Obama Ad Goes After McCain For Being Old, Incompetent

There has been talk in recent days that Barack Obama would get tougher in his campaigning following the September 11th détente between he and McCain. Sure enough, Friday morning the Senator released his most personalized attack ad yet.

Making overt references to McCain's age, the spot, titled "Still," calls the Republican nominee out-of-touch, showing footage of him from 1982 alongside screen shots of disco balls, a (Zach Morris-like) old school cell phone, a record player and a rubix cube. It even calls McCain out for his unfamiliarity with the Internet. And, as a parting jab, the ad uses footage of the Arizona Republican riding with George H.W. Bush in a golf cart.

"1982," reads the campaign. "John McCain goes to Washington. Things have changed in the last 26 years. But McCain hasn't. He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an email."

In addition to the "Still" spot, the Obama campaign released another ad Friday morning, this one more positive in nature, with the Senator speaking directly into the camera, defining change.

It could very well be that the latter spot, titled "Real Change" will be the one that airs in most places, while the more inflammatory "Still" is designed to grab the media's attention. Already, the McCain campaign is out with a response.

"What is becoming clear to the American people is the fact that Barack Obama has no record of bipartisan legislative accomplishment, no history of bucking his party and no chance of bringing change," wrote Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008. "The truth is, Barack Obama voted for $2.8 billion in corporate welfare for big oil companies, broke his pledge to voters on campaign finance and has personally requested nearly a billion dollars in pork barrel spending for his home state - making his message of 'change' nothing more than an empty campaign slogan."

Comments

[sendpizza]

Do you guys realize how stupid Obama's campaign looks right now? This is now out in the MSM that it IS because of McCain's injuries that he doesn't use a keyboard.

Holy cr*ap. I've never, ever seen such a politically stupid move in an election. Never.

Flaming wreckage.

[BillCarson]

An article from 2000:
http://graphics.boston.com/news/politics/campaign2000/news/McCain_character_loyal_to_a_fault+.shtml

"McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes."

What's with Obama's team? Don't they know how to use google? It's like Dr. Drew Westen said, "The Republicans are playing chess, the Democrats are playing checkers." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/what-obama-needs-to-do-in_b_125051.html

[sendpizza]

I really think that the Democratic party underestimated what a brilliant campaign that Republicans run. Now I'm not saying a completely honest one as of late, but a brilliant one.

And brilliant = win. When McCain was doing it the "honorable way" no one was listening. No one. He learned from that. You cannot win the presidency by trying to please the press. This is not a elementary school dodge ball game here. This is IT. The highest office in the land. And the McCain camp realized that its not HOW you win, just that you win. You make nice afterwards.
It sounds nasty, but thats the cold hard reality. Politics are a nasty business. And I think Obama's campaign just did not realize how things can change in the last couple months of an election. I guess they figured they could keep on coasting the way they are now.

[deliriousgod]

theRepublicans play dirty pool

[MDinOK]

You'll have to do better than that! If it's a desktop the keyboard can be place on his lap, same with a laptop. There are others with worse disabilities that do their best to cope. No excuses for him not being able to send email.

[deliriousgod]

i won't be offended if i'm out of touch, but can't computers recognise voices now?

[dajay]

Sendpizza: I agree. The fact that the Obama supporters are getting all excited over this ad about says it all.

I am starting to think that Obama's campaign is in worse shape than I thought, if they think this is a great accomplishment as far as ads go.

Yeah, you can't be president but I can because I like to use the google engine.

DUh.

[sendpizza]

dayjay,

Well, he needs someone to vote. I'd ask my Mom to do it, but she is a woman. My Gramma, but she is elderly AND has arthritis so not only can she not use the computer, but she can't pull a voting lever. I'd ask my middle class neighbors, but they are too stupid and too rich.

[dajay]

LOL! Don't bother asking any of those people, Obama is going to win it in a landslide election without them anyway, you know just like he beat Hillary in a landslide for the Dem nomination. LOL!

What a joke.

[sendpizza]

I still see people on here saying that. "Win in a landslide." Wouldn't it make more sense to say "Hey, we are in REAL trouble here"? Face the problem, and then try to fix it, rather than stick your head in the sand and go on raging about Sarah Palin. I know alot of Democrats think the media is helping them by going after Palin, but its actually having the opposite effect. Instead of a popular figure, she has now become a cult celebrity.

Hillary is a very smart woman. She is going to do the smallest amount of campaigning for Obama possible. She has the next election cycle to look towards. Chances are pretty good she will win.

[dajay]

THis sounds like the dumbest ad from the Obama camp. Talking about using a computer and email. Too bad this will backfire on Obama.

Newsflash: THere are p[lenty older folks who don't even own a computer, let alone use email.

Talk about being out of touch.

[deliriousgod]

maybe they would if they could afford it after paying for all their prescriptions

[dajay]

Yes, Obama you are right. McCain is old and incompetent and you are young and incompetent.

[MDinOK]

...Wait a minute! Which one graduated from Harvard, magna cum laude and which one graduated at the bottom of his class? I see in your post you don't deny that McCane ( I do mean cane) is old and incompetent? Well, the truth be told!!!

[deliriousgod]

at least young guy will live out his term. old guy chose Peggy Hill to run your country

[JTyroler]

If Obama's call for change is an empty promise, why has the McCain campaign co-opted it?

[sendpizza]

Whoever said it will be "offensive to older people" is completely correct. And they are the ones who VOTE. Not only is it offensive to older people (some who can't use computers because *gasp* they have arthritis), it will be offensive to low income people who don't HAVE a computer. Whether or not McCain can e mail is totally irrelevant. The fact is that your candidate insulted many people that he needed to vote for him. You think people LIKE basically being told that "hey, you can't e mail, don't use a computer than you are stupid and out of touch."

You guys are targeting young voters. But trust me when I tell you that they are NOT going to turn out in the huge amounts you want to believe. Older people WILL.

Is there anyone, ANYONE on this campaign that knows what they are doing??

[dajay]

sendpizza: But where have you been. According to the Obama supporters, Obama doesn't need the elderly vote, the middle class white vote, or the woman vote.

[deliriousgod]

maybe if low-income and elderly people had healthcare insurance and prescription coverage they could afford computers. McCain chose his ignorance.

[deliriousgod]

I make very little money but I'm not broke because doctors have never cost me a cent. I'm Canadian and I know lots of things because I don't have to hold my keyboard over my head to write e-mails and I don't have to pay thousands of dollars just to stay alive.

[sweetnlow254]

pardon............shoulda been..........bridge................................i type to fast hehehe.............................

[RJII]

THANK YOU! Obama. Now, let's get back to present day urgent issues.

[Audrey85]

I like the ads that stick to the TRUTH. He needs to make a special ad about McCain on the Senate floor BLASTING Governor Pain on her Bridge to NOWHERE and the fact she didn't return the money for the defunct project, then combine it with his comments about Governors, Mayors and his own 3 comments as it related to Hillary Clinton about Lipstick on a pig. Don't have to listen to his explanation, just air it.

Stand for change not the old blind side the people, with smears, fears, lies and bull! NO WAY, NO HOW, NO MCCAIN, NO PALIN!!!!!!

[SuzyDenim]

I'm so excited to see another libe ral attack a vietn am vet eran for a handic ap he got serving this country; finally the true nature of liber alism, fully exposed. We haven't seen the depth of their character, since the kil ling fields of Cambodia (and they all got what they wanted, and remained silent).

[BookDesigner]

Your ability to perceive reality seems peculiarly encumbered. If this is not some drug induced psychosis, perhaps you should see a therapist.

I am a Vietnam vet and a liberal -- and sane.

[Dreamalynn]

Wait, you're saying that McCain's war injuries prevent him from understanding how to use e-mail?

You don't need full use of both arms to use e-mail. If you can read a book, you can send an e-mail.

Try again.

[SuzyDenim]

Who said he didn't understand how? He's only said he doesn't. A couple of interviews around 2000 explained it. Because his fingers were broken he doesn't have a lot of dexterity and a lot of pain, and he types slowly. So he's dealt with email for years, by having his wife write his replies.

Imagine you were a mature and seasoned legislator, whose time is worth a lot, and you have a large staff. What do you do? You have people filter your email for you, and print out the stories that should interest you (with related reference material), so that you can read it while flying or driving. In fact, you often have assistant read for you, so that you can make comments back, and they take the notes and act on your requests. So there's no real value for being "literate", that's not why you're in office, and being computer literate and doing it yourself would slow you down and waste time.

So what you're saying when you attack him, is he should be a slow moving, inefficient tech nerd like Obama, instead of a more efficient and experienced person. (BTW, I'm both -- a seasoned computer programmer, nerd and writer -- that has been a VP and Director. Having people filter and process things for me, makes me far more productive).

[beaujest]

Exactly Barack! I am excited about your campaign's new strategy to ignore Palin and concentrate on McCain's claim to be the agent of change.ENOUGH! Please though, dare him to even say the name of GEORGE W. BUSH! Everywhere you speak, dare him to deny he is a Republican, which he is trying to do. Make it your mantra, Senator McCain, say George W. Bush, George W. Bush!!! The country will notice!

[JulieSA]

Obama should learn how do a quick google search. This from Forbes, in 2000:

" This Internet-driven decentralization meant that the McCain campaign could organize down to a virtually block-by-block level for little cost. It allowed a thin organization to compete against the heavily financed and well-organized Bush machine, and it gave McCain campaign dollars an estimated 4-to-1 advantage over Bush greenbacks.

McCain himself was convinced early on that the Internet had to play a critical role in the campaign. Time and again it allowed him to leverage his money and his organization. "In the Virginia primary," McCain told me, "we needed a lot of petitions signed to get on the ballot. We had the form available to download off the Internet and got 17,000 signatures with very little trouble."

...His Web team had played the Internet like a Stradivari. . . .

In certain ways, McCain was a natural Web candidate. Chairman of the Senate Telecommunications Subcommittee and regarded as the U.S. Senate's savviest technologist, McCain is an inveterate devotee of email. His nightly ritual is to read his email together with his wife, Cindy. The injuries he incurred as a Vietnam POW make it painful for McCain to type. Instead, he dictates responses that his wife types on a laptop. "She's a whiz on the keyboard, and I'm so laborious," McCain admits. "

http://www.forbes.com/asap/2000/0529/053_print.html

[vonny]

THis add is already backfiring on Bo.

John McCain cannot send an e-mail, not because he hasn"t bothered to learn, but because he is physically unable to do so.

John McCain, because of the torture he endured as a prisoner of war, cannot use a computer keyboard. John McCain can"t even comb his own hair.

This ad, released by the Obama campaign today, and played numerous times on television, is utterly cruel, and shoulf be pulled.

[xxxDjoolsxxx]

Good ad. Keep portraying him as the past. Just as Palin represents the past (similar views as GWBush).

[JulieSA]

Obama should learn how do a quick google search. This is from Forbes, in 2000:

" This Internet-driven decentralization meant that the McCain campaign could organize down to a virtually block-by-block level for little cost. It allowed a thin organization to compete against the heavily financed and well-organized Bush machine, and it gave McCain campaign dollars an estimated 4-to-1 advantage over Bush greenbacks.

McCain himself was convinced early on that the Internet had to play a critical role in the campaign. Time and again it allowed him to leverage his money and his organization. "In the Virginia primary," McCain told me, "we needed a lot of petitions signed to get on the ballot. We had the form available to download off the Internet and got 17,000 signatures with very little trouble."

...His Web team had played the Internet like a Stradivari. . . .

In certain ways, McCain was a natural Web candidate. Chairman of the Senate Telecommunications Subcommittee and regarded as the U.S. Senate's savviest technologist, McCain is an inveterate devotee of email. His nightly ritual is to read his email together with his wife, Cindy. The injuries he incurred as a Vietnam POW make it painful for McCain to type. Instead, he dictates responses that his wife types on a laptop. "She's a whiz on the keyboard, and I'm so laborious," McCain admits. "

http://www.forbes.com/asap/2000/0529/053_print.html

[optech007]

"In certain ways, McCain was a natural Web candidate. Chairman of the Senate Telecommunications Subcommittee and regarded as the U.S. Senate"s savviest technologist, McCain is an inveterate devotee of email. His nightly ritual is to read his email together with his wife, Cindy. The injuries he incurred as a Vietnam POW make it painful for McCain to type. Instead, he dictates responses that his wife types on a laptop." - Forbes, 5/29/2000