McCain On Defense: New Ad Tries To Revive "Maverick" Identity

Barack Obama's two consecutive days of offense seem to have already paid small dividends: the McCain campaign feels compelled to defend their candidate's "maverick" persona.

While McCain's sucker-punch attack ads were the toast of the political commentariat last week, there was also much discussion of whether the Rove-style messaging would dilute the Arizona Republican's brand of incorruptibility and maverick honor.

That debate appears to be over, at least in McCain-land: the Senator seems to think his positive image could do with a bit of recapitulation.

Thus this ad, "Broken," which opens with the line: "Washington's broken. John McCain knows it. We're worse off than we were four years ago." It's notable for a word that doesn't appear anywhere: Obama.

In a press release tied to the ad, the McCain campaign provided numerous citations -- including a testimonial from consumer advocate Joan Claybrook, president of the Ralph Nader-founded Public Citizen organization. Still, the ad's claim that McCain is the "original maverick" seems a bit far-fetched, what with Republican Senate moderates like Mark Hatfield having already established a fine tradition before McCain ever entered the chamber.

Full script below:

ANNCR: Washington's broken. John McCain knows it. We're worse off than we were four years ago.

Only McCain has taken on big tobacco, drug companies, fought corruption in both parties. He'll reform Wall Street, battle Big Oil, make America prosper again.

Story continues below

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He's the original maverick.

One is ready to lead -- McCain.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.

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UPDATE: The Obama camp responds with a statement and a clip from a GOP debate in which McCain said the country was "better off" than it was "eight years ago" -- admittedly a different time frame than that in McCain's latest ad, but interesting nonetheless.

"Senator McCain wants Americans to forget that during the Republican primary, he said that Americans were better off than we were eight years ago, and that he thinks we've made 'great progress economically.' He wants us to forget that he's fully embraced the Bush policies he once opposed, and bragged about supporting those policies 'more than 90 percent of time.' The truth is, being a maverick isn't practicing the same kind of politics we have seen from Washington for decades, it isn't having a campaign run by Washington lobbyists, and it's certainly not promoting the same policies that have led America down the wrong path these past eight years," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

Here's the video of McCain saying America has been better off under President George W. Bush:

Comments

[GuyFawkes]

As Jon Stewart once said, "How can he complain about Washington being broken? He's been there for 26 years!"

[Lost Soul]

LOL excellent point. Did you also notice he said nothing about bringing down big oil companies in his ad? Oh wait, how could he? They are his major contributors..silly me.

[poco767b]

LOOOOK AT MEEEE!!!!

[bogues]

Definition of Maverick: a person who is independant of any political party or group. How on earth can McCain see himself as a maverick, when he agrees with George Bush 95% of the time and has allowed his campaign to be taken over by Karl Rove surrogates. He is a maverick in his own mind and nothing more.

[Xenopus]

The original horse's arse maybe, this guy is such a phony it is pathetic. Grumpy, old, self-centered,
mudslinging, temperamental republican politician. Scratch the surface, he is Bush/Cheney to the core......Maverick, that's a hoot.

[suzyhein]

more meaningless tripe.

[americanboi]

Any takers on how many media outlets play McCain's comments over and over..and over..and over again?

Not many if any.

[Bettysdad]

He's more like a Pinto.

Cheap, small, fatally flawed.

[mexamerican]

and he's given to exploding when rear-ended.

[scooperss]

And HOW do you know that?

[Robert59]

Pintos were great. I owned two of them, both 71 models. I did worry about getting rear ended, but talk about a car that was easy to work on.
Lots of great memories in those cars. And the backseat in the hatchback folded down. I spent many a Friday night sleeping off a night on the town outside the place I worked Saturday mornings. The sun would wake me up. I would walk a block to a taqueria, get a couple of tacos and a coffee, and by midmorning I would have sweated all the beer out of me loading trucks.

You didn't mean for your comment to be a trip down memory lane but it was. And my wife and I certainly took advantage of that fold down seat.

Cheap, maybe? Fatally flawed, but only because Ford wouldn't put a six dollar piece of rubber in the neck of the gas tank so when the tank snapped after an accident it wouldn't tear spark and cause a fire.

But small, no

[JBS]

I had a 72 Pinto wagon. It was WEIRD. All of the "Made in the USA" body had metric hardware, and everything on the German made engine was SAE standard. Go figure.

The wagon didn't have the gas filler neck right in the back; no room because of the lift gate, so they put it to the side where it didn't get damaged if someone hit you from behind.

Got great gas mileage though, even with an automatic transmission. If it'd had a 5 speed, I'd probably still have it.

[DaOne]

Maverick "We're worse off then we were four years ago"

Maverick "I voted for and campaigned with George Bush in 2004"

When leadership was needed, Maverick displayed the terrible judgment that made us worse off than we were four, and eight, years ago.

[Mitchell4A]

Maverick!? Forget it. He won't be able to break away from Bush. See McCain on Bush, video link in:

“A Dozen Reasons Why McCain Won’t Win: Money-Back Guarantee”
http://msa4.wordpress.com/

[talkingclock]

Old codger is more like it

[steamboat]

I thought James Garner was the original Maverick.

[Querent]

If we have to have a broken down old geezer as president, why not James Garner instead of McSame. At least he's lovable.

[alguien]

who's the 2-bit clint eastwood knock off they're using for the voiceover?

[macbabe]

he's a legend in his own mind, no one else cares!!

[sharonh]

I honestly think the Bushs had hopes for Jeb to continue their "appointed political dynasty", but Georgie screwed it all up, and now the republicans have nothing. I have never seen an ad campaign so ineffective. He needs help. Hey, where did everybody go?

[DoTheMath]

So what, is he just going to ping-pong us back and forth until we have no idea what he is? That's probably his best chance. Confusion.

[DaOne]

Maverick, will you compel Rove to testify before congress?