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Obama Tries to Kill Ayers Ad
- Filed under: Ad Watch, Obama, Scandalous
- Date: Aug 26,2008
A glimpse into the potential future of free speech.
AP: Barack Obama is striking back fiercely and swiftly to stamp out an ad that links him to a 1960s radical, eager to demonstrate a far more aggressive response to attacks than John Kerry did when faced with the 2004 "Swift Boat" campaign.
Obama not only aired a response ad to the spot linking him to William Ayers, but he sought to block stations the commercial by warning station managers and asking the Justice Department to intervene. The campaign also planned to compel advertisers to pressure stations that continue to air the anti-Obama commercial.
Some success so far on this front, as Fox News and CNN have refused to run the ad (which can be watched after the jump), which is being put out and paid for by the American Issues Project. The ad is brutal, which explains why Obama wants to kill it off (like living babies who survive abortions).
It is kind of a damned if you damned if you don't situation for Team Obama here. Obama wanted to respond, but now the MSM might have to actually cover the story. He knows it can't be good to be linked to Ayers, but that is his own doing - it is pretty clear he isn't just "a guy who lives in my neighborhood," as many people, including Hillary Clinton have pointed out. The way I see it, his counter ad raises more questions that it does provide answers along with reinforcing the fact that indeed, they are friends and Obama started his political career in the living room of someone who planted bombs in the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, and police stations, and said he felt he "didn't do enough" in 2001. So, as of 2001, Ayers still promoted terrorism. Obama is (was?) still friends with him until recent scrutiny came.
Obama's piece asks, "Why is McCain talking about the sixties?" McCain didn't run the ad (which Obama's ad tries to get you to think), but the original ad does address the recent relationship between Obama and Ayers. The counter commercial ignores that aspect. The Obama ad goes on to say Obama was only 8 when Ayers committed these acts. Obama wasn't 8 when he was launching his political career with a fund raiser at the Ayers house, so that doesn't really fly. Senator Obama willingly linked himself to Ayers. That has nothing to do with John McCain.
This Obama rebuttal was one of the worst political ads ever and I think they will regret running it. In related news, this morning the records from the Chicago Annenberg Challenge will be unsealed. I don't pretend to know what is in them, but I do know I will be waiting to find out. Obama was chairman of the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a foundation where Ayers was a founder. That is the "left-wing board" the original ad refers to. My only prediction is that we find out that Ayers was not "just a guy in my neighborhood" and the connection between the two runs much deeper.
Funny: "Veeps" at johnmccain.com, a take off on "The Sims."
23 Responses for "Obama Tries to Kill Ayers Ad"
It's unfortunate that to compete against a very strong Democratic candidate, conservatives must resort to using lines like this one:
"The ad is brutal, which explains why Obama wants to kill it off (like living babies who survive abortions)."
The guilt by association routine failed when Hillary resorted to it. She did it because her campaign was frantic and desperate.
After last night's very strong showing by Democrats, I guess I don't blame conservatives for being desperate.
Ben, how about ole Jim Leach, huh?
Reverend,
Obama is not a strong candidate, if he was he'd be up by 15 points in this environment.
And this convention is lame and dishonest. If it was honest the speakers would be Ayers, Dohrn, Wright, Pfleger, and Rezko.
Excuse me..what?
Why are so many REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS scared by the very idea of John McCain being President? Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cfNPM3YQ9Y
McCain was just thought to be a nat that Obama could step on as he walked to the White House and now that is not proving so. He looks vulnerable for the first time on the national stage. That is not the Barack H Obama I knew.
If Obama was so strong why is he running so far behind other Democrats?
McCain's not a "nat", and he has a high degree of name-recognition from having been a Senator for 22 years and running for president before. He's also a "war hero". I don't think there's anyone taking him lightly.
The media has ignored or suppressed negative stories about McCain, including cheating on his first wife, the Keating S&L scandal, and his misogyny (evidenced by calling his current wife the "c-word" in public over her joshing him about his receding hairline).
I think the debates are going to be revealing.
I agree, Ben, that this ad was not produced by the McCain campaign.
The Obama campaign could have spun the ad as being illegitimate, saying that the sponsors of the ad were dubious, if not downright shady, and asserted that McCain, himself, would have never run that ad. I think that would have strategically placed the sponsor on the fringe with no leg to stand on with the McCain camp scrambling to make doubly sure that they were in no way connected to the ad, allowing Obama to dodge an explanation of the issue altogether.
Instead, the Obama response to not only run the counter ad that they did, but to further try to silence the ad and ask for the launch of a criminal investigation coupled with an attempt to intimidate stations from airing the ad does two things that Obama shouldn't want to happen:
1) a certainty that more attention is paid to the Ayers issue in relation to Obama;
and 2) the prospect that Obama lands squarely on the wrong side of discussions about censorship and freedom of speech.
Dumb move. Shows lack of judgment.
DJW, I think both your points are dead on.
Alex, you are right as well. Obama and his team viewed McCain and all of us who back him as just some group he could bypass on his way to the White House. It hasnt worked out that way.
Rev, what about Jim Leach. Who cares. He lost in 2006 and even so almost no one knows who he is. It would be like if I bragged about Ken Salazar's counsin supporting McCain. Linc Chafee next?
Obama wants this ad off for one reason. It is effective.
Gallup Daily: No Bounce for Obama in Post-Biden Tracking
McCain creeps ahead, 46% to 44%USA Election 2008 Gallup Daily Americas Northern America
PRINCETON, NJ — It's official: Barack Obama has received no bounce in voter support out of his selection of Sen. Joe Biden to be his vice presidential running mate.
Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 23-25, the first three-day period falling entirely after Obama's Saturday morning vice presidential announcement, shows 46% of national registered voters backing John McCain and 44% supporting Obama, not appreciably different from the previous week's standing for both candidates. This is the first time since Obama clinched the nomination in early June, though, that McCain has held any kind of advantage over Obama in Gallup Poll Daily tracking.
The title/claims of this post are about as dishonest as the ad itself.
Free speech does not allow for a free right to slander someone.
Moreover, according to much analysis, the ad is probably outside of campaign law and contains plenty of false information.
Meaning, there is a legit reason the ad should not be aired….but nevermind that, i suppose.
What false information is in the ad? His bombings? That Obama and him are friends? That they served on that board together? What?
Odd that Obama went down in both tracking polls today. Friday's sample rolled off, yesterday's went on (taken before last nights speeches), leaving us with Saturday, Sunday, and Monday as the days the #s are coming from. Though I was happy to see it, I still think this one day movement was more statistical noise. We shall see over the next few days.
don't forget our bet chuck k you will be out of here soon
Wouldn't it be more honest and politically expedient for Obama to admit whatever relationship exists (existed?) and then move forward? A relationship with Ayers is not considered a positive in my mind, but at least he could show character by admitting what is or was there. He certainly won't lose any of his hardcore supporters because of this.
I'm sure his campaign staff could put a good spin on it.
I am waiting to be disappointed by the platforms of both parties as they avoid and evade the critical issues and harsh realities of our economy.
It's beginning to feel like deja vu, attacking McCain for the ads won't work, he didn't make them, and making an even larger deal about the ads? Makes more people know about them than would have.
I'm on Obama's mailing list, and the first reaction from the Obama campaign regarding the Ayers ad was to falsely attribute the ad to McCain, and to threaten criminal action to suppress the ad, like you said.
Bad and bad from the Obama people.
We are only talking about half of the question. It isn't just what did Obama see in Ayers. That is obvious, he was a young politician looking for access to money and political inroads? The more important question is what did Ayers see in the young Obama that made him decide to support his candidacy? We know what kind of scum Ayers is, what about Obama impresses someone like that?
Yes Bill. Good point.
Why did Ayers seek out to be associated with Obama?
Obambis reaction tells it all.
That's correct. The more they complain about the ad the greater it's effectiveness.
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