Obama Hits McCain's Foreign Car Ownership

This is micro-politics, but the Obama campaign is looking for leverage in Michigan by taking McCain to task for not being truthful about the number of foreign automobiles he owns.

This Sunday, Newsweek Magazine reported that McCain owned 13 vehicles, at least four of which were not domestic. The list included a Lexus, a 2005 Volkswagen convertible, a Honda sedan and a Toyota Prius for his daughter (perhaps bought by her).

Well, the composition of this fleet didn't jibe with a remark McCain made to a Detroit television station in which he claimed that he had "bought American literally all my life."

So, what does the Obama campaign do about it? They put together a lengthy memo on the matter and release a television ad aiming to undercut McCain's straight talk reputation.

Titled "Foreign Car," the spot will air in Michigan. It may seem like small potatoes in otherwise big-themed election. But with the state polls looking tighter than ever, leverage in the car wars may mean the difference in the Electoral College count.

Comments

[Rashbam]

This add is ridiculous. If anything McCain should be commended for buying 10 American cars. That's 77% of his fleet! If Americans on average were as faithful to our own auto industry, Detroit wouldn't be able to build them fast enough.

I'll be voting for Obama this fall. He isn't my ideal candidate, but he's clearly intelligent and thoughtful, and he has some very smart people advising him on important issues. McCain is a decent guy, much better than Bush, but I can't vote for a Republican because of the Supreme Court, and I'm also worried that McCain would pursue more misguided military adventures.

[morefromLA]

I see your point which is the point McCain could have made instead of saying he always bought American. This then becomes political pandering that is factually incorrect and begs to be corrected.

[Hillrick]

Commendabl­e...unless you just claimed to never have bought one. Not worth mentioning unless you claim to be a "straight" shooter and this is one more on a pack of new lies just since last week.

[OhioJan]

Dude, the POINT is that McElitist spoke the words, "I've bought AMERICAN LITERALLY ALL MY LIFE", when he CLEARLY hasn't = a LIE. THEN, he has the audacity to call The Obama's "Elite"! He isn't cognizant of the number of properties he owns and doens't realize that he DOES make foreign purchases. Hence, he's a "straight talking" LI@R with NO good judgement and NO even TEMPERAMENT!!!!

[rollingdivision]

McCain also has 3 electric vehicles, so he's ahead of the curve.

[megacephalus]

...and they're all, like the 'golf cart' he rode with pappy Bush: designed for getting around a retirement community.­.. hint... hint...

[mhaven]

It's the LIE....he exaggerated and bragged..w­hich he often does. He exaggerates his knowledge and accomplishments all the time. He's like an insecure schoolboy.

[morefromLA]

And while we're at it, let's not forget his $500 Italian made loafers he likes to campaign in. But doesn't everyone?

[iranter]

didn't oj have the same italian loafers when he accidentally sliced his ex-wife's head off her shoulders?

[KitWit]

owning a foreign car isn't really a big deal. Countless Americans own Hondas, and other such cars.

But the fact that he owns THIRTEEN cars is a big deal.
He is trying to convince people that he's just a laid-back guy who's "one of the guys" who understands the middle-class worries. Well, with 13 cars, he does not even know what middle class is. He is as upper-crust as they get. I thought Bush was wealthy. McCain is so rich, he has probably never seen a $20 bill in his life. He probably only carries $100s.

[mhaven]

No one would have held the foreign cars against him....unt­il he LIED about them for political expediency.

[PaulLee]

I dont see how these ads will make a difference­.Those supporting Clinton forgave her sniper fire lies and still wanted her to win. Those supporting McCain have similar sentiments. The deciding factor will be the "ground game"; who can turn out the most supporters and how many voters the GOP will manage to disenfranchise.

[Heavenhelpusall]

So you are saying truth doesn't matter? It's not about the cars, it's about the lies.

[PaulLee]

Unfortunately, that is exactly what I am saying. Those supporting McCain have accepted that he lies. This ad will not change hearts and minds.

[Hillrick]

You have never tried to make a delivery to a Ford plant in a foreign pick up truck. I got a lot of picks from there because I had a Ford. Some people make hard decisions based on the most unrelated qualifications.

[susane07]

The Obama campaign should amend this ad to include Ohio as it has/had many auto and parts plants. Buying foreign cars also hurts the steel, rubber, glass, plastics, etc., industries. These industries cover Toledo to Youngstown territories.

[jlc0426]

I think the ad is meant to show that he even lies about the little things. So how can you trust him with the big things.

I take everything McCain-Palin spew with a grain of salt.

[jesther]

The Republicans have mastered far too many people to vote against their own best interests over the past eight (and more) years. These local ads are exactly what Dems should be doing. Show the people ad nauseum how voting for Obama-Biden is in their best interests.

[Greg285]

Finally, the press is covering McCains lies and the American people are starting to wake-up and realized that McCains has not told them the truth! if the past week has not awakened them, nothing will..McCa­in is not on their side when it comes to the economy and housing market and the american people finally realize that...Goo­d for all of us...

[Doron]

Is it really important that McCain lied about the amount of his cars and where they were produced? It is one thing when a news page like HuffPo discusses this topic it's another when a campaign makes an ad of it.

[wrylass]

Oh, so which lies would you classify as important?

[TheGuide]

LOL! Good one!

[Doron]

Actually I don't think the car-lie makes
a big difference in politics. In fact he has 10 U.S. cars and only 3 from europe or asia. So what?

The lies around the Troopergate scandal are important because they show how Palin mixes issues of Alaska and of her family. Or that McCain chose Palin after he reviewed all her life. That is crap.

[susane07]

Besides cars, didn't McBush try to weazel out of stating all the homes he owns??

[respectingothers]

that still leaves ten he bought in the US. Wish Obama would focus on the important issues.

[SouthpawSass]

rofl - yeah, I get your point. It's like those who complain about the Iraq war and whine that over 4000 of our troops are dead. Well, it's not like they were all killed. Some people are just so picky.

[AlwaysFairDem]

This ad is for those independents that are on the fence to let them know McBush can't be trusted, he lies on the record, a bread and butter issue for Michigan Auto industry..­.I think it is a good Ad. This will show how out of touch McCain is with 13 cars and 7 homes, a $500 shoes, a $300,000 outfit for Cindy.

Yes, as democrat, you tend to dismiss this kind of Ads but not everyone is smart to know what we know.

[HadEnoughCrap]

surely you're being ironic, right? Since Mccain has spent almost no time or ads discussing issues and Obama has.

[susane07]

Tell that to all the unemployed auto workers who have lost their jobs and their homes!! You don't call that important?

[MawMaw4Obama]

The car ad is an important in Michigan with all the car plants closing. They need to air it here in Missouri as well. My son did work for Chrysler as of a month ago, That plant shut down. So don't tell me it's not an important ad in certain geographic areas. Ask my son if it's important, he doesn't have a job now.

[ZDuck]

Here is how they will spin it...they will say "but he bought them from an american car dealer" so how is that un-american. They will say "but most of the foreign cars he bought have manufacturing plants in the US". So much spinning you'd think he had spinners on this cars.

[ldillworth]

because the money still goes to foreign corporation. Although the point is a little fuzzy, many american cars, especially the smaller ones are foreign products anyway. Either the parts are all made in china/japa­n/indonesi­a and assembled here, or manfacture and assembled in total in asia. Like the dodge neon for example.

[rock2casbah]

The car thing is a biggie to the people in Michigan who he sat there and lied to this year about buying American all his life. That's not a hard thing to acheive. My Dad was a veteren with 20 years in service and he was not autocratic about anything. But he always insisted on buying American cars. He was so laid back on anything else that I was surprised when I got older that this was why he always had Cadys, and Buicks before he could afford Cadys.

So that means something to people who work in that industry or veterans who have fought for this country. They secretly harbor that sort of loyalty to American industries.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

Great McCain, upset the auto workers who are losing jobs overseas Got to love it. 7-10 house, 13 cars.

And we have Obama with a nice American car and Joe Biden who takes the train! Folks wake up and see who's the elitist and what team is the common man!

Vote Obama/Biden

[CostaMesaJoe]

Hey, why not? McCain wants to continue to lie his ass off, might as well call him on it. No matter how small the detail....

[WhoIsJohnGalt42]

i gotta be honest. i would never buy an american car. most of them suck. perhaps the thrust in michigan should be based on the fact that it was people like mccain and other republicans who always shied away from making the us automakers compete on the world stage equally by protecting them from CAFE standards equivalent to those in europe and not doing more to push and promote america's use of smaller and more fuel efficent vehicles. foreign car makers grew to dominate the car market and thus ruin thousands of us auto jobs and almost the entire state of michigan because nobody told the us car makers 'hey you need to straighten the f**k up and get with the program, more fuel efficiency, more hybrids, more electric cars, less hummers more midsize sedans'. the goverment caved to the unholy alliance of the auto/oil industry to help kill the advent and spread of the electric car in california in the 80s. the auto industry has nobody but itself and the 'enabler' government to blame.

[AlwaysFairDem]

you would if you are a politician­....

[GoBarryGo]

I agree and I wouldn't buy an American auto now either, but that's not the point when you live in Michigan and a ton of people are employed directly or indirectly by US automakers and those who aren't have vast numbers of family and friends who are. And if you want to run for president on the basis of caring so much about American jobs and promoting the fact that you've "literally bought American your whole life" (starting with Edsels, no doubt) then you've got a problem to (1) have 13 cars of any make/model and (2) have any of those with foreign nameplates. It's simply not done -- I'd even say elitist, dishonest, and out of touch.

[MawMaw4Obama]

The way the economy is going nobody is going to be buying a car, American made or foreign made. I couldn't afford a scooter right now.