Click here to watch "Delighted."

With his ratings at historic lows, President Bush has remained sidelined during this election season, but his No. 2, Dick Cheney, did emerge this weekend to throw his support behind John McCain. Democrats seemed more excited by this particular endorsement than Republicans, however, as it feeds into their storyline about McCain's ties to the current administration.

Barack Obama's campaign was quick with its reply, releasing a new TV spot just hours after Cheney's remarks from his home state of Wyoming.

"Delighted" (subscription) juxtaposes some of Obama's most respected backers -- billionaire businessman Warren Buffett and former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell -- with McCain's latest supporter. Showing footage of Cheney endorsing McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, an announcer quips: "Boy, did McCain earn it. He voted with Bush and Cheney 90 percent of the time." "And that's not the change we need," he concludes.

The ad comes as both candidates ramp up their efforts in the final 24-hour push before Election Day. Obama today will hit three states that went for Bush in 2004 -- Florida, North Carolina and Virginia -- while McCain makes stops in seven different battlegrounds.

Click here to watch "Better Off."

Progressive Future, progressive advocacy group that is backing Barack Obama, is making a last-minute appeal to Reagan Democrats using none other than Ronald Reagan himself.

Their new TV spot, "Better Off" (subscription), uses footage of a famous moment in Reagan's 1980 presidential debate with Jimmy Carter to try to win over undecided voters. "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Reagan asked in 1980. Plummeting stock prices and video footage of Osama bin Laden and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina play on screen as Reagan speaks about economic security and America's standing in the world. "If you don’t think that this course that we’ve been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have," Reagan says as a photo of Obama fills the screen.

“With our economy in crisis and our soldiers still at war, Ronald Reagan’s question is as relevant today as it was in 1980,” said Progressive Future political director Brad Martin in a press release. The group cites data from Gallup that shows over 90 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. In addition to running the TV ad in Ohio and Florida, Progressive Future will spend the last 96 hours of the election on volunteer mobilization and get-out-the-vote efforts.

Click here to watch "Meghan."

The Service Employees International Union is putting nearly a half million dollars behind an ad -- running in Ohio only -- that criticizes John McCain for supporting policies that it says resulted in American jobs going overseas.

"Meghan" (subscription), started running in this pivotal battleground state Thursday. The spot features Meghan Cofield, a Dayton factor worker who saw her job move to China. The group chides McCain for supporting the North American Free Trade Act, which the SEIU asserts allows companies to receive tax benefits for exporting jobs overseas.

While both candidates have led in Ohio over the last several months, the latest polling data compiled from Pollster.com shows Barack Obama's numbers going up while McCain's trending downward.

Click here to watch "Something."

Ahead in the polls and confident about his ground game, Barack Obama is making a final push with two new TV ads that encapsulate his campaign's double-edged strategy of criticizing John McCain while also trying to inspire supporters. The ad buys for these final spots are also representative of the way the campaign is playing out, with Obama pushing further and further into red territory, even McCain's home state.

"Rearview Mirror" (subscription) brings home Obama's argument on the economy and on McCain's relationship with President Bush. The spot shows a man driving a truck down the road, as an announcer asks: "Wonder where John McCain would take the economy? Look behind you." An image of Bush pops up in the rearview mirror. Signs along the road detail how McCain's policies are a direct continuation of Bush's, according to the Obama camp. Finally, the driver looks back in the mirror to see images of Bush and McCain together, as the announcer repeats the now-familiar tagline: "We can't afford more of the same."

In "Something" (subscription), on the other hand, Obama seeks to inspire viewers to become part of the movement that he has created during the course of his campaign. "Something's happening in America -- in small towns and big cities," the announcer observes as the camera pans across large, diverse crowds of Obama supporters. "People from every walk of life uniting in common purpose." The ad touts some of Obama's biggest endorsements, from Warren Buffett and Colin Powell, before showing a clip of one of his characteristically rousing speeches. "We can choose hope over fear, and unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo," he says to huge applause.

The Illinois senator is releasing his new ads in three states that voted overwhelmingly for Bush in 2004 and should have been safe territory for McCain -- Georgia, North Dakota and McCain's home state of Arizona. New data released by the Wisconsin Ad Project [PDF] shows that, during the week of October 21-28, three-quarters of Obama's and McCain's advertising dollars were spent in red states, demonstrating that McCain is, in fact, playing defense.

MoveOn.org is also purchasing time in Arizona to re-air "Obamacan" (subscription), the spot that won the group's "Obama in 30 Seconds" ad contest back in May. It features Air Force veteran John Weiler, who says that although he's "been a Republican since before I could actually vote," he's supporting Obama this year.

Pollster.com shows McCain up by an average of six points in Arizona, but Democrats clearly feel the race is close enough to warrant spending some resources there.

Updated Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008.

Barack Obama's 30-minute infomercial -- estimated to cost $3.5-4 million -- is getting mostly rave reviews from the commentariat. But what do the voters think?

According to Nielson's ratings, they at least tuned in. Overall, 21.7 percent of households watching TV at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night were tuned to one of the six networks that aired the extended ad. Ross Perot, the last presidential candidate to run this type of longer pitch, garnered 16.8 percent of viewers with a spot on Election Day in 1992. The first presidential debate between Obama and John McCain received a 34.7 percent rating and the final debate 38.3 percent.

As for McCain's complaints that Obama was delaying the start of the World Series game, Phillies and Rays fans didn't seem to hold it against him -- the Philadelphia and West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Fla., markets ranked second and third highest in the ratings, coming in just behind Baltimore.

UPDATE: Nielsen has reported that that 21.7 percent of households translates to 33.5 million viewers for Obama's ad. On an average Wednesday night, the networks on which the spot aired attract a combined 30.3 million viewers.

Click here to watch "Dictators Mock Obama's Ignorance."

In the closing days of the presidential race, John McCain and the GOP are returning to a theme that was previously a centerpiece of their campaign against Barack Obama but faded during the past several months: that electing a president with as little foreign policy experience as Obama is dangerous during this uncertain time.

Our Country Deserves Better PAC is also seizing on the experience mantra in a humorous new ad (subscription) released on national cable and on broadcast TV in several targeted states, including Michigan, on Wednesday. Actors playing world leaders hostile to America, including Kim Jong Il of North Korea, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, are shown sitting around a conference table under a banner that reads: "The League Of Rogue Nations." The phone rings and is answered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "Obama wants to meet," he tells his colleagues. "No preconditions!" Castro cheers.

Given the option of choosing the time and place, Ahmadinejad goes on to dismiss the person on the other end of the line. "Tuesday is no good. Thursday we enrich uranium. I mean, we have our bowling league," he says. Insisting that they are busy "all week," he tells the imaginary Obama representative: "We’ll get back to you." An announcer chimes in, concluding that Obama is "no match for America’s enemies."

"We wanted to cut through the clutter of so many political ads with something that was funny and different," said PAC coordinator Joe Wierzbicki, adding that the group is putting at least $150,000 behind the new spot. "We think this will be an effective means by which to remind people that Obama has almost zero foreign policy experience, and has already provoked controversy over remarks he has made in the realms of foreign policy and national defense."

Our Country Deserves Better PAC wrapped up a 15-day "Stop Obama" road trip in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, after hitting battleground states Nevada, Colorado, Michigan and Ohio, among others.

Click here to view "An Outlaw's Worst Nightmare."

John McCain says he's a maverick, but the National Rifle Association would prefer a ranger. A Texas Ranger, to be precise.

The NRA began airing a 45-second TV spot (subscription) Tuesday featuring martial arts icon Chuck Norris, a familiar face in Republican politics this election cycle.

"If some thug breaks into my home, I can use my roundhouse kick, but I’d prefer he look down the barrel of my gun," Norris says in the ad, which is heavy on rattlesnake shakes and has a soundtrack befitting a high-noon duel.

Continue reading "Chuck Norris Throws Down For The NRA" »

Click here to watch "His Choice."

Barack Obama is set to air a 30-minute infomercial/campaign ad on network TV at 8 p.m. tonight. But that does not mean his campaign is letting up on its more traditional 30-second spots. Obama has released several new ads in "key states" this week, attacking John McCain on economic issues and touting his own proposals.

In "Tested" (subscription), the Obama camp responds to the controversy over comments by vice presidential candidate Joe Biden at a recent campaign fundraiser, in which he suggested that America's foes would initiate some kind of crisis to "test" Obama within his first six months of office.

"An economic meltdown. Two wars. And John McCain’s playing with audio tapes," an announcer charges, accusing McCain of distorting Biden's message in "Ladies And Gentlemen" (subscription), released last week. The announcer acknowledges that the "next president" will, in fact, "be tested" (implying that it is irrelevant whether Obama or McCain is elected), but he then introduces another part of Biden's comments left out of the McCain ad, in which the Delaware senator says that those who do "test" Obama will "find out this guy’s got steel in his spine."

Citing quotes from several newspaper editorials, the spot goes on to compare Obama's and McCain's reactions to the economic crisis, saying Obama has shown a "steady hand" while McCain has been "erratic." The real "risk" the country faces, the announcer concludes, is electing a president whose "policies follow in [President] Bush’s footsteps."

"His Choice" (subscription) also portrays McCain as inadequate to the task of fixing the economy, but goes a step further with a swipe at the GOP candidate's running mate, Sarah Palin. In this ad, text of three different McCain quotes appears on screen. ""The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," reads one. The next says: "I might have to rely on a vice president that I select" for expertise on economic issues. Footage of Palin winking into the TV camera at the vice presidential debate appears, with the words "His choice?" superimposed.

Finally, "Better Off" catalogs the myriad economic challenges -- foreclosures, rising unemployment, falling wages -- facing Americans right now. "For too many, the American dream is fading," Obama chimes in, seeking to identify with working- and middle-class voters. "We need a new direction. Now. And that's why I'm running for president," he says directly into the camera.

Obama plans to use his half-hour spot tonight to make a "closing argument" to the American people, and such messages, focused on helping the middle class and changing the direction of the country, are sure to be at the heart of the address.

Click here to watch "TV Special."

John McCain is going for his David-and-Goliath moment. Cash-poor and trailing in the polls, the Arizona senator is launching a preemptive strike against Barack Obama's 30-minute prime-time TV address tonight with "TV Special" (subscription).

The ad opens by tweaking Obama with the terms of celebrity rhetoric that McCain used this summer: "Behind the fancy speeches, grand promises and TV specials lies the truth," an announcer says. The spot contrasts pictures of Obama speaking, including his infamous Berlin address, with others that embody the hot-button issues of the election. Images of soldiers, foreclosure signs and rows of cars flash across the screen while an announcer asserts that Obama "lacks the experience America needs. And it shows. His response to our economic crisis is to spend and tax our economy deeper into recession."

The last line of the ad is a notable change from McCain's other spots on the experience theme: "The fact is, Barack Obama's not ready yet." The word "yet" may appeal to those voters who are wary of the Democrat's lack of experience but still like the idea of him in the White House. By ending on that word, McCain is effectively saying that he's the safer bet now without entirely dismissing Obama.

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 watch "Compare."

John McCain released a new ad this morning, "Compare" (subscription), which adheres to a traditional conservative line of attack -- that the Democratic candidate is a tax-and-spend liberal. With less than a week to go before the big day, this ad by McCain and another by the Republican National Committee attacking Barack Obama on experience suggest the days of ads based on guilt-by-association, gaffes and other more trivial facets of the campaign are gone, as a cash-strapped GOP looks to allocate its funds wisely.

"Compare" juxtaposes various images of the presidential hopefuls with phrases representing their economic plans. The ad references Obama's now-infamous "spread the wealth" comment and Joe Wurzelbacher, as an announcer contrasts the phrase "for workin' Joe's" (and a jovial image of McCain) with "spread your income" (accompanied by a more menacing shot of Obama). The ad concludes with another staple attack on the Democrat: claiming he's a "risky" choice while McCain is a "proven" leader.

"Storm" (subscription), which the RNC released Friday, also returns to a familiar GOP line. The ad likens the financial crisis to a storm, and aims to cast doubt on Obama's ability to lead the nation through "uncertain times." "What if the storm does get worse?" an announcer asks, "with someone who’s untested at the helm?"

No McCain ad has hit Obama this directly on the experience issue in a while, perhaps as a result of the Sarah Palin pick. "Tiny" (subscription), which highlighted comments Obama made over Iran to suggest he is "dangerously unprepared" for the presidency, was released in the middle of the Democratic convention and represents the last straightforward "experience" attack ad issued by the McCain camp. But the issue has been revived in RNC ads, beginning with "Chair" (subscription) on Oct. 16.

While returning to staple attacks, the GOP is also retreating into traditionally conservative territories. The RNC has announced it will start running ads Wednesday in Montana -- a state that gave President Bush nearly 60 percent of the vote in 2004 but is trending more and more toward Obama. "Storm," however, is reportedly airing in the more mainstay battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Virginia. A request for comment about which RNC ads will run in Montana was not returned.

Click here to watch "He Never Complained Once."

The impending sense of doom among Republicans with a week to go before Election Day has led some to criticize John McCain's campaign. One thing many conservatives would have liked to see from the Arizona senator was an earlier and more direct hit on Barack Obama for his connection with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Instead, third-party groups like Our Country Deserves Better PAC (subscription) and, now, the National Republican Trust PAC have taken up the issue themselves.

The National Republican Trust PAC, a group responsible for two controversial TV ads about Obama's immigration policies, is now putting $2.5 million behind "He Never Complained Once" (subscription), a spot that dredges up Obama's long-term relationship with Wright. It is currently airing in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

"For 20 years, Barack Obama followed a preacher of hate and said nothing as Wright raged against our country," the announcer charges as video clips of some of Wright's most inflammatory sermons play in the background. "I don't think my church is particularly controversial," reads a quote from Obama on screen. Portraying Obama as an opportunistic politician, the announcer charges that "for 20 years, Obama never complained -- until he ran for president."

The question is whether or not Wright can affect the race at this point, when voters are more focused on economic issues and, according to polls, seem more willing to trust Obama on that topic than McCain.

Click here to watch "Defining Moment."

Barack Obama is set to deliver a "closing argument" speech in the battleground state of Ohio today, but viewers are already getting a preview of the candidates' final pitch through a pair of TV ads released within the last 48 hours.

In "Defining Moment" (subscription), a two-minute spot launched in key states over the weekend, Obama speaks directly to viewers about how he will fix the economy and help working-class Americans. "The real question" for voters, Obama says, "is: Will our country be better off four years from now? How will we lift our economy and restore America's place in the world?" Obama goes on to outline his "rescue plan for the middle class," giving tax cuts to anyone making under $200,000 and granting loans and tax cuts to companies that create jobs at home. Once the immediate crisis has been addressed, Obama says, he'll be able to "focus on our urgent national priorities" like health care, energy and education.

Attempting to address the criticism that his agenda will prove too costly, Obama goes on to explain how he will pay for these initiatives: ending the war in Iraq, letting the "temporary Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent expire" and conducting a thorough audit of government spending. The Democratic candidate ends on a note of optimism, ensuring viewers that "if we stand together, we can meet our challenges and ensure that there are better days ahead."

Obama also released a more combative ad this morning that matches almost precisely a spot (subscription) he ran earlier in October. "New Subject" (subscription) portrays John McCain as desperate and accuses him of using " scare tactics and smears" to "try to tear Barack Obama down."

This combination of positive and negative ads matches a recent trend from the Obama campaign, which, with its campaign coffers overflowing, has had the luxury of running a two-front ad war -- portraying a positive message of change while not hesitating to criticize McCain.

Click here to watch "How Much Time."

Two women's rights groups -- Winning Message Action Fund and Planned Parenthood -- are taking aim at John McCain 's positions on abortion and health care in a set of new ads.

In "How Much Time" (subscription), Winning Message Action Fund (the advocacy arm of the National Institute For Reproductive Health) demands that both McCain and Sarah Palin -- avid pro-lifers -- elaborate more on the repercussions for women that could ensue if Roe v. Wade is overturned. The spot starts running Saturday in Ohio and Wisconsin during shows that are popular with women, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Early Show." Images of distraught women posing for mug shots flash across the screen one after another, with an announcer speculating that, under a GOP administration, women could end up in jail if they have an abortion.

Continue reading "Women's Groups Reproach GOP Ticket On Abortion, Health Care" »

Click here to watch "Try This."

After several weeks of back-and-forth between John McCain and Barack Obama over their respective philosophies on taxes, the Illinois senator is encouraging voters to find out for themselves which candidate's tax plan would benefit them more.

In a new TV ad, "Try This" (subscription), Obama directs viewers to TaxCutFacts.org, where they can plug in their income, marital status and number of dependents and calculate how much they would save with each candidate. "The independent Tax Policy Center says Obama offers middle-class tax cuts three times as big as McCain’s," the announcer says, adding that "1.5 million have tried it. You should too."

Click here to watch "Chicken Button."

Barack Obama's decision to forgo public financing has left him with a huge money advantage over John McCain -- and the Republican Party as a whole. Let Freedom Ring, a conservative 501(c)(4) organization, is trying to make up some of the difference by pouring $5 million into a battleground state advertising blitz.

The group is running about 20 ads, primarily in five states -- Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia -- with some presence on national cable stations as well. The ads portray Obama as a radical liberal who would take the country in the wrong direction on everything from the economy to national security to judicial appointments.

One new spot (subscription) picks up on a gaffe from Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, who at a fundraiser last weekend predicted that a President Obama would face "an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy." A clip of Biden's warning is juxtaposed with a statement by former Defense Department official and conservative commentator Frank Gaffney, who says that when a candidate "convey[s] a determination neither to use military power, nor to ensure that they have it at their disposal should it be necessary, they are conveying to our enemies weakness, and weakness invites aggression" -- implying that Obama's support for diplomacy emboldens America's enemies.

Continue reading "Third Party Makes Swing-State Anti-Obama Pitch" »

Click here to watch "Ladies And Gentlemen."

Once again, a gaffe by Joe Biden has provided ad fodder for the GOP ticket. Biden's comment last weekend that if elected, Barack Obama will be "tested" by an international crisis soon after taking office is the inspiration for an aggressive TV spot released this morning by John McCain.

Over audio of Biden's comments, "Ladies And Gentlemen" (subscription) airs pictures of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, along with marching Hamas soldiers. The style of the ad -- complete with music reminiscent of a classic horror film and blurry, black-and-white images -- aims to stoke fears that a President Obama would not have the experience needed to lead a country through an international crisis. Following up on Biden's statement that "we're going to have an international crisis ... to test the mettle of this guy. I guarantee you it's gonna happen," an announcer responds: "It doesn't have to happen. Vote McCain."

A couple of days after Biden made his comments, Obama sought to clarify what his running mate was presumably trying to say. "I think that his core point was that the next administration is going to be tested regardless of who it is," Obama said. Appearing to back up the Democrat's clarification, MSNBC's First Read cites examples of recent global crises early in a president's first term, including the violence in Somalia under Bill Clinton and the 9/11 attacks under President Bush.

All ad summary pages are available to subscribers only.

Idaho Senate (tip sheet)

• Democrat Larry LaRocco criticizes Republican Jim Risch for supporting privatization of Social Security in "Divert."

Louisiana Senate (tip sheet)

• The National Republican Senatorial Committee alleges that incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu received campaign donations from clients of disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff the "Same Day" she did them political favors.

• Gov. Bobby Jindal gives fellow Republican John Kennedy the "Governor's Endorsement."

Maine Senate (tip sheet)

• In "Too Close," Democratic Rep. Tom Allen reassures Maine voters that together they can change the direction of the country away from the policies of President Bush.

Mississippi Senate (tip sheet)

• GOP Incumbent Roger Wicker and his wife, Gayle, discuss the "Mississippi Values" they share with voters.

• The NRSC criticizes Democratic challenger Ronnie Musgrove for saying that a bad economy will help him win in "Help."

• Musgrove defends his record on abortion, guns and gay marriage in "Musgrove Sets The Record Straight."

• And in "Lots Of Times," the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee slams Wicker for voting to raise his own pay while voting against increases to the minimum wage and other programs.

Continue reading "The Week In Political Ads" »

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 "Fight John McCain's Health Care Plan."

Standing amid smoking rubble, several firefighters vow to "fight" John McCain's health care proposals in a new ad (subscription) released in six battleground states Tuesday by the International Association of Fire Fighters.

"Our job is to risk our lives to protect you and your loved ones. We're proud of that," one firefighter says. "And like you, we need our health care for our families," another says. The men express concern that McCain's plan would replace the existing tax exemption for employer-sponsored health coverage with a refundable tax credit for individuals. "Pay more taxes or lose coverage?" the firefighters ask incredulously. "No thanks!"

The 30-second spot, backed by $500,000, is running in Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Similar ads that link GOP incumbent Sens. Elizabeth Dole (North Carolina) and John Sununu (New Hampshire) to McCain will run in those two states as well.

"Voters need to know that John McCain's unprecedented plan to tax health care is one of the most unenlightened ideas ever cooked up in Washington," IAFF President Harold A. Schaitberger said in a press release.

"Barack Obama and his supporters should get the facts straight before waging inaccurate attacks against John McCain’s health care proposals," retorted Republican National Committee spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson in an e-mail. "Unlike Obama, John McCain will not punish struggling businesses with increased fines and higher taxes."

The IAFF is certainly not hiding its allegiances in this election; the ad concludes with a bright yellow screen and large text reading: "Fire Fighters For Obama Biden."

Vets for Freedom, a conservative-leaning organization of combat veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, has expanded the ad buy for its TV spot "Skipped" (subscription), putting it on the airwaves in Colorado and Ohio this week. The ad criticizes Barack Obama for holding no oversight hearings on Afghanistan and not spending more time in Iraq.

One of the targeted states -- Colorado -- is among the five that John McCain's campaign is reportedly pulling back from this week. The Politico reported today that the chances of a third-party, Swift-Boat-style attack on Obama are dimming. But there does seem to be a pattern developing of outside groups stepping into battleground states as McCain steps out.

Click here to watch "Obama's Patriotism Problem."

Our Country Deserves Better PAC, a conservative third-party group that released one of the more controversial ads against Barack Obama this cycle, is focusing its fire on Michigan, a state that Pollster.com places safely in the blue column less than two weeks out from Election Day.

PAC coordinator Joe Wierzbicki explained that the John McCain camp's decision to pull resources from the Wolverine State made it that much more important for his group to pour its resources in. "We think the people of Michigan will appreciate that their votes and their issues are going to be discussed and debated and fought for," he said, noting that the Obama campaign has also drawn down some of its resources in the state.

Wierzbicki said he was pleased with the results of the group's campaign in Nevada, where he credits its advertising and "Stop Obama" rallies with tightening the race (though Pollster.com shows Obama moving slightly ahead of McCain in October). The group is spending $500,000 in Michigan to run its previous ad featuring Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers, as well as several new ones.

In "Obama's Patriotism Problem" (subscription), Our Country Deserves Better Chairman Howard Kaloogian speaks to viewers, using several anecdotes to call the Illinois senator's love of country into question. Evoking Ronald Reagan's vision of America as a "shining city on a hill," Kaloogian charges: "When it comes to this presidential campaign, it's clear that Barack Obama is no Ronald Reagan." The spot criticizes Wright's sermons, Obama's refusal to wear an American flag pin, and his campaign's decision to replace the American flag on its airplane with a campaign logo. "If America is not good enough for Barack Obama," Kaloogian says, "then surely Barack Obama is not good enough for America."

Two other ads link Obama to Michigan Democrats, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and "disgraced" former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. "Obama/Granholm: Wrong For Michigan" assails Granholm, whose approval rating is in the 20s, and says that an Obama presidency would mean more of the "same tax-raising, big-government-spending, liberal policies." Meanwhile, this spot reminds viewers of Obama's "political alliance" with Kilpatrick, who resigned in September as part of a plea bargain as he faced perjury and other criminal charges.

Continue reading "Conservative PAC Picks Up Slack In Michigan" »

Click here to watch "Sweat Equity."

The third presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama had an unexpected winner: Joe Wurzelbacher. "Joe the Plumber" unwittingly drew the media spotlight when he was captured on video having a frank exchange with Obama about taxes a few days before the debate. He has since come to embody the type of voter that the McCain campaign is trying to lure in the final weeks of the campaign -- the "real," hardworking "Average Joe."

Wurzelbacher, whose given first name is Samuel, is not licensed as a plumber, but he hopes to purchase a plumbing company that makes over $250,000 per year. He caught McCain's eye because, under Obama's tax plan, individuals who make over $250,000 would face a tax increase. Thus the McCain campaign has been pushing him as someone whose hard work would be punished, rather than rewarded, under an Obama administration.

McCain launched a new ad (subscription) this morning featuring small-business owners from across the country proclaiming: "I'm Joe the Plumber." It opens with footage of Obama talking to Wurzelbacher on the trail, telling him: "I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." One man in McCain's ad asks incredulously, "Obama wants my sweat to pay for his trillion dollars in new spending?" The announcer charges, "Barack Obama: higher taxes, more spending, not ready."

The Obama campaign, meanwhile, is running a tongue-in-cheek Web video that stars Ed O'Neill of "Married With Children" fame as "Al the Shoesalesman." Al, who is married with two children, makes $20,000 a year. Visiting taxcut.BarackObama.com, he enters his information into the tax calculator and finds that he would receive a $1,000 tax cut under Obama's plan, while under McCain's he would save nothing. "This is going to be tough," Al says sarcastically, before exclaiming, "Obama!"

Meanwhile, as Obama looks for ways to burn through his massive store of campaign funds, the New York Times reports that the McCain campaign is cutting back its advertising efforts in five states -- Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wisconsin -- perhaps to concentrate resources in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Click here to watch "Palin And Polar Bears."

Get ready, Tina Fey.

The Defenders of Wildlife -- the group that made Sarah Palin's support of aerial shooting of wolves infamous -- is working on a follow-up. This time the target is Palin's lawsuit against the labeling of polar bears as an endangered species. Defenders has begun running a television ad in Indiana financed by the group's nonprofit 527 arm while it also looks to raise money online to finance a separate political ad. The 30-second issue ad asks Indiana viewers to call on Palin to withdraw her lawsuit.

It is being run in Indiana "to keep us out of trouble" since it is a swing state where Defenders did not run the political ad targeting her support of wolf shooting, said the group's president and CEO Rodger Schlickeisen. That 60-second ad featured footage of a hunter leaning out the window of helicopter with rifle in hand, shooting and mortally wounding a wolf. Schlickeisen admitted the polar bear ad may not have the same visual impact, but he still hopes to replicate the wolf ad's modest initial $35,000 investment that turned into nearly $1 million in donations. That money went to expanding the group's media buy, allowing the wolf ad to run in several swing states, including Virginia, Colorado, Florida and Ohio.

--CongressDaily

Click here to watch "Are You Truly Catholic?" No. 1 and No. 2.

Faithful Catholic Citizens is running TV spots in Colorado and Iowa attacking Barack Obama and other Democrats for their support of abortion rights, pouring over $35,000 into two battleground states that polls show may turn blue this year.

With economic turmoil keeping traditional wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage on the campaign back burner, co-founder Tony Likins said his group wanted to redirect the national conversation back to its bread-and-butter issues.

"We've gotten a great response," Likins said. "People keep saying, 'Hooray, where have you been?'"

The latest ad, "Moral Crisis Bailout," addresses Catholic lawmakers in Washington.

"A financial bailout plan to address the economic crisis has been passed, and we pray that it works," the narrator says. "Now we ask you to address the moral crisis in our nation."

Two other (subscription) ads -- both titled "Are You Truly Catholic?" -- hammer Obama for saying that the question of when life begins was "above my pay grade" at Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on the presidency in August.

"Abortion is intrinsically evil," says the group's co-founder, Heidi Stirrup, in the ad. "It's a non-negotiable issue for Catholics."

If recent polls from Colorado and Iowa are any indication, Faithful Catholic Citizens has a lot of ground to make up. Obama leads John McCain by 5 percentage points in Colorado, according to a FOX News/Rasmussen poll released Monday. A SurveyUSA poll released Oct. 11 showed the Illinois senator with a 13-point lead in Iowa.

The internal numbers also show Obama making inroads with Catholics and abortion opponents. In Iowa, the SurveyUSA poll shows McCain garnering the support of 62 percent of anti-abortion voters, compared to the Democrat's 33 percent. McCain is beating Obama among white Catholics in Colorado 52-41 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Oct. 14.

Continue reading "Catholic Group Slams Obama On Abortion" »

Click here to watch "Concerned About Obama?"

The Republican Jewish Coalition is voicing a favorite GOP criticism of Barack Obama in a new TV ad: that his inexperience makes him a dangerous choice for commander in chief. "Concerned About Obama?" (subscription) uses footage from a Democratic primary debate and criticism of Obama from Hillary Rodham Clinton to call his foreign policy credentials into question and suggest to voters that the country will be less safe with a President Obama than it would be with a President John McCain.

The ad opens with audio of a July 2007 debate in which Democratic candidates were asked whether or not they would "be willing to meet separately with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea." "I would," replies Obama. Clinton disagrees, saying "I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes." The spot also features audio of a Quad-City Times interview with Clinton several days later, in which she charges that Obama's position is "irresponsible and frankly naïve." "Hillary is right," an announcer maintains. "The stakes are too high," he says as photos of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez and other anti-American leaders flash on screen.

The issue of national security is likely to play well with the segment of Jewish voters who place the safety of Israel among their highest priorities. And there has been evidence that Obama is having more trouble than most Democrats in winning over this typically reliable left-leaning bloc. But one recent New York University poll showed Jewish voters as a whole backing Obama by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 (the poll was actually conducted in September, before the economic situation deteriorated and large numbers of voters nationwide began moving toward Obama).

The RJC is spending over $1 million to run the ad in Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Of these states, Florida is perhaps the one battleground where Jewish voters could prove a decisive demographic, as they make up about 6 to 8 percent of the voting population. Both presidential campaigns have spent a great deal of time and effort trying to win over Jewish voters, particularly in South Florida, where Obama is making a final pitch as early voting begins this week.

Click here to watch "Trigger-Happy."

It certainly isn't your typical talking head. But, it is still a talking head -- of a moose, that is -- who has some disparaging things to say about Sarah Palin in an ad unveiled today by MoveOn.org.

"Trigger Happy" (subscription) lampoons Palin's well-known love for hunting, featuring an animated moose's head, mounted on a wall, scoffing, "You really gotta question John McCain's judgment picking Sarah Palin as his VP." Charging that the Alaska governor "doesn't have any national security experience," the moose says, "She can't even explain [President] Bush's war policies, but she supports his war" -- a reference to her interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson, in which she was asked about the Bush Doctrine. The moose is also not impressed with another Palin talking point: "And now she's an expert because she can see Russia?"

Continue reading "Palin Not Qualified For VP, Says MoveOn Moose" »

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.

Click here to watch "License."

It's less than three weeks before Election Day and the economy continues to dominate headlines, propelling Barack Obama's gain over John McCain in the polls. What's a conservative group to do? One PAC is turning to perhaps the only topic that could tear both voters and the media away from the financial crisis: the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

The National Republican Trust PAC started running an ad, "License" (subscription), in Ohio on Thursday that uses images of a burning World Trade Center and hijacking mastermind Mohammad Atta. The spot notes that many of the 9/11 hijackers were able to obtain driver's licenses and claims that Obama's support for allowing states to issue licenses to illegal immigrants would endanger the nation's security.

"Nineteen terrorists infiltrate the U.S." the ad's announcer says. "Thirteen get drivers licenses. The 9/11 plot depended on easy-to-get licenses." Images of Obama and of the smoke- and fire-filled towers follow one of Atta's face on a Florida driver's license while the announcer asserts, falsely, that "Obama's plan gives a license to any illegal who wants one." The ad goes on to tie its central claim about national security to hot-button issues such as the housing crisis and voter fraud, warning that illegal immigrants with licenses could "get government benefits, a mortgage, board a plane, even illegally vote."

The issue of whether or not to grant licenses to illegal immigrants -- and, for that matter, the subject of immigration in general -- has hardly come up during the general election. It played a far larger role during the primaries, when Republican candidates accused each other of favoring "amnesty" and Democrats sparred over the licensing issue.

While the amount of the ad buy has not officially been confirmed, the Politico dug up FEC fillings that show the group has spent $200,000 opposing Obama. How much of that is tied up in this ad is unclear. The group also sent out e-mails making the same claims as the ad does, while also alerting supporters of the plans to release the spot. It's reportedly running in Ohio, with potential plans to run it in more states.

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 watch "Riesgo."

On the heels of the Republican National Committee's announcement that it will focus its ad spending on traditional GOP states where Barack Obama is gaining, like Colorado and Virginia, the RNC and John McCain released a Spanish-language TV spot admonishing Obama and other "congressional liberals" for their tax and health plans, contending that they will hurt small businesses. The TV spot is accompanied by a radio ad with the same transcript.

"Riesgo" (subscription) is running in Colorado, as well as the Hispanic battlegrounds of Florida, Nevada and New Mexico. The ad shows particular concern for small-business owners: "If you own a small business or work for one, you know that more taxes means less jobs, less money in our pockets and less opportunities," the announcer says. "Who's going to hire with so many taxes! Obama and congressional liberals: Too risky for jobs and small business."

Click here to watch "Fence."

Updated Friday, Oct. 16, 2008.

The Republican Party's national committees are pulling ads in key presidential battleground states and in a hotly contested Senate race, in just the latest sign of the GOP's sinking electoral fortunes.

The Republican National Senatorial Committee is pulling its ads from the Louisiana Senate race, where state Treasurer John Kennedy's challenge to two-term Sen. Mary Landrieu is considered the GOP's best shot to unseat an incumbent Democrat.

NRSC communications director Rebecca Fisher declined to discuss the timing of the pullout. But Leonardo Alcivar, the Kennedy campaign's communications director, was blunt in his assessment of the Republican committee's decision to withdraw.

"They need to help fund incumbents who two weeks ago were not vulnerable and now are," he said. "It’s a reflection of the national political landscape and not the local political landscape."

Alcivar added that his campaign has already benefited from the NRSC's support, and that Kennedy has the resources to compete with and win against Landrieu in the home stretch.

The most recent poll in that race, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Sept. 27, showed Landrieu with a commanding 54-41 lead over the Republican challenger.

Hannah August, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the Republican committee's retreat reaffirmed the DSCC's confidence heading toward Election Day.

"They essentially gave up their only alleged seat to pick up," she said. "I think they've realized that Mary Landrieu is in a strong position to win re-election. We've been saying it all along."

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee will stop running presidential ads in Maine and Wisconsin, AP reported Wednesday. The move comes as John McCain's poll numbers continue to slide in the Upper Midwest: Barack Obama leads the Arizona senator by 17 percentage points in Wisconsin, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. The committee's withdrawal from Wisconsin comes on the heels of McCain's decision to essentially concede defeat in Michigan two weeks ago.

Maine is one of two states that awards its electoral votes along congressional district lines, and McCain hopes to pick off a vote in the relatively conservative 2nd District. Despite the committee's move, the McCain campaign isn't writing the Pine Tree State off yet: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin rallied supporters in Bangor this morning and hinted at her campaign's desire to nab one of the state's electoral votes.

UPDATE: The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder reports that the NRSC is also planning to pull its ad dollars from the Colorado Senate race by next week. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., is leading Republican Bob Shaffer 54-40 in an Quinnipiac University poll released Oct. 14.

Click here to watch "90 Percent."

Wednesday night's final presidential debate featured fighting words from John McCain, though Barack Obama appeared unfazed by his opponent's persistent onslaught. But the Arizona senator did score the line of the evening, when he looked Obama in the eyes and told him: "Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago."

Both camps released ads this morning that either directly or indirectly reference the debate and Bush. The Obama campaign's "90 percent" (subscription) features a clip of McCain's one-liner in the debate, to which an announcer responds: "True, but you did vote with Bush 90 percent of the time."

Obama acknowledged at the Hofstra University forum that McCain has broken with the Bush administration on some policies -- environmentalism and torture, for example -- but insisted that on the one topic that is most important to the American people -- the economy -- McCain represents more of the same; this is the point that the TV spot reiterates. "Tax breaks for big corporations and the wealthy, but almost nothing for the middle class -- same as Bush," an announcer says. The announcer also ties McCain to the Bush administration's Iraq policies, claiming the Arizona senator will continue spending "$10 billion a month in Iraq while our own economy struggles." Finally, the ad uses McCain's own words against him, as it closes with footage of the Republican senator boasting: "I voted with the president over 90 percent of the time -- higher than a lot of my even Republican colleagues."

But in McCain's "Fight" (subscription), the Republican nominee speaks directly to viewers about how he plans to take the economy in a different direction than the Bush administration. "The last eight years haven't worked very well, have they?" McCain begins in the 60-second spot. "Your savings, your job and your financial security are under siege," he continues. "Washington is making it worse -- bankrupting us with their spending."

McCain's next statements imply, however, that by "Washington," he actually means Obama and Joe Biden. "Telling us paying higher taxes is 'patriotic'?" McCain says incredulously, referring to comments Biden made on "Good Morning America" in September.

The GOP nominee also continues to reference Joe Wurzelbacher of Ohio -- more famously known now as "Joe the Plumber" -- who saw the spotlight shined on him quite a bit during the debate. Alluding to Obama's exchange with Wurzelbacher on Sunday in which he explained why he wanted to raise taxes for Americans earning higher incomes, McCain chides Obama for "saying we need to 'spread the wealth around.'"

The rest of the spot turns to a positive note, with McCain underscoring how his recently announced "Pension and Family Security Plan," along with his "Jobs For America" economic plan, will help revive the economy, create more jobs and lessen dependence on foreign oil.

McCain got some help from the independent expenditure arm of the Republican National Committee this morning, as well. The RNC launched a new ad, "Chair" (subscription), which questions whether Obama has the necessary experience to lead the country through a financial "meltdown." "This crisis would be Obama's first crisis in this chair," the announcer says, as the camera pans around the Oval Office.

The subject of "executive experience" was a GOP favorite earlier in the campaign, but had played less of a role in the Republican advertising strategy in recent weeks.

-- Amy Harder contributed reporting to this post.

Click here to watch "Hosed."

For some candidates and special interest groups, the $700 billion bailout package is the gift that keeps on giving.

Congress passed the legislation two weeks ago, but the bailout continues to be a hot topic in campaign advertisements, both for special interest groups hoping to influence the presidential race and for downballot candidates. The bailout debate was unpredictable: Votes did not split neatly along party lines, and accusations continue to fly over who's to blame for the subprime disaster. It is perhaps fitting, then, that the recent slew of bailout-related ads range from the conventional -- an attack on Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd's "sweetheart mortgage" -- to the more creative -- a giant banker appearing to urinate on tiny voters.

Former Rep. Jim Slattery has rolled out two spirited ads in his uphill effort to unseat Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas. Roberts voted against the bailout bill, but that hasn't stopped Slattery from trying to link the mortgage crisis to his opponent. Last week, the Democrat released the TV spot "Hosed," which features a giant "rich executive" standing over angry, Lilliputian protesters.

"While they're getting bailouts or gushing record profits, the rest of us are just getting hosed," the narrator says. All of a sudden, a stream of yellow liquid begins pouring down on the tiny people as the giant executive laughs. More fluid rains down before a wider shot reveals that the executive is pouring gasoline on the crowd, and not, well, anything else.

Continue reading "Bailout Still Ad Fodder For Candidates, Interest Groups" »

Click here to watch "Unethical."

In what is becoming a pattern, John McCain has released a TV spot without announcing it to the media. The campaign's latest ad, "Unethical" (subscription), which the Politico's Ben Smith posted about this morning, hasn't officially been released to the press yet. But, according to advertising analyst Evan Tracey, it started running in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday night.

This is quite a change from what the McCain camp has done in the past -- inundate the media with press releases about both TV and online ads, without too much focus on where, if at all, the ads would run. "Unethical" is the second spot in the past week leaked online before the campaign sent out an official release on it. The other was "Hypo" (subscription), which was circulating online for nearly a day before the camp sent anything out about it.

So, what do these two ads have in common? They're both critical of Barack Obama, but then again, so are all of the ads coming from both McCain and the Republican National Committee these days. "Unethical," which is co-sponsored by the RNC, continues to hammer Obama for his Chicago connections, just as the joint spot "Ambition" (subscription) and the RNC's "Chicago Way" (subscription) did last week.

McCain may be trying to reach voters without the press criticizing him for his campaign's negative tone. Maybe he is following the example of the Obama camp, which has never regularly released ads per press releases. In any case, the campaign has clearly revised its ad strategy, with hopes that the tide will turn between now and Nov. 4.

Click here to watch "Obama's Wrong Values."

Our Country Deserves Better, a PAC chaired by California Republican Howard Kaloogian, is running a new TV ad against Barack Obama that revives several of the fiercest character attacks made against the Illinois senator since the beginning of the campaign season.

"Obama's Wrong Values" (subscription) opens with footage of a few of the Democratic Party's primary candidates lined up on a stage, apparently during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance; Obama is the only one not holding his hand over his heart. "Barack Obama seems to have different values from most Americans," an announcer says. He goes on to charge that Obama campaign offices have flags of "murderous leftist Che Guevara" hung on the walls and that a top official from "the terrorist group Hamas endorsed" Obama. And finally, the ad shows the now-infamous footage of Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, spouting: "... Goddamn America."

Continue reading "PAC Evokes Hamas & Wright In Obama Attack" »

Click here to watch "Talk To Your Parents."

It's not marijuana. It's not cigarettes. It's John McCain. In one of its most specifically targeted efforts yet, MoveOn.org is urging young voters not to give into pressure to vote for the GOP candidate in an anti-drug parody ad, "Talk To Your Parents" (subscription).

The $150,000 ad buy is running on MTV and Comedy Central in university towns throughout North Carolina and Nevada as well as on nationwide cable during the CW series "Gossip Girl." Two actors from the show, Penn Badgley and Blake Lively, appear in the 30-second spot.

The ad plays off several familiar tropes from public service advertising to encourage young voters -- who polling suggests still lean strongly toward Barack Obama -- to talk with their parents and encourage them to support the Democrat. In the ad, Badgley holds up a McCain-Palin baseball cap that says "Drill Baby Drill!" "Mom? Dad? I found this in your room." A slew of young people then rattle off lines found in anti-drug ads. "Are you thinking about voting for John McCain?" one young person says, while another chimes in: "Just because other people your age are doing it, doesn't make it cool."

Peter Koechley, director of MoveOn’s young-voter outreach program, said the actors in "Gossip Girl" "speak extremely well" to the ad's targeted audience. He added that the spot aims to "break through the clutter and be sort of a funny ad, but with a serious message of getting young people to talk with their parents."

The ad is heavy on parody, but it doesn't address any specific issues. In response to that observation, Koechley said that the group doesn't need to win over its target audience to vote for Obama, they need to convince them to encourage their parents and others to do so as well.

"The basic point is that we're 25 days out and we don't need to convince our generation as much," Koechley said. "We're wholeheartedly behind Obama."

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 watch "Ambition."

Up until Thursday, direct attacks over Barack Obama's connections with one-time domestic terrorist William Ayers have come largely from stump speeches by Sarah Palin and negative ads by outside groups. With Nov. 4 fast approaching, however, Republicans are intensifying their scrutiny of Obama's past.

Three ads released in the last two days, coupled with John McCain's most explicit condemnation yet of Obama's ties with Ayers, illustrate the tone shift. At a town hall meeting in Wisconsin Thursday, the GOP nominee described Ayers as "an old, washed-up terrorist" and said "we need to know the full extent of the relationship because of whether Sen. Obama is telling the truth to the American people or not."

"Ambition" (subscription), a joint spot from McCain and the Republican National Committee, devotes its first 10 seconds to an aggressive examination of the Illinois senator's ties to Ayers, who co-founded the radical organization Weather Underground in the 1960s. "Obama's blind ambition. When convenient, he worked with terrorist Bill Ayers," the announcer seethes. "When discovered, he lied." The last two-thirds of the ad switches focus to the financial crisis, which it blames on "congressional liberals." The announcer concludes with a reference to "bad judgment," aiming to link the two topics of the ad together.

Another solo RNC ad unveiled this morning, "Chicago Way" (subscription), chides Obama more generally over his "training" in Chicago's world of "shady politics" under "teachers" like Tony Rezko, William Daley and, of course, Ayers. After detailing Obama's alleged ties with these men ("Rezko got Obama in on a shady land deal," for instance) an announcer warns voters that "there's more you need to know." This ad echoes much the same message (and names) of McCain's earlier "Chicago Machine," though that ad did not reference Ayers.

The solo RNC spot is running in Indiana and Wisconsin, while the joint ad is supposedly running nationwide.

Along with these TV ads, McCain also released a 90-second Web video Thursday with more on the Ayers connection. As in "Ambition," the announcer here argues that the controversy raises larger questions: "Obama's friendship with terrorist Ayers isn't the issue. The issue is Barack Obama's judgment and candor."

Requests for comment from the McCain camp and the RNC were not returned.

Barack Obama's campaign announced late Thursday that it has purchased 30 minutes of prime-time TV on Oct. 29, less than a week before Election Day, for the Illinois senator to make his closing argument to voters. Deals have been struck with CBS and NBC, while the campaign is reportedly still in negotiations with Fox News and other networks.

Ross Perot was the last candidate to employ the half-hour campaign infomercial strategy in 1992, but Vanderbilt University political science professor John Geer said purchasing big chunks of air time close to the election used to be common; Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter both made similar buys.

"I think it's smart politics" for Obama, Geer said. He noted that the utility of additional 30-second TV spots diminishes at the level of saturation that Obama and John McCain have achieved this cycle, so doing something different could be a good use of funds. And "Obama has enough money to be able to do this," he added.

With the country in the grip of a worsening economic crisis, voters are looking for a steady leader to guide them through an uncertain time, Geer said. One of Obama's biggest challenges, the professor said, has been to make voters comfortable with him as a president. He has seemed "unflappable" during the recent economic upheaval and, "given his rhetorical skills," a long spot from Obama is likely to be well-done. It could turn out to be the "modern equivalent of the fireside chat," Geer contended.

Geer also predicted that McCain’s camp might try to "redistribute" its resources to try something similar, giving the Arizona senator an equal chance to speak directly to voters.

Click here to watch "Mills."

In a strictly political sense, the failing economy has been a blessing to Barack Obama's candidacy. And the Illinois senator is capitalizing on the fiscal crisis in several TV ads running in battleground states.

In "Floridians Hurting" (subscription), Obama seeks to empathize with voters. "America's economy in crisis, and Floridians hurting more than most," the announcer begins. Citing unemployment and foreclosure statistics, he warns viewers: John McCain "promises more of the same failed Bush policies that got our economy into this mess in the first place." Obama has been rising in Florida polls over the last several weeks, coinciding with the economy's deterioration, and now sits nearly 5 percentage points ahead of McCain in Pollster.com's average.

"Mills" (subscription) is running in North Carolina, a traditionally red state that President Bush won by 8 points in 2004 but where Obama and McCain are in a dead heat now. The ad laments the fact that 17 manufacturing plants have recently closed their doors in the Tar Heel State and that "workers once proud to make the thread for American flags have [had] their futures outsourced to Asia." The announcer blames "politicians like John McCain, who supported trade deals and tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas."

"Unravel" (subscription), running in Florida and Pennsylvania, among other "key states," lambastes McCain's health care policy and warns viewers that they could end up paying more for coverage or even risk being "dropped completely" under McCain. "And since McCain won't require coverage for pre-existing conditions, finding a new plan could leave you hanging by a thread," the announcer says. PolitiFact, a nonpartisan fact-checking project, gave a similar Obama ad a "barely true" rating last week.

Finally, the Illinois senator is reaching out to a crucial voter bloc in several swing states: Hispanics. He launched "Otra Vez Con Lo Mismo" (subscription), or "Again, More of the Same," earlier this week in Colorado, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico -- all states where the Hispanic vote could be pivotal. "Here we go again," the announcer begins. "McCain is up to the same distortions and lies on the immigration issue." The announcer says McCain "turned his back" on the Latino community by not following through on his proposed immigration bill last summer. While the conventional wisdom was that Obama might have a hard time winning over Hispanics, a recent Gallup survey showed him maintaining a sizable advantage over McCain among this group: 64 percent to 26 percent.

Click here to watch "GI Bill."

A veterans advocacy group launched a $350,000 television ad buy against John McCain in Virginia on Wednesday, savaging the senator for skipping a GI Bill vote in favor of a campaign fundraiser.

"Vet to vet, Senator McCain, when you put money from your rich friends ahead of vets like me, how is that 'Country First?'" asks Jason Bensley, an Iraq War veteran, in "GI Bill" (subscription).

Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, explained that the group is running the ad in the Old Dominion because of the large number of veterans in the state and because Virginia Sen. Jim Webb (D) sponsored the bill. The ad is slated to air for just under two weeks.

In the ad, Bensley notes that McCain himself received a free education from the Naval Academy. The service academies are not affected by the GI Bill. But Soltz said that's the point: The government prioritizes free tuition "just for the elite officers, and that’s not appropriate."

VoteVets.org has targeted McCain for his failure to support the new GI Bill before. Soltz and retired Gen. Wesley Clark wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times in April encouraging McCain to support the bill, and the group ran a TV spot in the D.C. media market on the eve of the vote calling on McCain to support the legislation.

The new ad is part of a larger, $1.3 million campaign VoteVets.org announced Thursday. The group is also spending $200,000 to run a TV spot targeting Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., for voting against a bill that would have provided better body armor for troops.

Click here to watch "Tested."

In perhaps the most newsworthy moment of Tuesday night's debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, the Arizona senator announced a new $300 billion proposal to let homeowners refinance their mortgages with assistance from the government. The plan is getting mixed reviews, but Obama came out in opposition to it on Wednesday and this morning launched a TV ad suggesting it puts "bad actors ahead of taxpayers."

"Tested" (subscription) begins with pictures of a foreclosure sign and stunned bankers on Wall Street, as an announcer says, "In a time of crisis, our leaders' judgment is tested." The spot goes on to show footage of McCain from the debate saying he would "order the secretary of the Treasury to immediately buy up the bad home loan mortgages in America." The announcer suggests, however, that McCain's proposal came without any relevant "details," and he cites a CNNMoney.com article from Wednesday claiming that McCain's plan would guarantee "a loss of taxpayer money" while rewarding "the same lenders that caused the crisis in the first place."

The Obama campaign's economic policy director, Jason Furman, also put out a statement yesterday calling the plan "erratic policy-making at its worst." "Senator McCain's first response to this economic crisis was to say that the fundamentals of our economy are strong. Since then, he's acknowledged that there is a crisis and offered multiple plans, sometimes conflicting," Furman said. "Now that he's finally released the details of his [mortgage] plan, it turns out it's even more costly and out-of-touch than we ever imagined."

Meanwhile, on the trail Wednesday McCain spent little time expanding on his new proposal, focusing instead on raising questions about Obama's associations and readiness to lead.

John McCain purchased $1.25 million worth of television advertising in Michigan last week, the same week he withdrew from the state and effectively conceded defeat.

McCain's substantial (and puzzling) ad buys from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 are the most he has ever spent in seven days in the Wolverine State, according to a report [PDF] released Wednesday by the nonpartisan University of Wisconsin Advertising Project. Of the 15 battleground states where McCain bought ads last week, he spent more money only in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

But McCain more or less conceded Michigan Oct. 2, pulling ads and shipping most staffers to more competitive states. And unlike Barack Obama's recent retreats from North Dakota and Georgia, where the Illinois senator had been hoping for a long-shot pickoff, McCain had identified Michigan as a central front in his battle for 270 electoral votes.

"It's not like they were messing around in Michigan," said Ken Goldstein, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the ad project. "They made a serious effort there, and now they have made a serious effort to pull out."

Continue reading "McCain Spent $1.25 Million In Michigan On Eve of Pullout" »

Click here to watch "Folks."

The National Journal 2007 Senate vote ratings, released in January, attracted a lot of attention for ranking Barack Obama as the most liberal senator. Now they're front and center once again in John McCain's latest ad, "Folks" (subscription).

The ad wastes no time getting to the point. "Who is Barack Obama?" it begins. "The National Journal says he's the Senate's most liberal. How extreme." It then uses footage from two interviews Obama gave to show how he "defend[s] himself." In one clip, from an interview Obama did in September with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, he says of the McCain campaign's advertising, "They're not telling the truth." In the other clip, from an interview conducted with the Christian Broadcasting Network in August, he says of those who attack his position on abortion, "I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying."

"Not presidential," says the ad's announcer. Repeating the clip of Obama saying "folks are lying," the ad tries to portray him as cagey and defensive.

It’s not the first time McCain has leveled the "most liberal" charge at Obama, but it is the first time an ad from the McCain camp has cited National Journal's vote ratings so explicitly as its central argument. In a column published during the Democratic convention, National Journal editor Charles Green explained the reasoning behind the ratings and responded to some of the criticisms that have been leveled against them.

Click here to watch "Taketh."

Barack Obama continues to use TV ads to hammer away at John McCain's health care plan, releasing a spot this morning that includes footage of an exchange between the two during last night's presidential debate.

"Taketh" (subscription) opens with McCain vowing to viewers that he will give them a $5,000 tax credit to be put toward health care costs. "What he doesn't tell you," Obama told the audience of undecided voters in Nashville, Tenn., "is that he's going to tax your employer-based health care benefits, for the first time ever." Obama has claimed in previous ads that McCain's policy will end up costing middle-class families more, while representing the largest tax increase in the nation's history. "So what one hand giveth, the other hand taketh away," Obama said Tuesday night.

McCain got high marks from some pundits for his handling of domestic issues at Belmont University, but according to early polls, viewers saw the Illinois senator as the winner of Tuesday night's showdown.

Click here to watch "The Subject."

The bitter back-and-forth between Barack Obama and John McCain continued this morning as each candidate released a TV ad accusing the other of dishonest attacks, setting a contentious tone for tonight's presidential debate in Nashville, Tenn.

Obama's spot, "The Subject" (subscription), echoes an ad (subscription) released yesterday in denouncing McCain's efforts to shift attention from the struggling economy. "He's out of ideas, out of touch and running out of time," the announcer says, portraying McCain as desperate, with the election clock winding down.

The spot goes on to claim that McCain has no solution for getting the country out of its current fiscal downturn, so he is turning to "smears." It also cites comments from an unidentified McCain adviser who told the New York Daily News on Monday: "If we keep talking about the economic crisis, we're going to lose." The ad appeals to voters who are suffering as they "lose their jobs, homes and savings" and insists that "it's time for a president who'll change the economy -- not change the subject."

With similarly harsh language, McCain goes after Obama's image as an above-the-fray politician and seeks to raise questions about what he stands for in "Hypo" (subscription). The spot opens with footage from a local TV news report in Missouri in which the reporter says the Obama campaign asked law enforcement officials to "target" anyone running misleading attack ads against the Democratic candidate. "How hypocritical," an announcer charges, citing reports that characterize several of Obama's ads as "falsehood[s]," and "not true." Obama "promised better," the announcer concludes. "He lied."

The candidates go into tonight's debate at Belmont University in Nashville with Obama holding a lead in national and battleground state polls.

Click here to watch "Breaks."

The unpopular but necessary bailout package has been passed, and it will now recede into the background for the rest of the campaign season, right?

Not a chance.

The presidential candidates may be turning to new lines of attack, but the bailout bill is still red meat for plenty of congressional challengers, who are are spinning the $700 billion legislation in TV spots across the country.

John Gard, the GOP challenger in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, has been running an ad decrying the bailout plan since Sept. 26, several days before the House voted initially to reject the legislation. In the spot, Gard attacks his opponent, Rep. Steve Kagen, for supporting tax increases and then criticizes the bailout, saying that "Washington's got it wrong again" and implying that Kagen is part of that equation. Even though Kagen twice voted against the financial rescue bill, Gard campaign strategist Mark Graul credits his candidate with coming out against the proposal early on.

Other candidates and committees are sticking by the sports maxim that the best defense is a good offense. In Oregon, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is doing its best to spread the blame for the politically volatile legislation. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., voted for the bailout, while his Democratic opponent Jeff Merkley publicly opposed it; but on Thursday the NRSC began running "Bad Bet" (subscription), which tries to link Merkley to the bailout he opposed. The TV spot alleges that Merkley presided over deficit spending as speaker of the state House of Representatives. The ad continues by saying that, "just like Washington, Merkley borrows the money and mortgages our future."

"Jeff Merkley can come out against the bailout package all he wants, but it won’t change his record," said Mary-Sarah Kinner, NRSC deputy press secretary, in an e-mail. "We believe it’s important to warn voters against sending Merkley’s reckless economic record to Washington to fix the problems we currently have -- he will only make things worse."

For his part, Merkley fired back today with an ad linking Smith to the bailout and the Bush tax cuts.

Rep. Jim Marshall of Georgia's 8th district, is another incumbent with the bailout albatross around his neck. The Georgia Democrat, however, hopes to parlay his unpopular vote into an example of his ability to make tough choices in the face of criticism. In a new ad, "Economic Rescue" (subscription), he explains to his constituents why he voted in support of the bill.

"I approve this message because you elected me to do what's best for America," Marshall explains from his perch on the edge of a desk. "Not what's easy."

Doug Moore, a Marshall campaign spokesman, said the ad was designed to be "straight" with constituents who are unhappy with the congressman's support of the bill.

“He’s not 40 years old, and this is not what he wants to do with the rest of his life," Moore said. "I know it sounds trite, but even though it might cost him personally, he’s going to do the right thing.”

Click here to watch "Worried Sick."

As John McCain's campaign seeks to shift the presidential race away from pocketbook issues, Barack Obama is keeping the focus on the kitchen table. The Illinois senator's camp is striking on health care, hitting the topic repeatedly on the campaign trail and charging in several new TV spots that McCain's plan would cost working families more and amount to the largest tax increase ever for many of them.

Obama began the onslaught last week with "Prescription" (subscription), which portrays McCain's explanation of his plan as a half-truth. "John McCain talks about a $5,000 tax credit for health care," but "he's not telling you" the whole story, the announcer says. The Arizona senator's plan calls for employees to "pay income tax on your health insurance benefits, taxing health benefits for the first time ever." What's worse, the ad says, the revenue from those taxes "goes straight to the insurance companies." The announcer concludes that McCain's plan resorts to "taxing health care instead of fixing it." (PolitiFact, a joint project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly, scores the ad as "barely true" for its claim that McCain's plan would leave people on their own, noting that "there's ample evidence to show that the plan would be a wash for most workers.")

"One Word" (subscription) conveys a nearly identical message, labeling the McCain health care plan "a multitrillion-dollar tax hike, the largest middle-class tax increase in history." The announcer goes on to warn viewers that a McCain administration "could cost your family thousands" in additional health care costs.

Meanwhile, in "Coin" (subscription), Obama claims that while he would increase coverage for routine treatments, McCain would "deregulate the insurance giants, letting them bypass patient protections in your state." Furthermore, whereas Obama would require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, "McCain would let them continue to do as they please." Playing on the image of a flipped coin, the announcer asks, "Isn't your health care too important to be left to chance?"

Obama is also getting an assist from the Service Employees International Union, a labor group that has endorsed him and run several ads promoting his candidacy.

"Worried Sick" (subscription) features two women walking through the grocery store, discussing the difficulties one of them is facing after her husband has undergone surgery. "I don’t know how we’re going to pay all the bills," she frets, adding: "We’ve got insurance, but it doesn’t seem to cover much." If voters are "worried sick about health care costs" now, an announcer interjects, "John McCain's plan won’t help."

SEIU is running the ad in battleground states Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Click here to watch "This Year."

With under a month to go until Election Day, John McCain and Barack Obama are getting personal. Both campaigns have announced they're launching more aggressive attacks which take aim at each other's character and try to establish guilt by association.

For its part, the Obama camp has launched a TV ad as well as an online messaging effort -- complete with a 13-minute documentary -- highlighting McCain's involvement in the Keating Five savings and loan scandal nearly 20 years ago. Meanwhile, the GOP camp has plans to release several ads that take aim at Obama's judgment and personal associations.

The Illinois senator released his TV spot, "This Year" (subscription) on Saturday that preemptively defends himself from McCain's anticipated attacks by characterizing his opponent as desperate. It is also the first TV from the Obama camp to directly reference McCain's temperament -- citing a USA Today editorial that labels McCain's response to the financial meltdown as "erratic."

"No wonder his campaign’s announced a plan to 'turn the page on the financial crisis,'" the ad's announcer says, referencing Saturday's Washington Post story about the McCain campaign's plan of attack. The spot goes on to accuse McCain distracting voters "with dishonest, dishonorable 'assaults' against" Obama at a time when people are concerned about the country's economic future. "We can’t afford another president who’s this out of touch," he says, as a photo of McCain and President Bush fills the screen.

The McCain camp said it's waiting until after the second presidential debate Tuesday to release the series of new ads that, among other things, brings to the forefront Obama's relationship with Chicago businessman and now convicted felon Tony Rezko. In the meantime, however, Republicans aren't skimping on on harsh accusations.

An ad released this morning, "Dangerous" (subscription), throws the "dishonorable" charge back at Obama for supposedly saying at an August rally that U.S. troops are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians." But the footage used in "Dangerous" takes Obama's comments out of context; what he said was, "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there." The Illinois senator has, in fact, called for sending additional troops to Afghanistan

This ad comes on the heels of another, "Promise," released by the McCain camp after the first presidential debate. The spot pits the Democratic ticket against itself, calling Obama out for voting again troop funding and highlighting Joe Biden's criticism of that position.

The Obama camp was quick to respond to the most recent ad via a statement by John B. Natham, a retired four-star admiral: "Despite consistent distortions of his record, thousands of veterans like myself support Senator Obama because he has the judgment, character and integrity to be a great president."

-- Mary Gilbert contributed to this report.

Click here to watch "Tax Cutter."

In the aftermath of the vice presidential debate, John McCain released an ad today that follows up on Thursday night's event, even though no footage from it appears in the spot.

"Tax Cutter" (subscription) opens with footage of Barack Obama claiming to be just that at a recent rally in Florida, but the spot contradicts the Illinois senator by saying he voted for higher taxes 94 times. "He's not truthful on taxes," an announcer chides. Headlines describing Democratic spending continue that theme as another announcer says, "At least congressional liberals admit they want to raise your taxes," aiming to further isolate and chastise Obama.

In their only debate, the running mates sparred over which presidential nominee has raised taxes the most. Sarah Palin threw the first punch, contending that Obama raised taxes 94 times. The Alaska governor used the number three times in one sentence: "Barack had 94 opportunities to side on the people's side and reduce taxes, and 94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction -- 94 times."

Joe Biden retorted that "the charge is absolutely not true. Barack Obama did not vote to raise taxes. The vote she's referring to, John McCain voted the exact same way. It was a budget procedural vote. John McCain voted the same way. It did not raise taxes. Number two, using the standard that the governor uses, John McCain voted 477 times to raise taxes."

The McCain camp also released an ad immediately following the first presidential debate; it didn't include any debate footage, either. On the other hand, the Obama camp's two follow-up ads have both included explicit references to the debates. "Can't Explain," also released today, uses the portion of the veep debate where the candidates dispute health care tax credits to slam McCain for his plans to adjust the system.

Click here to view "Can't Explain."

Barack Obama began airing a new TV spot (subscription) today that features arguably Joe Biden's best sound bite from last night's debate, challenging Sarah Palin's statements on health care.

During Thursday night's forum, Biden criticized John McCain's plan to give families a $5,000 tax credit for health care because it would mean taxing employer health plans. "Taxing your health care benefit," he said. "I call that the ultimate 'Bridge to Nowhere.'"

The line, a thinly veiled jab at Palin's onetime support for the now-infamous Gravina Island Bridge -- a.k.a. the "Bridge to Nowhere" -- drew a laugh from the otherwise well-behaved crowd at Washington University in St. Louis last night.

"Can't Explain" is the second Obama spot this fall to make use of debate footage: The Illinois senator hit the airwaves last week with an ad highlighting the fact that McCain did not use the phrase "middle class" in their first debate. McCain produced an ad mocking Obama for agreeing with the Arizona senator a number of times in their first meeting, but that spot was released on the Web only.

In terms of sheer quantity of negative ads aired, John McCain and Barack Obama are running about even, according to a new report from Nielsen. From June 3 to Sept. 7, the Democratic candidate placed 75,246 ads attacking McCain; the Republican returned fire with 76,238 negative ads against Obama.

Data provided to NationalJournal.com from Nielsen shows where each candidate is hitting the other hardest: Voters in Ohio and Michigan have borne the brunt of both campaigns' attack ads, although McCain's apparent pullout from Michigan could bring relief to attack-weary viewers in that state. Both campaigns are also funneling their ad dollars toward attacks in the closely contested battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

The Nielsen numbers reveal that McCain has run about twice as many negative ads in Iowa as has Obama, in a bid to keep the Hawkeye State red. The Arizona Republican has also poured on the attacks in New Mexico and -- somewhat surprisingly -- in West Virginia as well, while Obama has outspent McCain on negative ads in Virginia and Florida.

Obama's most-run negative ad is a spot he first began running in August, called "Book," which criticizes McCain for voting with President Bush and supporting the war in Iraq. McCain's go-to attack ad, which has aired over 16,000 times, is called "Expensive Plans," and tars Obama as eager to tax and unable to lead.

Click here to watch "Fraudulent."

Judging from the McCain campaign's TV advertising, it took them only about 30 minutes to get over the economic crisis their candidate contends should be uniting the country.

At about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the camp released "Week" (subscription), an ad that shows John McCain speaking directly to voters about the importance of unity in solving the financial crisis. Just over half an hour later, however, the camp launched a Spanish-language spot, "Fraudulent" (subscription), attacking Barack Obama and his "allies in Congress" on immigration.

"Democrats blamed Republicans, Republicans blamed Democrats," McCain laments in his positive 30-second spot. "We’re the United States of America. It shouldn’t take a crisis to pull us together." The rest of the ad goes on to tout McCain's ability to revive the economy, making no further reference to Obama or other congressional Democrats.

"Fraudulent" is quite another story, however. That ad makes the claim that "Obama and his allies in Congress killed immigration reform" -- despite the fact that Obama voted in favor of the 2006 comprehensive immigration reform bill. It goes on to quote media criticism of an Obama ad that unfairly linked McCain to Rush Limbaugh. "They've said no to us long enough. This election, let's tell them no," the announcer concludes. This ad, per the press release, will be accompanied by radio ads, all running in the battleground states of Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.

McCain himself has spent a lot of time recently emphasizing the importance of bipartisanship while Congress wades through the bailout legislation. But his ads -- no matter what language they're in -- are suggesting otherwise.

Click here to watch "Heartless."

As more and more is dug up on Sarah Palin's record in Alaska, more outside groups are taking notice -- and taking to the airwaves. Planned Parenthood is the latest, releasing an ad, "Heartless" (subscription), that shows a rape victim expressing her fears about John McCain and Palin.

The 30-second spot debuts today in the battleground states of Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as in St. Louis, host city of tonight's vice presidential debate. The ad refers to reports that the city of Wasilla, Alaska, billed sexual assault victims for rape kits while Palin was mayor. It pairs that with McCain’s 1994 Senate vote against the Violence Against Women Act, a bill that created federal criminal penalties for domestic violence and penalized jurisdictions that charged sexual abuse survivors for their own rape examinations by depriving them of federal money. On the other side of the race, Barack Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, has been touting his help in passing the bill, what he calls one of his proudest moments in the Senate.

The announcer seethes that Palin and McCain supported "heartless policies." Rape victim Gretchen reacts by saying their records are "something to me that's unthinkable. It scares me to death."

While the McCain camp does not comment on third-party ads, Republican National Committee spokesman Danny Diaz said, “Planned Parenthood’s ad is a vicious smear against Senator McCain and Governor Palin. This ad is patently false and represents the worst kind of politics."

Two reports by PolitiFact, a joint project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly, indicate the ad doesn't tell the whole story. One found that although Palin was mayor at the time rape victims were charged, there's no evidence that she explicitly endorsed the practice. As for McCain’s vote against the Violence Against Women Act, PolitiFact says the ad is "cherry-picking" his record. The specific vote the ad cites is one in which the Arizona senator voted against a larger bill that contained the legislation, for reasons unrelated to that specific act. He had, however, voted for it nine months earlier and supported it again in 2000.

An environmental advocacy group is purchasing more airtime for a graphic TV spot that attacks Gov. Sarah Palin for her support of aerial wolf hunting in Alaska.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund began airing the minute-long ad "Brutal" in Ohio and Florida on Sept. 12, later expanding it into Michigan. The spot seems to have hit a nerve with animal rights activists, who have donated more than $1 million to the group since it started airing. Flush with cash, the D.C.-based action fund will soon begin running the ad in Colorado, Wisconsin, Virginia and Missouri, the site of Thursday’s vice presidential debate.

The ad also resonated with a focus group conducted two weeks ago by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. The ad “seemed to strike a chord with voters,” said Glenn Kessler, president and CEO of HCD Research, in a Sept. 15 press release. “The recent ads from both parties have had little impact,” Kessler said. “This is the first ad in over a month that seems to have broken through.”

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund could not be reached for comment.

Click here to watch "Skipped."

Vets For Freedom, an organization of combat veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is targeting Barack Obama in a new TV ad for what the group says is his failure to lead on the two conflicts.

Opening with an image of a smiling Obama lounging in a chair behind his desk, "Skipped" (subscription) notes Obama's high absentee rate in the Senate – he missed 45 percent of votes -- but says that "he did manage to show up to vote against emergency funding for our troops." The announcer goes on to criticize the Illinois senator for not holding any hearings as the chairman of the Senate oversight committee on Afghanistan. And he points out that Obama has traveled to Iraq only twice, while during the course of the presidential race he visited Iowa 45 times.

Brian Bowers, an Iraq war veteran, appears on screen at the end urging viewers to call Obama and ask him to support Senate Resolution 636. The bill, sponsored by two of John McCain's closest surrogates, Sens. Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., calls for the recognition of the success of the troop surge in Iraq.

The accusation against Obama regarding troop funding came up in the first presidential debate, where Obama defended his vote as a reflection on his position seeking a timetable for withdrawal. "Senator McCain opposed funding for troops in legislation that had a timetable, because he didn't believe in a timetable," Obama pointed out. "I opposed funding a mission that had no timetable, and was open-ended, giving a blank check to George Bush. We had a difference on the timetable. We didn't have a difference on whether or not we were going to be funding troops." Factcheck.org, meanwhile, reported in response to a McCain campaign ad released in July that while Obama did cast one "no" vote on legislation providing money for combat efforts, he voted at least 10 times in favor of increased funding.

As for the committee Obama chairs, it does not, in fact, have direct oversight of the war in Afghanistan. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on European Affairs does have jurisdiction over NATO affairs, and NATO has played a large role in the conflict. But hearings on Afghanistan have been held in front of the full Foreign Relations Committee, headed by Obama's running mate, Joe Biden. ABC News reported in July that Obama has attended one of the three full committee hearings on Afghanistan held within the last two years, while McCain has missed all three.

"This is a despicable distortion of Senator Obama's record," spokesman Nick Shapiro said. "Senator Obama has been a forceful advocate for our service members, passing legislation that ensured our wounded warriors receive the care and treatment they deserve, fighting to end disparities in veterans health care benefits, and proposing a plan to revitalize our military to meet the threats and challenges of the 21st century."

Click here to watch "Spending Spree."

Barack Obama is going after John McCain's reputation as a fiscal conservative in a new TV ad released this afternoon.

"Spending Spree" (subscription) opens with footage of McCain saying that he "can't wait to introduce" his running mate, Sarah Palin, "to the big spenders in Washington." "Big spenders… like John McCain," the announcer jeers. He argues that McCain's policies on taxes and Social Security would add trillions of dollars to the national debt. "So as we borrow from China to fund his spending spree, ask yourself: Can we afford John McCain?"

Click here to watch "Chose."

So far John McCain has not played the Jeremiah Wright card in his contest with Barack Obama. The Judicial Confirmation Network did it for him today, however, with a new TV spot that questions Obama's judgment in choosing associates and what that might mean for the Supreme Court should he be elected.

JCN, which lobbied for the appointments of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito, favors a more conservative judiciary. The new ad is part of a $1 million advertising and grassroots effort to "raise awareness and recruit activists on the critical issue of the U.S. Supreme Court," according to the group's Web site. The ads will run in markets in Ohio and Michigan, as well as on national cable spanning the vice presidential debate on Thursday night and the start of the new Supreme Court session next Monday.

"Chose" (subscription) opens with JCN counsel Wendy Long explaining that the next president could choose as many as four new justices for the Court. She then presses the "play" button for an ad within the ad, in which an announcer begins: "We don't know who Barack Obama would choose, but we know" who some of his associates have been in the past. The ad goes on to link Obama to Chicago businessman Tony Rezko, now a convicted felon; William Ayers, a member of the Weather Underground, an anti-war group that bombed the Pentagon and the Capitol during the Vietnam era; and, of course, Obama's former pastor, the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright. "Obama chose to associate with these men while voting against" Roberts and Alito, the announcer concludes.

"A President Obama or a President McCain will be likely be handed an opportunity to affect the make-up of the Supreme Court that is unprecedented in our history," Long said in a press release. "JCN is educating Americans about the differences between an 'Obama Court' that would engage in judicial activism, acting as a super-legislature and imposing a political agenda from the bench, and a 'McCain Court' that would likely practice judicial restraint and fairly apply the law based on what the Constitution says and on laws passed by the representatives accountable to the American people," she added.

The Obama camp fought back hard in August against a TV ad run by another third-party group in which Ayers was prominently featured. And the Illinois senator has emphatically cut ties with Rezko and Wright.

Click here to watch "Rein."

While John McCain continues to release a TV ad every day, his online ad campaign has intensified within the last couple of days. Three Web videos have already been released this week, all more derisive and mocking than their TV counterparts. The increased focus on production-cheap online ads rather than the more expensive TV spots likely has to do with the campaign's fundraising, which continues to lag behind that of Barack Obama.

The McCain camp released the TV ad "Rein" (subscription) Tuesday, which uses a clip of former President Bill Clinton, in a Sept. 25 interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," casting doubt on the Democrats' efforts to blame the market turmoil on Republicans: "I think the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was president to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." The ad also cites media reports that suggest McCain has been active in trying to solve the financial crisis while Obama has remained "silent."

The campaign's recent online ads are more caustic in their approach. "Strong" uses a comment Obama made -- "We've got the long-term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows" -- to suggest that Obama either agrees with McCain's much-talked-about statement that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" or is being disingenuous in his attacks on McCain. "Either way," an announcer concludes, "Obama's a hypocrite."

Two other Web ads -- "Alaska's Political Circus" and "Better Off" -- focus almost solely on Sarah Palin. "Alaska's Political Circus" airs jaunty music and accuses "Obama partisans" in Alaska of conducting politically charged inquiries into Palin's history. "Better Off," meanwhile, shows Palin denouncing Obama's positions on taxes.

So, where is McCain in all these ads? When his running mate appears to garner the lion's share of the media attention (for better or worse), these spots appear to be aimed at harnessing that attention in a more favorable light to Palin.

Click here to watch "One Heartbeat Away."

Sometimes, a song says it all. That's how 85,000 nurses aim to send their message that the health problems of 72-year-old John McCain put Sarah Palin just "one heartbeat away" from being president.

A new 30-second spot, released this morning by the National Nurses Organizing Committee and California Nurses Association, opens with a still photo of McCain while a female vocalist sings, "Your heart’s been achin,' can’t go on forever now." The song plays on as the ad lists various controversies surrounding Palin, including the fact that the city of Wasilla billed sexual assault victims for rape kits while she was mayor, that Palin reportedly wanted to ban books from a local library and that she opposed the "Bridge to Nowhere" while keeping the funding for it.

The ad is currently running in a "six-figure buy" in Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri this week; the group says it may extend that run.

The spot's release was timed to coincide with a report released Tuesday by an actuary firm, Bragg Associates, that concluded that McCain would have a 1 in 4 chance of dying from natural causes in his second term as president. Charles Idelson, spokesman for the nurses organizations, said that McCain's health risks paired with his controversial VP pick is a growing concern among doctors across the country. "It’s an issue which has not been widely discussed, but it is on the mind of many voters and we think it does deserve a public airing," Idelson said. Along with the ad, the organizations' members are also urging McCain to release his full and complete medical records.

The McCain camp doesn't comment on third-party ads, but Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, called the ad "offensive and rife with errors and distortions. These sorts of disgusting ads being run by Obama's special interest allies are part of what's wrong with Washington."

The nurses' message echoes a previous TV ad (since pulled from the airwaves) that uses unflattering images of McCain's cancer scars coupled with doctors expressing their concern over his health to push for a more complete review of his medical records. The spot was sponsored by Democracy For America and Brave New PAC.

All ad summary and tip sheet pages are available to subscribers only.

Louisiana Senate (tip sheet)

• Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu hits back against what she says are misrepresentations of her record on immigration in "Garbage."

Maine Senate (tip sheet)

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says GOP incumbent Susan Collins will not bring needed change to Washington or Maine in "Know."

• Democratic challenger Tom Allen urges voters to learn about the "Big Differences" between him and Collins. Meanwhile, "Worst" links Collins to the Bush administration's economic policies, which Allen blames for the economic crisis.

• Collins fired back with "A Time For Bipartisanship," which criticizes Allen for running attack ads when leaders should be trying to work across the aisle to pass the bailout package.

New Mexico Senate (tip sheet)

• Rep. Tom Udall touts the recently passed G.I. Bill and explains how it will help veterans in "Places."

• Citing Udall's voting record in Congress on issues like energy and the war, Rep. Steve Pearce contends he's "breathtakingly" liberal.

Oregon Senate (tip sheet)

• The DSCC attacks Gordon Smith for his support of Social Security privatization in "Insecure."

• In "19th Hole," the DSCC attacks Smith over his expensive golf clubs and support for privatizing Social Security.

• The NRSC attack ad "Trees" hits Jeff Merkley over his votes on state taxes.

Missouri governor (tip sheet)

• Democrat Jay Nixon says GOP Rep. Kenny Hulshof's policies sent manufacturing jobs "Overseas."

North Carolina governor (tip sheet)

• The Alliance For North Carolina charges that Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory (R) has opted to "Raise" salaries of politicians in lieu of law enforcement, resulting in high crime.

Washington governor (tip sheet)

• In two related ads, Democratic incumbent Christine Gregoire shows two Washington residents criticizing Republican challenger Dino Rossi for not supporting stem cell research: "Real People: Jim Lortz" and "Real People: Jackson."

Click here to watch "Same Path."

The fiscal meltdown is yet again the focal point of dueling Democratic and Republican TV ads today. Barack Obama released another two-minute mini-speech on the state of the nation's economy and how he would depart from the approach taken by President Bush for the last eight years. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee's independent expenditure arm is out with a spot lambasting Obama's economic policies, which it says would take the country deeper into economic turmoil.

The RNC's new ad is turning heads for not only criticizing Obama's economic agenda, but seemingly contradicting John McCain's message on the federal bailout. While McCain is still attempting to play dealmaker on Capitol Hill and encouraging Congress to pass the legislation, "Worse" (subscription) attacks the deal in the harshest terms. "Wall Street squanders our money and Washington is forced to bail them out with -- you guessed it -- our money," the announcer jeers. According to Ben Smith, the ad was sent out to TV stations early Monday morning, before the bill tanked.

The ad is slated to run in battleground states Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia. Brad Todd, a partner at OnMessage Inc. who produced the spot, said it was a response to a moment in Friday's presidential debate when Obama (as well as McCain) failed to identify a part of his agenda that he would have to put off because of the budget constraints that the next president is sure to face. "The fact that Senator Obama would still spend nearly a trillion dollars even after Congress addresses the financial crisis is something the American public needs to know," Todd maintained.

In Obama's ad (subscription), the Illinois senator speaks straight into the camera, repeating several now-familiar lines about the failure of the Bush administration's trickle-down economic theory. "We know the truth. It didn't work," he says. Acknowledging that "our economy's in turmoil," Obama still attempts to inject a sense of optimism: "I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis." Obama then offers several distinctions between his and McCain's tax plans, emphasizing that he does not intend to raise taxes on the majority of Americans.

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.

An ad that ran briefly on MSNBC last week highlighting John McCain's cancer scars -- complete with unflattering images of the GOP nominee's bandaged face after his melanoma surgery eight years ago -- was pulled from the air after Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly lambasted the spot, calling it "the most vicious political ad of the campaign."

"McCain's Medical Records" (subscription), released by left-leaning groups Democracy For America and Brave New PAC, began airing on MSNBC Thursday. It pairs two doctors' grim diagnoses of melanoma patients with close-up images of McCain's cancer scars and urges McCain to release his medical records in a more thorough fashion than he did in the spring.

NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust told the Associated Press that "the ad had not been thoroughly vetted prior to air, and has since been removed from our commercial rotation."

"I have no idea what that means," said Democracy for America communications director Daniel Medress. "Both of the gentlemen in the ads are doctors. John McCain is 72 years old. He's had cancer four times. What wasn't vetted?"

CNN also refused to air the ad, without citing a specific reason, Medress said.

Continue reading "McCain Medical Records Ad Pulled From The Airwaves" »

Click here to watch "Parachutes."

Barack Obama continued his economic offensive this afternoon, taking up a topic which he has hit on before (subscription) -- executive pay.

"Parachutes" (subscription) notes that the CEO of Washington Mutual, a bank that collapsed last week, "could walk away with $19 million." It then goes on to point out that one of John McCain's economic advisers, Carly Fiorina, received $42 million when she was fired from Hewlett-Packard in 2005. Footage of Obama at a town hall shows him decrying the practice as "an outrage": "You’ve got corporate executives who are giving themselves million dollar golden parachutes and leaving workers high and dry. That’s wrong."

Click here to watch "Zero."

Within 24 hours of the first presidential debate, both candidates were out with ads attacking the other on the topic they consider themselves more qualified in -- Barack Obama on the economy and John McCain on foreign policy.

The Obama campaign on Saturday morning released "Zero" (subscription), a spot that calls out McCain for not referencing the middle class a single time in the 90-minute forum. "McCain doesn’t get it. Barack Obama does," the announcer proclaims before the ad cuts to footage from the debate. "The fundamentals of the economy have to be measured by whether or not the middle class is getting a fair shake," Obama insists in one clip, while in another he ties McCain's tax plan to the economic policies of the current administration.

McCain was quick out of the gate with an ad of his own. "Promise" (subscription), released Saturday, pits the Democratic ticket against itself, contrasting Obama's vote against a bill to fund troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with statements Joe Biden made during the primary campaign criticizing that position.

Continue reading "Ads Pick Up Where Debate Left Off" »

Click here to view "One Question."

The ONE Campaign against global poverty hit the airwaves today with a TV spot (subscription) calling for John McCain and Barack Obama to address worldwide hunger and disease at the presidential debates.

The nonprofit humanitarian group, which was co-founded by U2 front man Bono, has spent a little over $700,000 to air the ad on national cable to correspond with Friday’s debate. The only problem? McCain's announcement that he's "suspending" his presidential campaign this week because of the economic crisis has thrown the future of that debate into jeopardy.

But ONE insists its message has no expiration date, even if the original intention was to tie their message to an event that attracts tens of millions of viewers. "When the debate does go forward, if it occurs tomorrow or it occurs at the some other time, the issue will still be relevant," said ONE spokeswoman Kimberly Cadena.

Even if the Friday debate goes off as planned, cutting through the media buzz about the ongoing economic crisis may be difficult. In speeches at the Clinton Global Initiative conference this morning, both McCain and Obama focused their remarks on the Wall Street meltdown, and media reports after the fact largely ignored their comments on combating malaria and reducing global poverty.

But, echoing Obama's recent comments that presidents must be able to multitask, Cadena said voters can pay attention to more than one issue at a time. "Voters have been dealing with several different challenges both at home and abroad during this election season," she said. "And they've maintained a level of interest in these problems throughout."

This is not ONE's first foray into presidential politics: The group paid $1.8 million in December to air a similar ad in Iowa and New Hampshire during the primaries, and also ran a second spot featuring actor Matt Damon days before the Democratic convention last month.

Click here to watch "Hunter."

It's open season for the National Rifle Association, which has a spate of new TV, radio and print ads targeting Barack Obama's and Joe Biden's positions on gun rights. In addition to releasing four TV spots in Colorado, New Mexico and Pennsylvania this week, the firearm advocates are also circulating mailers that detail Obama's "10-Point Plan to 'Change' the Second Amendment."

NRA members featured in the ads claim that the Democratic candidates intend to take away people's guns if elected, and they use Obama's "bitter" comments and other tidbits to assert that the Illinois senator doesn't get America's gun owners. Fact-checkers have some serious issues with the spots, however, with FactCheck.org concluding that "the NRA has cherry-picked, twisted and misrepresented Obama's record."

"Where is this guy from?" Virginia resident Karl Rusch demands in "Hunter" (subscription). "He’s probably never been hunting a day in his life." Rusch makes an economic appeal to viewers, contending that with prices already high on fuel and "just about everything else," Obama supports a "huge new tax on... guns and ammo." Detailing other restrictions Obama has reportedly sought on gun ownership, Rusch jeers: "You don’t have to be bitter to know Barack Obama isn’t the kind of change we need."

Rusch's son Kurt is featured in another spot, "Veteran" (subscription). Battle scenes play on screen while Kurt discusses his service in Iraq. "Sure, combat was hell. But on the front lines I knew I served a real purpose: defeating terrorism, protecting our way of life," he says. But now, he asserts, Obama is trying to take away his right to own a handgun for protection. "There’s no way I’m voting for a president who will take that away -- the freedoms that I fought for, that my friends died to defend," Kurt angrily insists.

Continue reading "NRA Loading Up To Take On The Dems" »

Click here to watch "My Friends' Mess."

John McCain sure has a lot of friends MoveOn.org doesn't approve of. After releasing the first ad of its $7 million fall campaign last week calling the GOP nominee out for his "friends" in the oil industry, the group unveiled another one today that links more of McCain's "friends," including President Bush, to the financial crisis.

Like MoveOn's previous ad, "My Friends' Mess" (subscription) capitalizes on the McCain phrase "my friends," which he often says to emphasize a point. "We all know the economy is in crisis. But who's responsible?" the announcer asks. According to MoveOn, the blame lies with former Texas Sen. and McCain economic adviser Phil Gramm, as well as McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. The spot claims that their work legislating or lobbying for banking deregulation has contributed to the current market "mess."

The latter half of the 60-second ad takes on an increasingly caustic tone, rejecting the bailout plan Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. have proposed, calling it "the biggest blank check in history." "Main Street giving Wall Street $700 billion -- and getting nothing in return? It's outrageous," the announcer jeers. "Americans shouldn't have to foot the bill for mistakes that John McCain and his friends made."

MoveOn communications director Ilyse Hogue said the group aims to cast doubt on McCain's trustworthiness. "It's very important that Americans really understand that McCain's judgment includes the people he chooses to surround himself with in his campaign," Hogue said. "These are the people who got us into the mess."

Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant criticized MoveOn for releasing the negative ad just as Congress is working on the bailout plan and McCain himself has suspended his campaign. "Barack Obama's liberal allies are launching a partisan attack at the precise moment we should be putting politics aside and working to solve the problem," Conant said in an e-mail. "These sorts of false attacks by special interest groups are part of what's wrong with Washington."

Click here to watch "A Stronger Economy."

As part of his recently announced campaign suspension, John McCain is pulling all of his TV ads off-air. But, as when he dismissed McCain's request to postpone Friday's debate, Barack Obama is again refusing to follow his rival's lead. The Illinois senator is not only leaving his ads up; he released a new 60-second spot this morning -- the second ad in as many weeks in which Obama speaks directly to viewers about what he would do as president to help set the economy back on the right track.

In "A Stronger Economy" (subscription), Obama begins by criticizing the deregulatory policies that he says led to the crisis. "Instead of prosperity trickling down," as the administration has been promising for the last eight years, he says, "pain has trickled up." He maintains: "We need to change direction. Now." Obama then outlines the main points of his policy prescription, vowing to put middle-class families ahead of Wall Street CEO's.

While polls have shown mixed assessments of Obama's ability to handle the economy relative to McCain's, his steady rise in head-to-head numbers over the past two weeks -- while the economy has been in the national spotlight -- is undeniable.

Click here to watch "McCain's Health Records."

John McCain has had cancer four times and would be the oldest president ever elected, yet, according to two left-leaning groups, the 72-year-old GOP nominee hasn't been open enough with the public about his medical records.

In a new ad (subscription) scheduled to begin running nationwide Thursday, Democracy for America and Brave New PAC pairs doctors' grim diagnosis of melanoma patients with unflattering images of McCain's cancer scars. "The relevance of knowing the details of his course with melanoma are very important," says Dr. Michael Frakin, a palliative care specialist from Eureka, Calif., in the ad. "Another bout of cancer for John McCain while he is president of the United States would profoundly impact his capacity to lead." Another doctor outlines the severity of melanoma. "Melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers and the chances of survival, if you have melanoma spread through your body, are very, very slim," warns Dr. Noah Craft, a melanoma specialist from Los Angeles. The ad concludes with text on screen asking "Why won't John McCain release his Medical Records?"

Continue reading "Doctors Demand Release Of McCain Medical Records" »

Click here to watch "Foreign Vehicles."

Barack Obama is taking advantage of Newsweek's recent report that John McCain and his wife, Cindy, own 13 cars, some of which are not American-made.

The Illinois senator launched a new TV ad (subscription) in Michigan this afternoon referencing the McCains' foreign-made cars to suggest that the Arizona senator does not support the American auto industry -- an issue that could resonate in this battleground state, where the RealClearPolitics poll average shows Obama ahead by just 5 points.

The ad opens with footage of an interview in which McCain vows: "I've bought American literally all my life." "Oh, really?" an announcer jeers. In addition to owning a foreign-made Lexus, a Volkswagen and a Honda Sedan, the ad claims that McCain opposed giving federal loans to the auto industry. Text onscreen charges that the Arizona senator is "Not Talking Straight To Michigan," and the announcer urges voters: "Don't believe John McCain when he says he'll help Michigan."

To be fair, the Newsweek report states that McCain's name actually appears on only one of the 13 car titles -- that of a 2004 Cadillac -- while the rest are registered to his wife's name or her business. The Obamas, meanwhile, share a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid.

Click here to listen to "Crisis Economica -- Fla."

Barack Obama is taking his economic message to another voting bloc today, releasing Spanish-language TV and radio ads slamming John McCain's fiscal policy in four battleground states -- Colorado, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico -- where the Latino vote could determine which candidate walks away with a lot of electoral votes.

Both the TV and radio spots use clips of McCain saying last week, in the midst of a collapse on Wall Street, that the "fundamentals of our economy are strong." "McCain and the Republicans have no clue about the struggles of the middle class and working people," an announcer charges in the Florida radio version (subscription), citing statistics on the state's rising unemployment and foreclosure rates.

The Nevada version of the TV spot makes an appeal to "mothers and fathers who have lost their jobs," "families at risk of losing their homes," and "every child out of the 45 million people who have no health care," arguing that although the "prosperity of our families" should be the president's greatest "obligation," that's something "McCain and the Republicans don't want to bother themselves with."

All ad summary and tip sheet pages are available to subscribers only.

Colorado Senate (tip sheet)

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee criticizes former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) for his ties to the petroleum industry in "Silent Bob."

• Freedom's Watch, a conservative foreign policy group, attacks Democratic Rep. Mark Udall for his onetime support of a bill that would have created a "Department of Peace."

• Meanwhile, in "Record," the National Republican Senatorial Committee hits Udall for his positions on taxes, energy and defense.

• The Club for Growth also gets in on the action against Udall, accusing him in "Property" of making it "easier for government to take private property" from Colorado citizens.

Louisiana Senate (tip sheet)

• Republican challenger John Kennedy alleges that Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) swapped political favors for campaign donations with a lobbying firm in "Fundraiser."

• In "Pennies," Landrieu attacks Kennedy over a report showing he cost Louisiana $37 million in potential revenue as treasurer.

Maine Senate (tip sheet)

• Democratic Rep. Tom Allen touts his accomplishments as a congressman in "Effective."

• Meanwhile, in "Jobs For Maine," GOP incumbent Susan Collins presents her successes in bringing good jobs to the state.

New Hampshire Senate (tip sheet)

• The Club For Growth slams former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen's record, criticizing the Democratic challenger's support of new taxes and opposition to lawsuit reform in "Add Up."

• The NRSC also released a spot criticizing Shaheen's record on taxes.

New Mexico Senate (tip sheet)

• Democratic Rep. Tom Udall's attack ad depicts Rep. Steve Pearce (R) as "Polly" the parrot, simply repeating what Big Oil says.

North Carolina Senate (tip sheet)

• In "Game," the DSCC tries to discredit an attack ad run by GOP incumbent Elizabeth Dole against state Sen. Kay Hagan (D) over energy prices, arguing that Dole is the one really tied to Big Oil. "Gas Station" is another DSCC energy attack on Dole.

• The NRSC uses a Dr. Seuss-style cartoon to criticize Hagan on tax hikes in "Pedal."

South Dakota Senate (tip sheet)

• Republican challenger Joel Dykstra released his debut TV ad, in which he urges his opponent to engage in a more robust public debate about the issues.

• Democratic incumbent Tim Johnson presents his record on "Energy" issues and his plan to achieve energy independence in a new spot.

North Carolina governor (tip sheet)

• Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory's sister aims to discredit an attack ad that criticized the Republican's position supporting stem-cell research. She contends McCrory does "The Right Thing."

Click here to watch "Bermuda."

Another day, another pair of dueling "ads" from Barack Obama and John McCain. While McCain attempted to change the subject Monday, releasing a spot about Obama's origins in the shady world of Chicago politics, both candidates once again focused their attacks on economic issues today.

Obama's "Bermuda" (subscription), reportedly running on national cable, suggests that, during a 2007 visit to this island getaway, McCain was up to more than sunbathing and snorkeling. McCain "pledged to protect tax breaks for American corporations that hide their profits offshore," an announcer alleges. What's more, he continues, McCain later received $50,000 from "grateful insurance company executives and their lobbyists who benefit from the tax scheme."

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds was quick to retort. "Barack Obama's ad cleverly ignores two key facts: His own campaign headquarters is provided by a company based in Bermuda and is guilty of the very same off-shore benefits he's attacking," he said in a statement. "Obama has a stronger record of hypocrisy than he does making change in Washington."

Meanwhile, in McCain's "Mum" (subscription), also released this morning, the GOP nominee claims that Obama and his "liberal allies" are "mum on the market crisis." The ad cites a Washington Times article from Friday reporting that Obama opted not to give details of his recovery plan and a Bloomberg story from last week quoting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., as saying that no one, including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Congress, "knows what to do."

The ad employs one of the staple messages put forth by the McCain campaign -- that Obama doesn't have the experience needed to lead in a crisis, while McCain and his "congressional allies" do. The announcer also emphasizes McCain's reputation as a reformer, contending that he will impose "tough rules on Wall Street."

It's worth noting that, since Reid's comment on Sept. 17, there has been a whole host of developments on Wall Street and Capitol Hill. The $700 billion bailout plan proposed by Paulson, for instance, wasn't introduced until the weekend.

-- Amy Harder contributed reporting to this post.

Click here to watch "Chicago Machine."

John McCain is striking Barack Obama on his home turf in Chicago, the latest attack on a candidate's associates in the presidential race.

In "Chicago Machine" (subscription), released this morning, the McCain camp links Obama to a handful of prominent -- and controversial -- Illinois political figures. It begins with Obama's own words: "In terms of my toughness -- look, first of all, I come from Chicago." An announcer then says Obama was "born of the corrupt Chicago political machine." The ad goes on to tie four figures to Obama: William Daley, former commerce secretary and now a lobbyist; convicted felon Tony Rezko; Illinois Senate President Emil Jones (Obama's "political godfather," the ad claims); and Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Citing various reports calling their ethics into question, the ad concludes, "With friends like that, Obama is not ready to lead."

The Obama camp quickly responded by pointing out reports published today that question McCain campaign manager Rick Davis' ties to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. "It's no coincidence that on the very day newspapers reported that John McCain's campaign manager was paid $2 million to lobby against tighter regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the McCain campaign would launch this false, gratuitous attack," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

In a morning conference call with reporters, however, Davis adamantly denied any questionable lobbying activities on behalf of the lenders. He said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were just two of the nearly 20 organizations that contributed to the advocacy group of which he was president. He added that it's been three years since he's had any contact with anyone with the group.

The tactic is nothing new for either candidate in this race. Obama has gone directly or indirectly after conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and various McCain surrogates including former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm; McCain has done the same with Obama's ties to former Fannie Mae chiefs Jim Johnson and Franklin Raines.

Steve Schmidt, a McCain-Palin senior adviser, said the media has shown the Obama camp preferential treatment. "You may not read this on the front page of the New York Times, but the Obama campaign is surrounded by people who have worked in the lobbyist industry," Schmidt said in Monday's conference call. He cited Hunter Biden, the son of Obama running mate Joe Biden, for lobbying work on behalf of the "credit card and banking interests." A spokesman for Biden has already refuted that claim. Schmidt also took aim at Obama's chief adviser, David Axelrod, and his possible lobbyist background.

"Chicago Machine" will air nationwide and focus on the handful of states that are emerging as battlegrounds, Davis said in the conference. Responding to a question of whether this will "actually air," considering all the talk surrounding "phantom ads" -- ads that are officially released but don't see any substantial air time -- Davis responded, "this is a real buy," implying a difference with some other ads from the camp.

Click here to watch "Article."

Barack Obama is continuing his onslaught on John McCain's kitchen table platform -- and his efforts to reach out to working women, as a new Lifetime Television survey shows this demographic shifting dramatically in McCain's favor after the Sarah Palin pick.

This morning, Obama launched "Article" (subscription), linking McCain's support for banking deregulation to his health care plan. "We've seen what Bush-McCain policies have done to our economy," the announcer charges as logos from Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Fannie Mae flash onscreen. "Now John McCain wants to do the same to our health care." Citing an article [PDF] McCain recently published in Contingencies Magazine, the ad claims that McCain would move to "reduce oversight of the health insurance industry," a plan which the ad quotes the Boston Globe as calling "a prescription for disaster."

Meanwhile, "Need Education" (subscription), released at the end of last week, builds on a previous ad (subscription) from the Illinois senator on McCain's refusal to support legislation requiring equal pay for men and women. The spot features Lilly Ledbetter, a longtime Goodyear employee who filed suit claiming that she had been paid 40 percent less than her male counterparts. Though Ledbetter lost her appeal [PDF] before the Supreme Court, her case spurred Congress to take up legislation mandating equal pay. The measure failed to pass a Senate vote in April.

In the ad, Ledbetter calls out McCain for opposing the law, says "he dismissed the wage gap," and quotes him as saying that women merely “need education and training" instead. Arguing that her family suffered as a result of her lost wages, Ledbetter concludes: "On the economy, it’s John McCain who needs an education."

Click here to watch "Obama-Chavez."

John McCain countered Barack Obama's tough Spanish-language TV ad this week with one of his own today.

Two days after Obama came out with "Dos Caras," McCain countered with "Obama-Chavez" (subscription), which juxtaposes footage of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denouncing the U.S. with Obama's comments last year that he would meet with Chavez soon after becoming president.

The ad shows Chavez at a rally, reproaching the U.S. with some profanity bleeped out. In translation: "Go to h*ll, you filthy Yankees!" and "We, you filthy Yankees, know that we are resolute to be free, no matter what happens, and at any cost!" The announcer asks viewers: "Do you believe we should talk with Chavez?... In November, you decide." At a CNN/YouTube primary debate in July 2007, Obama said he would meet "without preconditions" and within the first year of his administration with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela -- a remark he has taken heat for ever since.

McCain is coming off an international gaffe of his own; he recently said he would not promise to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, going so far as to lump him in with Chavez and other Latin American leaders known for their traditionally hostile relationships with the U.S.

"Obama-Chavez" is running in the battleground state of Florida. That also happens to be where Obama is touring today -- and where the Illinois senator took a salvo from Republican Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart over "Dos Caras," which links McCain to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and President Bush's "failed policies."

"It is offensive and dishonest for Barack Obama to lie about John McCain's record on immigration and years of support for the Hispanic community when it was Barack Obama himself who voted for 'poison pill' amendments that killed the effort at immigration reform," Diaz-Balart said in a statement. "Instead of making false ads with baseless attacks, Barack Obama should be apologizing to the Latino community."

Click here to watch "Repower America."

Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection began flooding the cable news networks Thursday with a TV spot (subscription) that attacks the oil industry for lobbying against renewable energy legislation.

“Why are we still stuck on dirty and expensive energy?” the narrator asks as the camera pans over an offshore oil rig followed by a suitcase full of cash. “Because Big Oil spends hundreds of millions of dollars to block clean energy.”

Donations to keep the ad running started pouring in even before the spot aired: Within six hours of e-mailing the video to its members, the group said, they raised $150,000 in contributions.

While "Big Oil" remains a favorite villain of political advertising, the spot comes at a time when momentum is growing for increased domestic drilling: The House voted this week to allow oil exploration offshore, a conservative group recently hit the airwaves with pro-drilling spot and the battle cry "drill, baby, drill" is now part of the country's political lexicon.

But there are also encouraging signs for advocates of renewable energy, including broad public support for wind and solar and measures in the House drilling bill that would incentivize alternative energy and roll back subsidies for oil companies. The Alliance isn't alone blaming K Street for holding back a shift away from fossil fuels.

“The technology is there," said Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. "The problem is lobbyists for other technologies -- nuclear, coal, biofuels -- that don’t do what they claim.”

And, he warned, don't expect John McCain or Barack Obama to change the status quo.

"You look at the presidential candidates, one is pushing biofuels, which are a joke," Jacobson said of Obama. "And the other is pushing nuclear power, which is a danger to American national security.”

Click here to watch "Who Advises."

In a week when kitchen table issues have returned to the forefront of the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and John McCain are each battling to prove that they would be the right man to lead the country in a time of economic uncertainty. On the airwaves, that has translated into a series of shots at one another's economic plans. Thursday afternoon and Friday morning saw a shift in messages, as both candidates went after the other's economic advisers.

Obama's "Who Advises" (subscription) targets McCain's connections with former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm. Meanwhile, two spots out by McCain aim to cast doubt on his opponent's economic judgment by linking him to former Fannie Mae chiefs Jim Johnson (subscription) and Franklin Raines (subscription).

This campaign season seems to have shed an unusual spotlight on campaign surrogates, from Samantha Powers' "monster" flap to Geraldine Ferraro's implication that Obama was winning the Democratic primaries because he is black.

But do voters really care about these peripheral figures? According to McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, they do. Speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity on Wednesday, Palin said that, in determining their vote, Americans are "looking at voting records, and they're looking at allegiances."

Continue reading "Economic Surrogate Smackdown" »

Another day closer to Nov. 4 means another ad -- or two or three -- released on behalf of John McCain and Barack Obama. But whether those ads actually make it on the air as legitimate commercials rather than part of a newscast is a different story. Evan Tracey, head of TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, a firm that tracks political advertising, spoke with NationalJournal.com about these so-called "phantom" ads. Edited excerpts follow.

Q: Can you briefly describe the ad strategies that have developed with both presidential campaigns?

Tracey: It's a unique dynamic to this presidential race. With the 24/7 content needs of the 24/7 media, between the blogs and cable news, the campaigns have done a very good job of exploiting this in the sense that they can release what are supposed to be TV commercials that are really sort of video press releases that they can then feed into this beast that’s the 24/7 media. They become amplified by the press so they don't interfere with the campaign's real message strategy.... The ad gets shown for free, and you have partisan commentary on either side of the ads in the form of talking heads, pundits and, in some cases, journalists....

The candidates obviously aren't going to be in debates every day. This is the way they can have their debates. It's the political equivalent of dueling banjos.

Q: Did this sort of ad tactic happen in the 2004 presidential election?

Tracey: There were certainly examples of this in 2004, but not to the extent we have now. What the campaigns have gotten very savvy about is the whole timing aspect of this. If you’ve noticed, most of the new "ads" are produced and released in the mid-afternoons of a particular day. We all know what’s happening in the mid-afternoons -- the cable news shows are planning what they’re going to talk about that evening. In essence, [the cable news channels say], "OK, great, we can show these new ads, that kills five minutes, check that off the list." And that carries over into the morning news shows. In some respects, it's written about and blogged about.... This is a way for campaigns to look like they're on top of the issues of the day.

Q: Can you apply this ad tactic specifically to the campaigns of McCain and Obama?

Tracey: If you look at the ads that they're actually placing, both the Obama and McCain campaigns are running thousands of commercials a day, and usually 95 percent of those rotations are two spots. When they're releasing new spots every day, what they're not doing is taking down the spots that they know are working with voters.

It's really a two-tiered election. In this top tier that these video press releases, phantom ads, are basically going into is this cable-news-watching, opinion-leader-journalist-type audience that's churning and amplifying [the ads]. What's most interesting is a lot of the ads themselves are fairly hard-hitting or have very sharp elbows. Those were the kinds of messages that used to be buried in direct mail; maybe niche-radio-type spots. They weren't made into TV ads....

What they're running, putting a lot of money behind in their rotations, are not necessarily those of hard-hitting ads.

Continue reading "Q&A: Campaigns Capitalize on 24/7 News Cycle With 'Phony' Ads" »

Click here to watch "Dos Caras."

John McCain has been catching a lot of heat for several of his recent TV ads, with even the likes of Karl Rove acknowledging that the McCain spots don't always pass the truth test. But Barack Obama has launched some controversial ads of his own recently, including "Dos Caras" (subscription), a new Spanish-language spot -- running in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, with plans for a buy in Florida -- that links McCain to radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's rhetoric.

Flashing quotes from Limbaugh on screen -- "...stupid and unskilled Mexicans" and "you shut your mouth or you get out" -- an announcer laments that Republicans have "made" Latinos "feel marginalized in this country we love so much." He then goes on to accuse McCain and the GOP of having "two faces" when it comes to immigration policy: "One that tells lies just to get our vote. And another, even worse, that continues the failed policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families."

But as ABC's Jake Tapper points out, Limbaugh's quotes are taken out of context in the spot. Moreover, McCain and Limbaugh have hardly been of one mind when it comes to immigration policy. The conservative talk show host lambasted the bill the Arizona senator put forth earlier this year and was one of McCain's most vociferous critics during the Republican primary race.

There's no doubt that the tone of advertising coming out of both the presidential candidates' camps has taken a negative turn over the past several weeks. Contrary to what most talking heads have been suggesting, however, Obama and not McCain ran a larger percentage of attack ads in the week following the Republican National Convention, according to a new study [PDF] from the Wisconsin Ad Project. Whereas 56 percent of McCain's spots could be characterized as negative, according to the report, over three-fourths of Obama's ads had some not-so-nice things to say about his rival.

Sarah Niebler of the Wisconsin Ad Project said that this is the first week the group has examined in which Obama has outpaced McCain in attack ads. "Ultimately we think this campaign is about Obama. People know a lot about McCain... so it seems more likely that as the campaign continues, Obama will run ads about Obama. McCain will also run ads about Obama. But this week, for whatever strategic reason... there was a shift," she explained.

Click here to watch "Dome."

John McCain may pride himself on bucking his party in the Senate, but when it comes to funding his campaign ads, he certainly doesn't shy away from the GOP.

A report [PDF] released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, an effort by the University of Wisconsin to track political ad spending, showed a huge disparity in the funding relationships between each candidate and his respective party committee. More than half of McCain's ads -- 57 percent -- were co-sponsored by the Republican National Committee. In comparison, a mere 3 percent of Barack Obama's were paid for by the Democratic National Committee.

One possibility for this disparity is that Obama opted out of public funding for the election, while McCain didn't and is thus constrained by the $84 million amount allocated for him. With Obama tallying a record $66 million month of fundraising in August, he's clearly in no rush to tap the resources of the DNC, which is cash-poor compared to the RNC.

Reiterating the report's findings are three ads the McCain campaign launched today. While officially released as "McCain-Palin" ads, the spots are actually co-sponsored by the RNC, evidenced only in the ads' credits. In the hardest-hitting of the three, "Dome" (subscription), an announcer says that Obama and congressional Democrats favor "massive government" that would wreak financial havoc on Americans.

The camp followed up that nationwide buy with a pair of targeted ads in the battleground states of Michigan (subscription) and Ohio (subscription), each telling voters there that a McCain administration will work hard to restore their economies and create more jobs.

Click here to watch "Burden."

All eyes are on Wall Street this week, and Barack Obama has a slew of economy-related ads out in battleground states. He is also using the opportunity to appeal to a group that has shown signs of straying from his camp with John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate: working women.

"Burden" (subscription) paints McCain's record on women's issues as questionable. Pointing out that working women average just 77 cents to the dollar that men make, the announcer claims that McCain has voted against legislation making equal pay mandatory, saying that "women just need more 'education and training.'" She asserts, "It's one more thing John McCain doesn't get about our economy."

The McCain campaign responded to the ad, which is running in Virginia and on national cable, by pointing out that on average, McCain pays female staffers in his Senate office better than Obama does.

Obama's fiscal fulminations don't stop there. "Sold Us Out" (subscription), running in Pennsylvania, describes a plant closing in which workers were fired, then rehired to pack up the equipment and ship it to China. "Washington sold them out, with the help of people like John McCain," the announcer charges, citing McCain's votes for legislation giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.

A Michigan TV ad, previously unreleased to the media, implies that McCain is willing to risk Americans' "Social Security" (subscription) savings in a time of a "Crisis On Wall Street" by supporting President Bush's calls for privatization. "The Bush-McCain privatization plan: Can you really afford more of the same?" the ad asks viewers.

Wolverine State viewers are also seeing an unreleased spot criticizing McCain's energy policy. Opening with a shot of a Middle Eastern oil field, "Alternative" (subscription) says: "We must end our addiction to foreign oil." But McCain has repeatedly voted against tax incentives for alternative sources of fuel, the announcer proclaims, instead supporting tax breaks for Big Oil. "If you have different priorities," the spot says in closing, "there’s an alternative to John McCain."

Click here to watch "Foundation."

Amid financial turmoil on Wall Street, Barack Obama released a rare two-minute spot today that delves into his proposals for reviving the economy, and John McCain released two 30-second ads Tuesday afternoon and this morning that focus on the GOP nominee's plans to reform Wall Street. Both candidates speak directly to viewers in these ads to reassure them that Wall Street and Washington -- not voters -- are to blame for the ailing economy.

"Wall Street's been rocked as banks closed and markets tumbled," Obama says in "Plan For Change" (subscription). "Six hundred thousand Americans have lost their jobs since January. Paychecks are flat and home values are falling. It's hard to pay for gas and groceries." The Illinois senator goes on to outline his plans to revive the economy, touching on everything from investing in renewable energy to ending the Iraq war. The ad doesn't mention McCain, but Obama does denounce the "petty attacks and distractions" that have "consumed" the election thus far.

In the more hard-hitting of McCain's two ads, "Foundation" (subscription), the Arizona senator speaks directly to "American workers," calling them "the best in the world." In a stark contrast to Obama's ad, McCain explicitly calls out his opponent, saying Obama's "only solutions" to the economic crisis "are talk and taxes." The GOP nominee goes on to assert that he'll "reform Wall Street and fix Washington," and concludes by implicitly referencing his military record: "I've taken on tougher guys than this before."

"Foundation," released early this morning, comes fresh on the heels of "Enough Is Enough" (subscription), which was unveiled Tuesday afternoon. This spot reiterates much the same message as another ad, "Crisis," that the campaign released Monday in direct response to the collapse of the financial firm Lehman Brothers. "I'll meet this financial crisis head on," McCain says in "Enough Is Enough." "Reform Wall Street. New rules for fairness and honesty. I won't tolerate a system that puts you and your family at risk."

McCain's trio of ads -- all explicitly underscoring the severity of the financial crisis -- illustrate the nominee's "turnabout" since initially reacting to the crisis on Monday by repeating his earlier claim that "the fundamentals of the economy are strong."

Click here to watch "Gianna."

A new pro-life 527 group, BornAliveTruth.org, has hit the airwaves with a TV spot (subscription) attacking Barack Obama for his votes against the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act in the Illinois state Senate.

The spot -- running in New Mexico and Ohio with $350,000 behind it and the possibility of an expanded campaign later on -- features Gianna Jessen, a 31-year old woman who survived a botched abortion attempt. “Can you imagine not giving babies their basic human rights, no matter how they entered our world?” she asks. "If Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn’t be here.”

Jessen is referring to a series of votes Obama made in the Illinois Senate against a bill that would have required doctors to provide medical care to fetuses that survive late-term abortions.

An Obama campaign spokesman declined to comment on the ad, but in the past, Obama and pro-choice advocates have argued that the bill would have undermined Roe v. Wade. They have also pointed out that physicians were already required under state law to preserve the life and health of any fetus surviving an abortion.

Jessen, a vocalist and motivational speaker, is a familiar face in pro-life circles, thanks in part to a controversial appearance (subscription) at the Colorado state legislature on the day the House was considering honoring Planned Parenthood.

Nor is this the first foray into politics for BornAliveTruth.org's executive director, Jill Stanek. A registered nurse, Stanek campaigned against Obama during his 2004 Senate run on this same issue and maintains an influential anti-abortion blog. Hardly one to mince words (she once labeled Michael J. Fox a "cannibal" for his support of stem cell research), Stanek said in an interview that Obama "endorses fourth-trimester abortions -- infanticide.”

Click here to watch "My Friends."

According to a new attack ad out today from MoveOn.org, the John McCain campaign has several advisers with "friends" in the wrong places: oil companies.

The first ad (subscription) of the progressive group's $7 million fall campaign highlights the staple McCain phrase "my friends," which he often says to emphasize a point. MoveOn takes that phrase to mean "the 177 lobbyists who have ties to his campaign." An announcer says, "McCain got $2 million from energy companies. And he didn't support the measures we need to get cleaner, cheaper fuel." The highlighted lobbyists fill various roles in McCain's camp, including Charlie Black as his senior adviser and Randy Scheunemann as his foreign policy adviser.

This spot reiterates a message Barack Obama's camp stressed in an ad released last week. "It's Over" (subscription) questions assertions McCain has made about not catering to special interests and shows members of his team who do lobbying work (a point to which the Washington Post's Fact Checker blog took exception today)

CORRECTION: The original headline of this post misattributed the criticism.

Click here to watch "Fundamentals."

With Wall Street still reeling from news of Lehman Brothers' failure and Merrill Lynch's sale to Bank of America, Barack Obama is seizing on comments made that same morning by rival John McCain. The only sound in "Fundamentals" (subscription) is ominous music and a familiar line that McCain delivered again Monday in Florida: "Our economy, I think, still -- the fundamentals of our economy are strong."

The 30-second spot -- running in "key states," per the campaign -- flashes various messages underscoring the severity of the financial crisis: "Lehman Brothers collapses," "markets in turmoil," "job losses at 605,000 for the year" and "foreclosures at 9,800 a day." It goes on to air footage of McCain at the Florida rally and asks on screen: "How can John McCain fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" The ad concludes with the Democrats' signature attack strategy: showing a photo of McCain with the unpopular President Bush.

Continue reading "Obama Hammers McCain On Strength Of Fundamentals" »

Click here to watch "Honor."

Barack Obama is continuing his on-air offensive, launching another negative ad about John McCain's lobbyist ties over the weekend and using scathing editorials today to suggest that McCain isn't fighting fair. The Illinois senator is also getting some help from a labor union that endorsed him in the primaries: The Service Employees International Union announced that it will spend $2 million running an anti-McCain spot in several battleground states.

In "His Administration" (subscription), Obama builds on a TV spot released last week about the former lobbyists on McCain's campaign team, alleging that the same Washington insiders would run a McCain White House. Pouncing on the recent announcement that Bill Timmons -- whom the ad refers to as "the consummate insider" -- would lead McCain's presidential transition team, an announcer claims that with McCain at the helm, "corporate special interests" will be "rigging the system against hardworking Americans, pushing failed Bush economics."

"Honor" (subscription), meanwhile, goes further than any other Obama ad in striking at McCain's character. It does so with quotes from editorials and op-eds, possibly attempting to shield Obama himself from accusations of being excessively negative. But the ad's message is clear: McCain is running a "disgraceful, dishonorable campaign." The spot opens with video of McCain from his 2000 campaign, pledging not to "take the low road to the highest office in this land," but it claims that he's now "running 'the sleaziest ads ever.'" The announcer concludes that McCain has resorted to "deception" because it is the only strategy "he has left."

The McCain camp responded by calling Obama's latest ad "a desperate effort to move away from talking about his thin, but alarming record on the issues," and said, "It isn’t going to reform Washington or strengthen our economy."

Continue reading "Harsh Words For McCain's Tactics" »

Click here to watch "Brutal."

Since the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund began airing "Brutal" (subscription) on Friday -- a TV spot that skewers VP nominee Sarah Palin for her support of aerial hunting -- donations have been pouring into the environmental advocacy group.

Senior Director Will Lutz said "hundreds of thousands" of dollars in contributions over the weekend will bankroll a wider ad campaign beyond the initial buy in the Toledo and Dayton, Ohio, and Tampa, Fla., markets. The advocacy fund is hoping to start running "Brutal" in Colorado, Michigan and Minnesota -- perhaps as early as today.

The one-minute TV spot juxtaposes Palin's face with clips of marksmen firing at frantic wolves from low-flying airplanes and a wounded wolf writhing in the snow. The ad closes on the image of a lifeless wolf draped onto a plane as the narrator asks, "Do we really want a vice president who champions such savagery?"

For Defenders of Wildlife, an ad campaign was a no-brainer after Palin was tapped for the VP slot.

"Our phones started ringing off the hook -- people panicking with what this woman would do if she were elected," Lutz said. "I think this is an issue that transcends your traditional hard-core conservationists."

Click here to watch "Crisis."

Coinciding with Monday's early-morning announcement that investment firm Lehman Brothers would file for bankruptcy, the McCain camp released its latest ad, "Crisis" (subscription), which contends only "proven reformers John McCain and Sarah Palin can fix" the economy.

The ad makes an explicit reference to the firm about halfway through when an image of the Lehman Brothers headquarters pops up on the screen. An announcer asserts that a McCain-Palin administration would impose "tougher rules on Wall Street to protect your life savings. No special-interest giveaways." The 30-second spot also touches on two mainstay economic topics: creating jobs (by lowering taxes) and lowering gasoline prices (through offshore drilling).

So what's missing from this ad? That would be an attack on McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama. In what has become an increasingly bitter battle between the two sides, this ad shows the GOP camp staying on the positive. Nonetheless, when the announcer stresses that "only proven reformers" McCain and Palin can fix the economy, the ad implies that Obama and running mate Joe Biden don't have what it takes.

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 "Phillip Butler."

On the heels of John McCain's nomination speech at the Republican National Convention -- where he praised his country and cited his prisoner-of-war and military experience as key elements of his biography as a candidate -- came a hard-hitting ad featuring a fellow POW aiming to put all that into doubt.

Brave New PAC, a left-leaning advocacy group, and Democracy for America, which describes itself as the "nation's largest progressive political action community," are partnering to launch a 30-second spot that will run nationwide on CNN, MSNBC and ESPN beginning Sunday. The ad features POW Phillip Butler voicing his concerns about whether McCain's imprisonment necessarily qualifies him to be president. Butler went to the Naval Academy with McCain and was imprisoned with him in Vietnam. "Hell, I’m 70 years old and I’ve lived through being a prisoner of war, I’m going to tell it like it is," Butler says in the ad. "I think I can say with authority that the prisoner of war experience is not a good prerequisite for a president of the United States."

Continue reading "Fellow POW Casts Doubt On McCain" »

Click here to watch "Still."

After a week in which John McCain's camp has seized the momentum and set the tone in the presidential race, Barack Obama's has announced it is fighting back. Part of that effort is a barrage of new TV ads painting McCain as out of touch and a continuation of disruptive, George Bush-style politics.

"Still" (subscription) juxtaposes images of a disco ball, an antiquated computer and a Rubik's Cube with video of McCain in a pair of large horn-rimmed glasses, suggesting that the GOP nominee is stuck in 1982 -- the year he came to Washington. "Things have changed in the last 26 years. But McCain hasn't," an announcer says, pointing out that the Arizona senator admits to not knowing how to use a computer or e-mail. More to the point, the ad continues, he "still doesn't understand the economy," as demonstrated by his tax policy. As an image of Bush appears, the announcer concludes: "After one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the same."

The Obama camp also put out a TV spot (subscription) attacking McCain's "maverick" image and his record as an opponent of special interests. Opening with footage of McCain claiming that "it’s over for the special interests," the spot points out that "seven of McCain’s top advisers are lobbyists." If this is who's running his campaign, an announcer says, "who do you think will run his White House?"

Continue reading "Obama Shows His Tough Side" »

Click here to watch "Doesn't See."

As the Democratic and Republican parties survey the battleground for the presidential election, the parties' Senate committees are doing the same -- and some of the same states are in focus. Colorado and Minnesota are featured in both National Journal's swing state series and Hotline's race rankings of Senate seats likely to switch party control; Virginia, where both Barack Obama and John McCain campaigned this week, is Hotline's No. 1.

Energy and the economy, mainstays of the presidential battle, are hot topics in several Senate races. Another similarity between the presidential and senatorial battles is the negative tone -- the vast majority of both Senate committees' ads have gone on the attack.

Continue reading "Senate Committees Join The Party" »

Click here to watch "Sexual Abuse."

Planned Parenthood unveiled an ad today in response to John McCain's "Education," released Tuesday, which claims that Barack Obama supports "comprehensive sex education" for kindergartners.

"Sexual Abuse" (subscription) is running in the same markets -- Pittsburgh and Denver -- where "Education" is reportedly running. The 30-second spot argues that McCain is "twisting the facts and attacking Senator Obama" for supporting a bill that both Planned Parenthood and the Obama campaign say is aimed at curbing sexual abuse. "Doesn't McCain want our children to protect themselves from sex offenders?" the announcer asks. The spot also cites a Washington Post article from Thursday that disputed many of the claims made in "Education."

Planned Parenthood spokesman Tait Sye said the organization hopes to both "set the record straight" on McCain's "misleading" ad and tell voters that "McCain will say anything to get elected." The group sent a letter to McCain's camp Thursday asking him to pull the ad because of factual errors. Receiving no response, the group ran its own ad, Sye said.

When asked about how the dynamics of the election have changed since the entry of Sarah Palin, Sye brushed off her influence. "The vast majority of Americans don't share her positions," including her staunch opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest, Sye said. Despite polls showing key voter blocs, especially white women, trending toward the GOP after the conventions, he said that Americans simply need to become more informed about Palin. The "McCain-Palin ticket is out of touch with issues that are important to women," he said.

This is the group's second ad of the presidential campaign. Its previous spot was also in direct response to the McCain campaign: "Out Of Touch," released in mid-July, rebuked McCain for awkwardly answering a reporter's question on insurance companies covering Viagra but not birth control.

Click here to view "Had Enough."

The American Future Fund, a conservative free-market advocacy group, began airing a TV spot (subscription) Wednesday encouraging viewers to lobby Congress to pass the Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008 and open parts of the continental shelf for offshore drilling. The ad strings together six claims about the country's untapped energy reserves, including contrasting Cuba's offshore exploration efforts with the American ban on such drilling. It closes by contrasting 45-cents-a-gallon gasoline in Saudi Arabia with fuel prices in the U.S., citing a Wall Street Journal article (subscription) that warns about the possibility of $6 gasoline.

The American Future Fund has run a number of television and radio spots since late summer excoriating Democrats for not getting behind legislation to permit offshore exploration and oil shale extraction from federal lands. But while those ads were run primarily in oil shale-rich Colorado and in Nevada, the home of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D), "Had Enough?" is running nationwide on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC.

"As Congress comes back into session, we thought it was a good opportunity to educate people on energy, knowing that Congress took a five-week recess instead of dealing with these tough issues," said Tim Albrecht, national communications director for the American Future Fund.

A number of the ad's "facts" are open to interpretation, however. The claim that "the U.S. actually has more oil resources than Saudi Arabia" is supported only by a quote in a Washington Post story from President Bush. And even that claim depends on the ability of Big Oil to find a safe, cost-effective way of turning oil shale into fuel for consumers, a challenge that even the petroleum industry says will be a tall order.

More puzzling is the ad's reference to gasoline prices in Saudi Arabia, prices that are kept artificially low by government subsidies.

"It’s quite a contrast between these foreign countries overseas getting rich off the American dollar while they are paying a fraction of what we are," Albrecht said.

So should the U.S. government subsidize gas prices in America?

"No," he said. "We're free-market capitalists here."

Click here to watch "Fact Check."

Between the political bickering over pigs and lipstick, John McCain's campaign released another ad today, "Fact Check" (subscription), which accuses Barack Obama of attempting to smear Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The ad draws upon a Wall Street Journal op-ed that says the Obama campaign has "airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers into" Alaska to "dig into her record and background." The female announcer goes on to charge that "as Obama drops in the polls, he'll try to destroy her."

So, who's the newest cosmetic and/or animal to join the presidential election? Wolves. In a throwback to a George W. Bush ad from 2004, a full five seconds of the 30-second spot is devoted solely to footage of wolves -- representing Obama's "mini-army" -- roaming a forest, in, presumably, Alaska's wilderness.

Click here to watch "Education."

Responding to a Barack Obama TV ad (subscription), John McCain's campaign took to the airwaves Tuesday evening to push back on the issue of education and turn the tables on the Illinois senator. Their response ad, however, has drawn an impassioned rebuke from Obama.

"Education" (subscription) does little to respond to the Obama campaign's claims about McCain's record on the subject, but rather takes a dig at the Illinois senator by citing an article in Education Week that says Obama "hasn't made a significant mark on education." The spot then goes further, suggesting that "Obama's one accomplishment" on education legislation was to pass a bill in Illinois that approved teaching ''comprehensive sex education ... to kindergartners." "Learning about sex before learning to read?" an announcer wonders, concluding that Obama is "wrong on education. Wrong for your family."

The ad prompted one of the most pointed rebuttals yet from the Obama camp. Spokesman Bill Burton called it "shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack against a father of two young girls." He added: "Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn't define what honor was. Now we know why."

Another spat broke out between the rival camps yesterday over a particular women's cosmetic product. On the trail in Virginia, Obama was mocking the notion that McCain and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin represent change agents, when he told a crowd: "You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig." The phrase -- an idiom which McCain himself has used in reference to Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care plan -- is a relatively common analogy, but it evoked a line that Palin used while accepting her party's nomination in Minnesota, when she told the audience that the only "difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull" is "lipstick."

The McCain campaign pounced on Obama's comments, releasing a Web ad this morning. The spot shows a clip of CBS anchor Katie Couric lamenting "the continued and accepted role of sexism in American life" and accuses Obama of using a sexist smear against Palin.

In remarks this morning, Obama dismissed the controversy as an example of "phony outrage and Swift boat politics." Yesterday, Obama adviser Anita Dunn called ad a "pathetic attempt to play the gender card" and charged: "This phony lecture on gender sensitivity is the height of cynicism and lays bare the increasingly dishonorable campaign John McCain has chosen to run."

Click here to watch "No Maverick."

With the John McCain-Sarah Palin ticket enjoying a post-convention bounce, Barack Obama is grappling with the question of how to take on the Republican duo. His campaign was quick to respond to McCain's "Original Mavericks" ad Monday, immediately releasing a spot of its own challenging his opponents' claims that they represent a break from their party.

"No Maverick" (subscription) hits directly and forcefully at both McCain and Palin. The Arizona senator is "hardly a maverick," the announcer says, when he has supported President Bush 90 percent of the time and his campaign team includes several Washington lobbyists. The ad goes on to cite the Anchorage Daily News to argue that, contrary to Palin's claims, she "was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it" -- a point that the Wall Street Journal corroborates today. The announcer suggests that both McCain and Palin are guilty of "lying about their records" and thus merely represent "more of the same" old-style politics.

In a spot released today, however, Obama ignores Palin, choosing instead to focus on the top of the GOP ticket. "What Kind" (subscription) knocks McCain's record on education and accuses him of putting special interests ahead of children. Advancing the notion that McCain is out of touch with voters, the announcer tells viewers that "Obama understands what it takes" to maintain a strong economy -- good education -- while McCain, on the other hand, has gone so far as to propose "abolishing the Department of Education." As Bush materializes on screen next to McCain, the announcer concludes with the now-familiar Obama mantra: "We can't afford more of the same."

Maine Senate (tip sheet)

• Mainers discuss how gasoline prices are affecting business, and Rep. Tom Allen (D) presents his energy plan in "Must."

• "Diabetes" credits Republican incumbent Susan Collins with increased funding for diabetes research.

New Hampshire Senate (tip sheet)

• In the first ad of his re-election bid, Sen. John Sununu (R) asserts he is "quicker" than his opponents, and, despite being the youngest senator in Congress, is the best candidate for the state.

• Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen charges in "Dig" that Sununu is simply continuing President Bush's policies.

New Mexico Senate (tip sheet)

• Rep. Tom Udall (D) calls for action on the energy crisis in "Stop Talking."

North Carolina Senate (tip sheet)

• In "Firepower, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) aims to refute attack ads from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee calling her an ineffective senator, and in "Arf," the Dole camp labels opponent Kay Hagan (D) as "Fibber Kay."

Missouri Governor (tip sheet)

• State Attorney General Jay Nixon (D) attacks Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R) over the economy in "Jobs" and "Border States."

Click here to watch "Original Mavericks."

Fresh off the Republican convention last week and a post-convention bounce in the polls -- either breaking even or pulling ahead of Democratic rival Barack Obama -- John McCain's camp released an ad this morning touting the reform credentials of both McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"Original Mavericks" (subscription) highlights media reports that praise McCain and Palin for going against their party. "He fights pork barrel spending," an announcer says, with a 2007 San Jose Mercury-News headline, "McCain Faults Bush For Pork Barrel Spending," rolling across the screen. "She stopped the Bridge to Nowhere," the announcer continues, accompanied by a 2007 Anchorage Daily News headline -- "Palin Flies High As Reformer."

While McCain's campaign has sought to paint the GOP nominee as a "maverick" for quite some time now, this ad extends that label to the relatively obscure Palin. Since the Republican's VP announcement Aug. 29, the relationship between the media and Palin has been rocky, and voters still seem relatively uninformed about her. This ad, then, also doubles as a biographical spot of Palin, echoing the same message as last week's "Alaska Maverick" -- although that ad made some jabs at Obama for his "empty," "liberal" record in Congress, while the newer one remains positive.

Click here to watch "More."

While most lawmakers, insiders and journalists have been focused on Colorado and Minnesota the last two weeks, it won’t be long until other key states are back in the spotlight. With two short months to go before the election, the Democratic and Republican national committees are targeting Michigan in new ads dealing with the sour economy. One version of the RNC spot (released jointly with the McCain camp) is also running in Ohio.

In "More," the DNC keeps up its "McSame" attack strategy, claiming both John McCain and an unpopular President Bush are not in tune with average Americans' struggles. The spot plays video of both men saying that the fundamentals of the economy are strong while media reports and statistics documenting Michigan's woes flash across the screen. "Michigan is struggling, but some people don't seem to notice," the announcer says.

The McCain/RNC ad, "Recovery," berates not only Barack Obama but also his congressional teammates for opposing offshore drilling. The spot is running in both Ohio and Michigan, with different media reports cited but essentially the same message. The ad opens with gloomy reports of lost jobs and closed factories, then laments: "Incredibly, Barack Obama and out-of-touch congressional leaders still oppose offshore drilling. So, higher gas prices, more foreign oil, fewer jobs, no drilling, no Ohio [Michigan] recovery."

Continue reading "From Colorado To Minnesota To Michigan" »

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 watch "Expensive Plans."

It didn't take the presidential campaigns long to put the bipartisan unity engendered by Hurricane Gustav behind them.

The Republicans today are aiming to resume their regular convention schedule, albeit in a shifted format. That means fair game and open season: Last week, John McCain aired a fresh ad every day of the Democrats’ convention, and on Saturday, Barack Obama returned fire with three new ones.

"Expensive Plans," an ad released jointly by McCain's camp and the Republican National Committee, opens with the staple celebrity reference and links Obama to "out-of-touch congressional leaders" who have "expensive plans." Images of big-name Senate Democrats like Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nev., Charles Schumer, N.Y., and Christopher Dodd, Conn., flash across the screen. "Billions in new government spending. Years of deficits. No balanced budgets. And painful tax increases on working American families," the announcer says. "They’re ready to tax, ready to spend, but not ready to lead."

Continue reading "Camps Get Back To Business With Dueling Ads" »

Click here to watch "See Saw."

A labor advocacy group will begin airing $5 million worth of ads today -- Labor Day -- on national cable and in targeted states to press for legislation that would allow workers to organize without secret ballot elections, the Associated Press reported.

The ads, sponsored by American Rights at Work, do not name either presidential candidate, but the message of economic hardship dovetails with Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s campaign themes.

The national ads will appear on CNN and MSNBC. Localized versions will also appear in states with vulnerable Republican senators: Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Oregon. These ads, expected to air at least four weeks, urge viewers to call the senators to demand their support for the Employee Free Choice Act. They show a well-dressed, heavy-set executive seesawing with a worker and losing his advantage as more workers outweigh him.

Under current labor law, a company can demand a secret ballot election supervised by the federal government after being presented the union cards. The Employee Free Choice Act, a top priority for organized labor, would require employers to recognize unions after being presented union cards signed by a majority of eligible workers on their payrolls.

The Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, a group backed by business groups and conservative organizations, has been campaigning against the legislation with its own ads in key states.

The Senate last year blocked an effort to pass the legislation; the House approved it in March 2007.

-- Convention Nightly staff

Click here to watch "Thanks For The Memories!"

A left-leaning advocacy group released an ad today in almost 400,000 hotel rooms across the country, including 5,000 in the Twin Cities area, tweaking conservatives for what the group contends has been eight years of "failure" -- most notably Republicans’ response to Hurricane Katrina.

Although the sarcastic "Thanks For The Memories!" is running nationwide, the target audience is primarily the attendees and participants of the GOP national convention. The ad opens with the text, "To the conservatives gathered in St. Paul: Thanks for the memories!" It uses the song lyrics and dismal images -- including a flood-stricken New Orleans -- to "thank" the Republicans for the economy's downward spiral. "Thanks for the memories... of sentimental verse... nothing in my purse..." the female vocalist sings as a gasoline pump and a foreclosure sign come up on the screen. The 30-second spot concludes with another Katrina reference: "You've done a heckuva job!" but "We'll take it from here."

Toby Chaudhuri, communications director for the group, said bringing the images of Hurricane Katrina front and center -- it is the first image in the ad -- was an obvious decision in light of Hurricane Gustav's impact on this year’s convention. The storm "has helped the made-for-TV show, giving the failed president and vice president a reason to stay out of town," Chaudhuri said. "Ten incumbent Republican senators already had decided that absence was the better part of valor.”

Chaudhuri doesn't have much faith in the GOP and has every intention of letting the conventioneers know that: "We're going straight into the lion’s den to remind delegates about the last eight years of failures. It will be difficult to salvage the Republican Party. Even Gustav is more of a haunted reminder of the bungled response to Katrina than a do-over."

The group bought airtime with a cable carrier that's exclusive to hotels, known as the Hotel Networks. It was an effective way to target Republicans visiting the Twin Cities, Chaudhuri said.

Click here to watch "No Change."

To the Obama campaign, John McCain has had a running mate beside him long before Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- President Bush.

In a new ad released today -- pre-emptively stealing some thunder from the Republicans' convention in the Twin Cities this week -- Barack Obama charges that there will be "no change" with McCain as president, regardless of Palin's addition to his ticket.

"Well, he's made his choice. But for the rest of us, there's still no change," an announcer says over footage of Palin and McCain together. The spot goes on to criticize McCain on the economy, Iraq, and, of course, Bush: McCain "votes with George Bush 90 percent of the time," the announcer laments. The ad concludes by saying, "While this may be his running mate [showing Palin on the screen], America knows this [switching to Bush] is John McCain's agenda. And we can't afford four more years of the same."

There has been some controversy over how the Obama campaign has reacted to McCain's veep choice. While Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., cordially welcomed Palin into the race, campaign spokesman Bill Burton had harsher words about her, which Obama has since distanced himself from. This spot, however, was carefully crafted not to mention Palin by name or criticize her. The focus, and the Democrats' attack strategy as a whole, remains on McCain and an unpopular Republican Party. It also subtly gnaws at one of the reasons many believe McCain picked Palin: her reputation as a reformer, not a Washington insider. Asserting that she won't make a difference as his running mate implies that she doesn't have what it takes -- be it experience or an "outsider" mindset -- to be vice president.

While this spot has triggered the most talk, Obama's campaign released two other ads Saturday in local buys addressing specific issues.

In an ad running in Detroit, an announcer says that while McCain has turned his back on the ailing auto industry, Obama supports measures that helps "revitalize" the city and its auto workers.

Biden takes center stage in another ad running in Northeast Pennsylvania. "Scranton" recounts what Biden has learned about working hard while growing up there and draws parallels between his childhood and Obama's. "Barack Obama learned the same lessons while being raised by a single mom and his grandparents -- responsibility, determination, respect, to stand up for the dignity of all our families," Biden proclaims. "So it's good to be coming home -- and bringing home a friend."

Click here to watch "Convention Night."

No celebrity reference. No charge that Barack Obama isn’t ready to lead, no inclusion of criticism from Hillary Rodham Clinton. No more of the attacks the McCain camp has been bombarding the Democratic convention with all week.

In "Convention Night," released just hours before Obama takes the stage at Invesco Field to accept his party's nomination, John McCain gives kudos to his opponent. "Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America," McCain says, facing the camera. "Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say: Congratulations."

The Arizona senator goes on to acknowledge the significance of Obama speaking on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. "How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day," McCain says to his opponent. "Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But tonight, Senator, job well done."

The 30-second spot keeps things simple. McCain faces the camera in front of a nondescript background, and no text rolls across the screen. Brian Rogers, spokesman for the campaign, called the ad "unprecedented" in an e-mail sent earlier today alerting reporters. It will air in battleground states as well as national cable tonight as Obama speaks to nearly 80,000 supporters in Denver.

Click here to watch "Tiny."

John McCain's camp is keeping a close eye on the Democratic convention schedule, coordinating its attack ads with speakers and topics. Tonight’s convention focus is national security, and McCain’s new spot hits Barack Obama where it may hurt the most: his foreign policy credentials, or, as McCain argues, the lack thereof.

"Tiny" (subscription) uses statements Obama made at a rally in May to assert that the Illinois senator doesn't think Iran is a serious threat. "Obama says Iran is a 'tiny' country, 'doesn't pose a serious threat.' Terrorism? Destroying Israel? Those aren't 'serious threats'?" the announcer chides. Reiterating McCain's attack staple that his opponent doesn't have the experience needed to lead, the ad concludes: "Obama: dangerously unprepared to be president."

This is the latest of several ads the campaign has recently released -- one every day of the Democratic convention. Indeed, it was no coincidence that the GOP released two ads portraying Hillary Rodham Clinton in a light favorable to McCain and unfavorable to her own party's candidate on Tuesday -- when she delivered a speech urging her millions of supporters and attending delegates to rally behind Obama.

Click here to watch "Know Enough?."

Efforts by a third-party organization to tie Barack Obama to the leader of a home-grown terrorist group are being met with stiff opposition from the Obama camp, perhaps demonstrating that Democrats learned their lesson in 2004. Four years ago, John Kerry waited several weeks to respond to ads launched by the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, by which time the organization's message had already taken hold. This time around, Democrats are not taking any chances.

American Issues Project launched a TV ad last week presenting Obama as "friends" with William Ayers, once a member of the Weather Underground, the now-defunct radical group responsible for bombing the Capitol in 1971. The ad quotes Ayers saying, years later, that the group "didn't do enough," and an announcer says that Obama has nonetheless "defended Ayers as 'respectable' and 'mainstream.'"

"Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol -- and is proud of it?" the announcer asks over ominous music. "Do you know enough to elect Barack Obama?"

The ad also references 9/11, comparing the 1971 bombing to the hijacking of United 93, which al-Qaida may have intended to fly into the Capitol building.

AIP President Ed Martin said that the spot was turned down for national ad buys on Fox News and CNN but is running regionally in several swing states -- including Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania. According to a letter filed with the Federal Election Commission, it is being financed by Harold Simmons, a Texas billionaire who also contributed to the Swift Boat campaign and is a bundler for John McCain.

Continue reading "Obama Reacts To Ayers Attack" »

Click here to watch "I Am The Surge."

Anti-war protesters plan to make their voices heard in Denver and St. Paul over the coming days, but one third-party organization is taking a different message to the airwaves during the parties' national conventions. Vets For Freedom, a group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, released a new TV spot today urging Barack Obama to acknowledge that the surge strategy has been successful in stabilizing Iraq.

"I Am The Surge" features Gabriel Herrera, David Thul and Travis Quinlan, all of whom were deployed in Iraq during the surge. Herrera claims that Obama "credits the improvements in Iraq to anything but the surge." But, Quinlan argues, "I know the surge worked. I was there. I saw al-Qaida decimated." The soldiers encourage viewers to call Obama and ask him to support Senate Resolution 636, which "recognizes the success of the surge." The resolution is sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn. -- both of whom are surrogates for John McCain and past members of the Vets For Freedom board of advisers.

Vets For Freedom chairman Pete Hegseth, who just returned from a trip to Iraq, said in a press release that the organization "will not stand by and let the incredible progress of our troops go unnoticed by the American public and lawmakers from either side of the aisle.” In addition to releasing the ad, Hegseth and Vice Chairman David Bellavia are in Denver this week to talk to Democratic leaders about what they saw on their recent trip.

"Senator Obama has said that he would still oppose the surge if given another opportunity, and has pointed to every outside factor -- but the surge -- to explain improvements in Iraq. We hope he will listen to the veterans who have served there and support this important resolution for the sake of the troops," Hegseth said.

The ad will also run in battleground states Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and Colorado for the next four weeks.