up tires and getting regular tune-ups would help drivers save money on gasoline. But contrary to the ad's claim, it is not his only proposed solution for high energy prices. The Illinois senator is spending millions of dollars on a TV ad, running during the Olympics, that lays out his energy plan in some detail.

But the overall picture that Republicans are seeking to paint of Obama is one of an inexperienced elitist. "He is not ready to lead on some of the most important issues to Americans," said New Mexico GOP communications director Shira Rawlinson. "Hot Air Solutions" is running in several small towns in New Mexico, targeting rural voters who might be particularly sensitive to Obama's "bitter" remark.

Click here to listen to "Truth."

After conservative group Freedom's Watch launched a slew of ads last Wednesday attacking Democrats across the country for going on "vacation" instead of considering energy legislation, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee didn't waste much time before responding.

The DCCC's radio ads started running Friday in 10 of the districts where Freedom's Watch is running its "misleading" spots, according to spokesman Doug Thornell. The version (subscription) running in Louisiana's 6th District opens with a sound clip of the Freedom's Watch ad, "Bell" (subscription), which chastises newly elected Rep. Don Cazayoux (D) for leaving on recess before addressing the energy crisis. An announcer then cuts in: "We interrupt this negative attack to bring you -- the truth." The spot goes on to defend Cazayoux's policies and criticize opponent Bill Cassidy (R), a state senator, for his alleged ties to big oil companies.

Although the ads differ somewhat in the wording, they all seek to defend the Democrats targeted by Freedom's Watch while calling into question the motivations of their GOP opponents, Thornell said. Versions of the ad are also running in competitive open-seat districts such as Ohio-15 and -16, and New Mexico-01.

Click here to listen to "Are You Ready For Obama?"

In two new radio ads John McCain released Friday, Barack Obama is again pegged as a "celebrity" unfit to lead, offering tax plans that will hurt middle-class America.

"Are You Ready For Obama?" (subscription), a Spanish-language ad running in Florida, opens by reiterating the campaign's "celebrity" theme: "No doubt, Barack Obama is a popular figure, a celebrity who says the right thing. But will he do the right thing?" The ad goes on to scrutinize the Illinois senator's tax plans, claiming that both his voting record and positions on taxes show he supports increases for families and seniors. This is the campaign's first ad in Spanish attacking Obama, who is garnering nearly 70 percent of Hispanic voters in recent polling.

In "Recipe" (subscription), McCain capitalizes on media reports that have criticized Obama's tax plans, including a Sept. 2007 Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial that called the Democrat's policies a "recipe for economic disaster." "Barack Obama has a history of raising taxes -- even on middle-class Americans making just $42,000 a year," an announcer declares -- a claim that FactCheck.org says is false. "If elected president," the announcer goes on, "Obama's promises would mean even more taxes on income, electricity, oil, small business, seniors, your life savings, your family."

Click here to watch "Embrace."

Two weeks’ worth of ads skewering Barack Obama as “the biggest celebrity in the world” seem to have gotten under the Illinois senator’s skin. Today he seeks to turn the tables on John McCain with a new TV ad calling the Arizona senator "Washington’s biggest celebrity." Those are worse, the ad implies, because they use their positions of power to win favors for the bigwigs and special interests they schmooze with.

"Embrace" (subscription) fuses the "celebrity" theme that has dominated the last couple weeks of campaign coverage with Obama’s message that McCain is an integral part of a broken system and would represent a continuation of the Bush presidency. The spot plays up McCain’s “decades” in Washington while showing him in the spotlight on "Saturday Night Live," "The View" and elsewhere. An announcer says that "as Washington embraced him, John McCain hugged right back," accompanied by video of McCain hugging President Bush.

The spot links McCain with what the Obama campaign has portrayed as the most nefarious aspects of Washington politics -- lobbyists, drug and oil companies -- while claiming that he would do nothing for average families. The announcer suggests that McCain has flip-flopped on policy, "lurching to the right, then the left" -- "the old Washington dance." Returning to another familiar theme, the ad concludes by accusing McCain of playing "the same old Washington games” with voters.

The fact that the Obama campaign feels the need to respond to McCain's "celebrity" ads, however, demonstrates that McCain might have landed a punch. While Obama has been trying to make this election a referendum on Bush and, by extension, the Republican Party, McCain has been successful over the last several weeks in making Obama the focus of media and public scrutiny. "If the celebrity issue were not hurting them, they would have ignored it," GOP strategist Terry Holt told the Associated Press.

Continue reading "Obama Throws Celebrity Counter-Punch" »

All ad summary pages are available to subscribers only.

Colorado Senate (tip sheet)

• In "Waste," Club For Growth criticizes Rep. Mark Udall (D) for what it contends is wasteful spending in Congress.

Idaho Senate (tip sheet)

• In his debut ad for the general election, "Change," former Rep. Larry LaRocco (D) says he has spent time talking to Idahoans and will take their messages to Washington.

Louisiana Senate (tip sheet)

• State Treasurer John Kennedy (R) goes on air with his first TV ad, "Brown Bag," a playful spot that pokes fun at him for being "cheap" but says he has saved or earned Louisiana taxpayers more than $1 billion.

• Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) goes on offense with "Spinning," in which a series of campaign buttons is used to depict Kennedy, formerly a Democrat, as "confused" about his political beliefs.

Continue reading "The Week In Political Ads" »

Click here to watch "Vacation."

The quieter the halls of the Capitol get, the louder the howls are on the airwaves. This week, Congress embarked on a more than monthlong hiatus without acting on legislation aimed to curb high oil prices. Outraged by this, two conservative-leaning nonprofits -- Freedom's Watch and American Future Fund -- launched TV and radio ads across the country this week admonishing Congressional Democrats for going on "vacation" instead of addressing the energy crisis. On the other side of the aisle, MoveOn.org unveiled radio ads today to run in five states attacking House Republicans for their connections to oil companies.

On Wednesday, Freedom's Watch launched 10 radio ads and two TV ads in a total of 11 states targeting House Democrats from all angles: House incumbents seeking re-election, challengers to Republican incumbents, and candidates in open seats. In "Vacation" (subscription), aimed at Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., who is seeking her second term in the state's 2nd district, an announcer charges that "last week Nancy Boyda voted to send Congress on vacation, rather than work to bring down energy costs."

In "Caribou" (subscription), the group berates New York congressional candidate Eric Massa for opposing oil drilling in Alaska and a proposed gas tax holiday. "The caribou come before beleaguered New York drivers," an announcer scolds. "Those taxes you pay on your gas -- Massa doesn't want to cut them or even give you some relief."

"The liberals we're targeting refuse to change their position on expanding responsible domestic drilling despite the fact it’s as unpopular as it is irresponsible," said Tim Pearson, spokesman for Freedom's Watch. "The sooner they embrace that change, the sooner we’ll lay off them."

Continue reading "No Recess From Energy Attack Ads" »

Editor's note: Every Monday, we will post a roundup of select ads from downballot races. All ad summary pages are available to subscribers only.

Colorado Senate (tip sheet):

• In "Facts," Rep. Mark Udall (D) aims to refute attacks on his voting record as it pertains to taxes.

• In the radio ad "High," American Future Fund blames Udall for high gasoline prices and urges him to vote for legislation that would allow domestic oil production.

Kentucky Senate (tip sheet):

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) continues to blame Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford for Kentucky's high gasoline prices in "Thanks Bruce."

• In his first ad of the general election, "Dishonest," Lunsford dismisses McConnell's attack ads on the gasoline tax and accuses him of trying to fool voters.

Continue reading "The Week In Political Ads" »

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 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" »

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 "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 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 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 "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 listen to "Taxes Hurt."

A new radio ad chastising former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) is the target of a complaint filed last week by the New Hampshire Democratic Party with the Federal Elections Commission. State Democrats allege that the nonprofit group Americans For Job Security has violated elections laws by disguising itself as an issues organization while running political advertisements on behalf of Shaheen's opponent in the Senate campaign, incumbent John Sununu (R). Americans For Job Security President Stephen DeMaura called the claims "completely baseless."

"Shaheen pledged to oppose any new taxes," an announcer says in "Taxes Hurt" (subscription), "but she broke her pledge and proposed millions in new taxes -- taxes that hurt New Hampshire, taxes that hurt families, taxes that have cost New Hampshire jobs." Another announcer urges viewers to call Shaheen and "tell her to oppose higher taxes on New Hampshire families."

This is the first race the group has engaged in for this election season, but it is looking at "multiple" contests throughout the country, DeMaura said.

Click here to listen to "Independence."

Partisan fighting stymied efforts on the Hill aimed at addressing rising gas prices this month. Now, as lawmakers head home for July 4 recess with nothing to show constituents on the issue that tops most voters' priority lists, politicians are playing the blame game on oil prices.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is hoping to capitalize on what it bills as Republicans' refusal to compromise on energy policy. The DCCC launched radio ads in 13 congressional districts today, targeting GOP incumbents who, according to a release, "stand with George Bush and Big Oil while America's middle class families are being squeezed by the highest gas prices in history." The ads will play throughout the July 4 weekend.

The ads feature a Bush impersonator leaving a message on an answering machine for each of the targeted Republicans, thanking them for cooperating with his "Big Oil energy agenda." "Hayes-ey, Dubya here," begins a North Carolina version (subscription) aimed at Rep. Robin Hayes. "'Preciate you voting to keep giving billions in tax breaks to the big oil companies," the Bush sound-alike says.

Continue reading "Gas Gouging" »

Click here to listen to "Pat."

From traffic congestion and gas taxes to sexual predators and foster care, one conservative organization is keeping busy berating Washington state Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) on a host of issues.

The latest round of radio ads from the Olympia-based group It's Time For A Change is designed to pull at voters' heartstrings, claiming Gregoire has failed to help resolve the state's problems on two emotionally charged issues involving children.

In "Pat" (subscription), Patricia Gibbs of Tacoma says that after her granddaughter was sexually assaulted, the perpetrator got off with "5 1/2 months in jail" and "counseling." An announcer adds that "hundreds of dangerous child predators have eluded justice" in Washington state on Gregoire's watch. "The governor has made it easier for these perpetrators to get away with what they want to do," Gibbs concludes. "I don't know how she can go to sleep at night."

In "Mary" (subscription), former court-appointed special advocate Mary Radcliffe tells the story of a family of foster children living in poverty, and an announcer complains that Gregoire has vetoed millions of dollars in funds to the state foster care system. "I think Governor Gregoire has failed," says Radcliffe.

Continue reading "Looking Out For The Kids" »

Click here to listen to "Cuba Prisoners."

John McCain is continuing his quest to close in on the solid lead Barack Obama has garnered among Latino voters.

Fresh on the heels of two Spanish radio ads the presumptive GOP nominee released last week in Nevada and New Mexico, the campaign launched another (subscription) in South Florida on Tuesday that focuses on Cuba. The 60-second spot features Roberto Martin Perez, who was a Cuban political prisoner for nearly three decades, relating to McCain's experience as a POW and taking a veiled shot at Obama, who has said he would meet with Cuban President Raul Castro. "As someone who has survived the harsh conditions of the Vietnamese prisons, John McCain knows that freedom in Cuba won't be achieved with concessions to dictatorships," Perez says in Spanish.

Continue reading "Operation Hispanic Vote" »

Click here to listen to "Economy."

In his first ads of the general election campaign, John McCain is directing his attention to the economic struggles of Hispanic voters in the Southwest.

The Spanish-language radio ad (subscription), which began running in Nevada and New Mexico on June 4, tout McCain's plans to revive the economy -- such as his proposed federal gas-tax holiday -- with an emphasis on bipartisanship.

"When we are filling up the gas tank, we are not Republicans, Democrats or independents," an announcer says in Spanish. "We are Hispanics, and we all are hurting together in this uncertain economic time."

"We need someone that has a good economic plan," he adds, "and that is John McCain."

These will be the first of several McCain spots to come, after his campaign recently bought a reported $3 million of airtime in both large and small markets in states such as Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Working mother Pam Pugel from Seattle and small-business owner Jackie Richter from Eastern Washington are not happy about how much they're paying for gas -- and they're pointing fingers at Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) in two new radio ads released Monday.

With Gregoire having barely won the 2004 election after two recounts and with only a 130-vote lead over Dino Rossi (R), this year's rematch is gearing up to be another close and contentious battle.

The ads, released by the Olympia-based conservative organization It's Time For A Change, berate Gregoire for signing into law the "largest gas tax increase in state history" in 2005. "Under Gov. Christine Gregoire, traffic congestion on our highways has increased by 35 percent, while state transportation taxes have gone up nearly $400 per family," an announcer claims in the first ad, "Pam" (subscription).

Continue reading "Gas Tax Woes In Washington State" »

With questions persisting about Barack Obama's ability to win over working-class voters, particularly whites, Obama has embarked on a campaign this week to reach out to blue-collar Americans, re-donning the all-important American flag lapel pin and, as the New York Times points out, "sprinkling his speeches with references to God and country" to "reassure Democratic voters about his values." Obama is also up with two new radio ads in Kentucky -- home to many of the voters in question -- in which local Democratic leaders specifically reference Obama's Christian faith and love for his country.

Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler (subscription) and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo (subscription) star in the new spots, launched Wednesday, portraying Obama as someone Kentucky voters can relate to. "Once you get to know him, he’ll be like family to us," Mongiardo says in his ad. Both men talk about Obama's upbringing -- raised by a single mom, his grandfather who "served in Patton's army," and his grandmother who worked in a bomber factory" during World War II. "They didn't have much money, but they gave Barack a thirst for education, an abiding love for America, and a belief that we all have a stake in each other," Chandler says.

Both men stress the fact that Obama is a "strong Christian" who began his professional life working with churches "helping communities left behind when local plants closed." And they both touch on his economic plan, which calls for ending tax breaks for companies that outsource and providing tax breaks for the middle class.

Continue reading "Gimme That Old-Time Religion" »

Click here to watch "Change?"

After several months of sitting back and letting Democrats Steve Novick and Jeff Merkley go after each other, Republican incumbent Gordon Smith has jumped into the fray in the Oregon Senate race, launching attacks on both of his potential Democratic challengers, but saving special censure for Merkley.

Smith made his TV debut with "Get It" (subscription), a positive ad touting his record in the Senate as an "independent." Seated in a wood-paneled office with soothing music playing in the background, Gordon tries to separate himself from the "partisan fighting, gridlock" of the nation's capital. "That's Washington’s answer to your problems, not mine. I get it," he insists. "No matter who our next president is -- him or her -- I'll find common ground for the change we need." The ad closes with the tagline, "Common ground for the common good."

This tone of niceness didn't last long, however. Just days after "Get It" went on the air, Smith released an ad attacking both Merkley and Novick. "Change? " (subscription) challenges the notion that either Democrat will be a "candidate of change." An announcer accuses Merkley of breaking fundraising rules which he helped set and cites an article from the Oregonian calling Novick the "liberal champion of government spending."

Along with attacking his would-be opponents, Smith also attempts to do something in this ad that it may be difficult to pull off -- usurp the "change" label despite having 12 years of Washington experience. Merkley and Novick represent "more of the same when it's time for a change," the announcer concludes.

Continue reading "Smith Lashes Out At Oregon Dems" »

Click here to listen to "More Of The Same."

Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton aren't the only ones facing negative advertising this week; tomorrow, the Ohio Democratic Party will greet John McCain with a new radio ad airing in the Youngstown area, where the Arizona senator will be arriving to continue his tour of the "forgotten places in America."

"More Of The Same," which ODP calls its first of the general election, challenges McCain on the very issue he'll be promoting in Ohio: the economy. "After months of ignoring Americans' worries about the economy, John McCain is trying to make up for his mistake by making lots of big promises," an announcer says, going on to accuse McCain of opposing overtime pay and promoting policies that would result in "more homes foreclosed on, more American jobs shipped overseas."

Besides attacking McCain on a sensitive topic, the ad chips away at his image as a political "maverick," calling attention to his "25 years in Washington" and tying him to the policies of the current president. "The more you learn, the more you see he's just more of the same," an announcer charges. That line echoes ongoing efforts at the national level by Democrats and outside groups to tie McCain to President Bush, particularly on economics.

Given the contours of the last two presidential elections and the fact that the Youngstown media market borders Pennsylvania, another likely swing state, it seems a safe bet that this buy is only the first of many that will bombard local listeners this general election season.

Click here to listen to "Two Peas In A Pod -- Coleman."

A new radio ad launched today as part of the Bush Legacy Project, an advertising campaign (subscription) intended to keep the pressure on President Bush during his last year in office, takes as its target not Bush himself but members of Congress who have supported his policies.

Focusing on Republican Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John Sununu of New Hampshire, along with four Republican congressmen, the ad buy hits its targets on two particularly sensitive issues for the president's party this season: the economy and Iraq.

"What has Senator Norm Coleman done?" asks an announcer in the Minnesota version (subscription) of the ad. "He's supported Bush's trickle-down economics that got us into this mess... and supported Bush's war in Iraq."

Continue reading "The Price Of Loyalty" »

Click here to listen to "Fill."

Stepping up its response to attacks from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama's campaign released a radio ad defending his independence from lobbyists and commitment to alternative energy.

The new spot (subscription), which began airing Thursday afternoon, accuses Clinton of playing "political games" while Pennsylvanians face real problems. "An economy in shambles, families struggling, gas prices close to four dollars a gallon," the ad says. "What's Hillary Clinton's answer? Misleading negative ads."

Continue reading "Obama's Second Rebuttal" »

Click here to listen to "Real Life."

After a raft of new TV ads that pointedly declined to pick a fight with either of her presidential opponents, Hillary Rodham Clinton is up in Pennsylvania today with a new radio spot (subscription) harshly criticizing Barack Obama for his rhetoric on energy prices.

"In his TV ads, Barack Obama sounds like he'll take on the oil companies," an announcer says in the ad, which uses excerpts from an Obama spot on energy policy currently running in the state. Citing a report from the Annenberg-funded Factcheck.org that called Obama's ad "a little too slick," Clinton's radio spot implies that Obama's rhetoric has little substance to back it up -- echoing a familiar line from the New York senator's campaign.

The spot also attacks Obama for supporting "the Bush-Cheney energy bill" while "Hillary Clinton voted against that bill." It's the spot's closer, however, that truly drives home the campaign's overall message in unusually stark terms: "It's time for a president who takes on the oil companies in real life, not just on TV."

In a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson fumed over Obama's heavy paid-media investment in the state, accusing him of "doing everything he can on the air to buy this election in Pennsylvania" with an "unprecedented ad buy." He also blamed Obama's spot -- which makes no mention of Clinton but which Wolfson repeatedly called "misleading" and "not accurate" -- for forcing Clinton to release her ad.

"Senator Obama was urged to take the spot down by this campaign.... He has chosen not to do that," Wolfson said. "So it becomes incumbent upon us to set the record straight for voters in Pennsylvania."

Click here to listen to "Fighter."

Going into the Pennsylvania primary with a sizable lead but depleted coffers, Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign decided early on to forgo the strategy of expensive statewide ad buys it had used in previous contests in favor of niche advertising and grassroots organizing. With Clinton's funds still low, state polls tightening and Barack Obama having outspent her 5-to-1 in advertising, a pro-Clinton union has decided to supplement her efforts with an ad buy of its own.

The American Federation of Teachers on Monday released a radio spot (subscription) in markets across the state, touting Clinton's "solutions" to the country's economic problems and knocking Republican John McCain as "another George Bush." (It makes no mention of Obama.) The group has previously run ads supporting Clinton in Iowa, New Hampshire and other primary states, and has now invested about $2 million in media buys on her behalf.

Continue reading "Teachers Vouch For Clinton In Pennsylvania" »