New McCain Ad: Obama To Blame For High Gas Prices

John McCain is out with a new campaign ad (his second attack spot in less than a week) with a message that is hardly discreet: Barack Obama is to blame for skyrocketing gas prices.

The spot, entitled "Pump," will air on national cable and in key states according to the campaign. And it is a doozy. Opening with a picture of a solitary pump -- for some reason positioned in the middle of a river -- a narrator chimes in:

"Gas prices -- $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America. No to independence from foreign oil. Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump?"

In the background comes an ever increasing chant of "Obama, Obama," followed by a picture of the Illinois Democrat.

"One man knows we must now drill more in America and rescue our family budgets. Don't hope for more energy, vote for it. McCain."

Ignoring, for the moment, the idea that high gas prices are the fault of one senator as opposed to, say, the President of the United States, there are other objectionable aspects to McCain's latest spot. For starters, McCain is a recent convert to off-shore drilling, so his opposition (if it had an effect at all) is as responsible for our country's energy problems as Obama's. More significantly, of course, the implicit message of the ad -- that more drilling will lead to short-term relief at the pump -- is a notion disputed by every credible economist, including many of the 300 McCain claims support his candidacy.

Update: The Obama campaign responds, with a statement from spokesman Tommy Vietor.

"John McCain said recently that 'our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been thirty years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington.' As someone who's been in Washington for 26 years, Senator McCain is one of those politicians, and he's consistently opposed investments in renewable energy that would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Now he's proposing nearly $4 billion in tax breaks for the oil companies and Washington gimmicks that he admits will only provide 'psychological relief' to consumers. Barack Obama has fought for energy independence in the Senate and has a plan to invest $150 billion in renewable sources of energy that will create five million new jobs and provide struggling families with an immediate energy rebate and a $1,000 middle-class tax cut."

Comments

[dutt]

Well I sure am glad to know who is really responsible for high gas prices. I was mistakenly under the impression that instability in the Middle East created through war in Iraq and the threat of war in Iran as well as a weak dollar in an economy ravaged by fiscal irresponsibility had something to do with the high prices. I also erroneously saw a connection with the high prices and the record profits currently enjoyed by the oil industry, an industry that our current administration has very strong connections with. McCain is a straight talker and if he says its Obama's fault, I believe him.

[Rubyfoo]

That makes sense, and the Pope is responsible for starting the Iraq war, and Martians are responsible for starting the AIDS epidemic. Well, prove me wrong.

[sowhatdemos]

And reThuglicans would NEVER, EVER LIE to us, right?

[demfriend]

When our government has almost a 75% fill in it's oil reserves then the idea of Bush releasing any of it to scare those who jack the oil prices up would be a good plan. The Opec guys all have said repeatedly that there is more than enough oil in the world for all and that the increased oil prices wasn't due to the lack of oil. With that in mind the oil market has been hijacked by some people who speculate on the prices and scare people which in turn raises the prices more as we have all seen in recent months. I am not saying there is a unlimited amount of oil to be drilled as there is not but there is a need to focus on the clean energy that has been repeatedly killed by the auto industry. Now that the auto industry has taken such huge hits maybe now there will be a sharing of information that wil lead to the clean energy cars we might have already had they not stopped the advances every chance they had in years past.

[DavidMG]

POP QUIZ:
Who took the solar panels off the White House roof?
Answer this question correctly and you'll know which party is responsible for the energy/env­ironmental crisis.

[KenGirard]

A bunch of contractors.
So you are saying that it is the fault of the working class that the cost of gas is high.

Makes sense in a way. If they wouldn't have bought all those vehicals with the oversized bodies and over powered engines, we might have used a lot less fuel over the last 20+ years.
And then there is the habit of buying the biggest house one can afford (or not afford), add in an over sized boat, ATCs, new gadgets every 6 months, etc.

See, I think it is time to admit that EVERYONE is a little bit responisble for the world we live in.

[DavidMG]

No, it was Ronnie Reagan. (Jimmy Carter put them up BTW.)

[CTmom13]

Monday, July 21, 2008
Phil Gramm, not so gone after all

After top McCain adviser Phil Gramm called Americans "whiners" for being under the mistaken assumption that we're in a recession, another top McCain surrogate said tonight that in fact Phil Gramm is coming back - he seemed to suggest that Gramm will continue to advise McCain during the campaign, and he'll get an appointment in a McCain administration. So the McCain campaign lied when they said Phil Gramm was out. Here's a rush transcript of Kudlow and Company tonight:
http://www.americablog.com/2008/07/phil-gramm-not-so-gone-after-all.html

[VOTER]

"I'm T. Boone Pickens: McCane and his staff don't know Sh%T."

[preatorius]

Gas prices just dropped agin. Thanks Obama!

[nellie]

Hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahahahaha­!!!!!

[nativeeyes]

The OLE Blame the Black Guy bit. Are they really that stupid? OMG!!

[nativeeyes]

I hope the Bubbas of America wake up see this as a just plain stupidity.

It wasn't going to be to long before than use the "Black guy did it" strategy. lol!!!

What is next, Obama caused his Banks to fail?

[ricangirl1805]

Dont forget climate change, moral decline, value of the dollar, home foreclosur­es.....HOW STUPID DOES MCCAIN THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE???????????

[mindlessmissy]

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black ...

[TreetopFlyer]

Here's the real low down: One day Mame went swimming nude, now the boys are all drillin' for crude. Put the blame on Mame, boys, put the blame on Mame.

[Birdman]

As absurd as this ad is I suspect 60 percent of americans will believe it, maybe 70 percent. After all GW is president and McCain is in a almost tied with Obama, yes indeed it boggles my mind.

[SFkid]

If there's anyone to blame for gas prices it would be GW Bush, John McCain and everyone that voted for these 2 lug nuts. You made your beds now sleep in it.

Bush = McCain

[SFkid]

John McCain serves the best bowl of BS this side of the U.S. Mmmm, good!