McCain Sex-Ed Ad Launched; Obama Camp: "Perverse"

John McCain is out with a response ad to Barack Obama's attacks today on his education policy, accusing the Democratic nominee of not accomplishing a single education-related goal other than to promote "comprehensive sex education" to kindergartners. Seriously, it's come to this.

The spot, titled "Education," comes after the two candidates went back and forth over education issues most of Tuesday. It is an attack the Obama campaign should be ready for. The same lines were used against the Senator during his run for office in 2004 by challenger Alan Keyes, and were brought up during the primary by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

In essence, Obama supported "age appropriate" sex-education for children as a means of teaching them what was proper or inproper touching, as well as to protect them against pedophiles, his campaign has said. Used in the context of the McCain campaign ad, however, Obama's stance becomes another one of those cultural issues that seems designed to alienate the Illinois Democrat from more socially moderate voters.

And very quickly, the Obama campaign came out with a hard hitting response, pointing to a series of education accomplishments made by Obama, and calling McCain "perverse" for the latest attack.

"It is 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 - a position that his friend Mitt Romney also holds. Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn't define what honor was. Now we know why," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

Read more: McCain's Ad Cites Articles That Rip Him Worse Than Obama

Here is the script of that ad that the McCain folks say will be airing in "key" states.

Story continues below

Education Week says Obama "hasn't made a significant mark on education".

That he's "elusive" on accountability.

A "staunch defender of the existing public school monopoly".

Obama's one accomplishment?

Legislation to teach "comprehensive sex education" to kindergartners.

Learning about sex before learning to read?

Barack Obama.

Wrong on education. Wrong for your family.

Comments

[jkays]

Planned Parenthood slams McCain for distorting Obama's Record on Sex Ed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGBa-4ufCFg

[freestuffffff]

McCain's "I approve this messsage" in his new anti-grumpy old man voice sounds downright pedophilic.

[AryanMjolnir]

Sickening! Just plain sickening! And the worst part is that they know they are lying!!!!

[AmazingChicken]

".....Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn't define what honor was. Now we know why," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.....

Why isn't Obama in press conferences THIS week, saying this? Why leave this potent observation in Bill Burton's lap? It's an entirely appropriate attack for Obama to use. This is nothing short of dishonorable.

[LMurphy418]

It's ads like this that essentially give the American people the finger. Low. Lower than low.

[strangerinthenight]

Parents should be primarily responsible for sex education of their children. My mom and dad really did not talk much about this to me and my brothers. I wish they had. Although while in HS, I was more bent on going to college and fortunately, in my case I was responsible enough. I am sure that most of my classmates were sexually active, and I had the same experience in my Sr. High. I know several who got pregnants, and others had abortions.

Now, at 27 when I think what was happening in HS, I shake my head. I am so fortunate that I didn't go through that experiences.

Sad, but it's getting worse. Now, we do need sex education in school. I will vote for that.

[plainthoughts]

Ads such as this show how low a campaign will go. Ads like this are produced when a campaign knows their candidate is losing. The real info is out on the blogs and the internet. Corporate media is bias and morally corrupt , that why most americans get their information from internet sites and blogs. Continue to spread the correct and unfiltered knowledge thats not controlled by america's corrupt media. Disregard all that you hear and talk to your friends, co-workers and family and make them realize the future of this country rest on electing Obama president and sweeping the republican party out of power.

[Tommygun264]

This is how Obama should respond, SERIOUSLY:

http://www.236.com/news/2008/09/10/if_democrats_were_republicans_2_8871.php

[exPatPatti]

Is there a link? Or is this just another figment of your imagination?

[exPatPatti]

McCain has proven he will stoop to NOTHING. Not even at victimizing children, to win this thing. It has gotten perverted now, that is for sure and an accurate description of this whole ugly turn of ill. McCane has no right to stand on any moral high ground when he left his devoted wife and had an affair with someone young enough ts be his child.

[sjohnnie5]

sex education does NOT belong in schools, it is the right and duty of parents to teach their children about sex, and it is their right to teach THEIR morals and THEIR views on sex or no sex, abstinence or birth control. I don't want YOU teaching my children about sex. I WILL DO that, not YOU. So don't shove this stuff down my throat, saying that it's an "accomplishment" that B.O. wants to teach a 5 year old about sex. It's none of his business and none of a teacher's business, and none of YOUR business what I want to teach and when I want to teach my child about sex.

[MDinOK]

sjohnnie5, It is people like you that John McCain is trying to reach. Sex education is already being taught in school at the elementary - highschool level. Obama is not advocating the type of sex education that is taught in middle school or highschool. We have so many children who are abused everyday. Some children are not as fortunate to have a parent such as you to explain to them what abuse is.

[jennapoofers]

I think you should do your research on exactly what that measure was proposing before you start ranting about your right as a parent.

[amcg50]

You are so uneducated about things; this is a preventative thing to protect kids against ped ophiles! perhaps that is not important to you but to most of us I think that it is!

[cmp]

Oh, get off your high horse, sjohnnie5. I, too, was a very progressive, hip mom. I taught my children, at a very young age, the areas of the body that were not appropriate, for ANYONE to touch. And they understood that. I was more concerned with keeping my children, children, for as long as possible. That said, for being so hip, I was not comfortable talking about sex to my children, or even knew at what age I should. I was glad that their school system took that burden from me and decided when that time was right. When evidence showed me that my children were thinking and/or talking about sex, I jumped on teaching them how to protect themselves from STDs, and unwanted pregnancies. The bottom line, that I think your missing, is that a lot of parents, like me, are to caught up in their children being children, we sometimes miss the right opportunity to speak on issues that are very important. We're human. We all have to work together to keep our children safe. Especially, our teachers, who spend more time with our children than we do.

[ltyr2002]

Crappy, nasty, Karl Rove ad!

McCain should be ashamed of this ad and fire the people who made it. But of course, he approved of it. Just like he approved of Sara Palin, the ignoramus, for VP.

McCain, I hate to say, was also "broken" by his loss to Bush in 2000 and has been doing a far right dance ever since. I miss the old McCain.

Still like him, but can't vote for him because of Palin.

[babyboomer55]

Obama supporters have to get the issues out there and get the people to forget about "lipstick". Many foolish people feel that the Republicans should win because Palin is "a mom", "she's just like me",she's "hot" (testosterone talking), nice glasses,etc- its almost like, okay , she has female parts-vote her in as first woman VP. People are forgetting about issues. A woman's right to choose comes to mind. I grew up when there were no abortions in my state. Two girls from respectable, church going families got pregnant in high school. They couldn't tell their loving parents, who like us, thought they had a great relationship with their daughters. One chose to sneak and fly to NY to an unknown abortion clinic; she's still glad her parents never found out. The other girl nearly died after attempting to abort with a hanger. Does Palin want to take us back to those days instead of insuring sanitary clinics should a woman choose abortion? I am not pro-abortion but I am pro-choice. And like everyone else, I almost forgot! McCain is running for president, not Palin. McCain made a great choice. His campaign was in the dumper so he found someone to distract Americans from the real issues with "lipstick"! We all enjoy freedom to choose our religion, freedom of speech and freedom of choice. How many of these freedoms will McCain and Palin work to take away from us if they are put in office?

[sjohnnie5]

"two girls from respectable, church going families got pregnant in high school"

respectable church going??? and you use the word pregnant in the same sentence to prove that abortion is okay? how about abstinence and don't bring up Governor Palin's daughter. If there were less junk in the movies and tv and billboard ads promoting sex, perhaps we wouldn't have the need for abortion? Or how about good old shame for doing something wrong as a preventive? think about it.

[sacrebleu]

At this rate, I predict that some time in mid-October McCain will put out an ad claiming that it was Obama in the book depository that day.

[cjnoyessw]

Comprehensive Sexual Education involves age appropriate information, not teaching sex ed at this age, but things that are appropriate in that age. This type of program has been widely tested and validated using scientific standards and is designed to build on each age and help them as they grow able to make the right decisions. These types of programs have much better results than the alternatives which don't work and cause more harm than good.