McCain Ad Distorts Obama, Day After Decrying Gotcha Journalism

John McCain is out with a new ad that accuses Barack Obama of making the same claim - "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" - that McCain himself was viciously criticized for just a week ago.

But the quote plucked by the McCain campaign is taken entirely out of context, just a day after the Arizona Republican himself decried "gotcha journalism" when it came to his running mate.

Here is the Obama quote McCain highlights: "We've got the long term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows."

And here is Obama's actual statement, which suggests exactly the opposite of what McCain alleges: mainly, that he believes the country must repair the economy's long-term structure.

[We need] a plan that would extend expiring unemployment benefits. For those Americans who have lost their jobs and have been working hard to find a new one, but haven't found one yet. That's part of the change we need. And then after this immediate problem, we've got the long-term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows. Change means tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses that deserve it. As President I am going to eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-ups.

Here is the full script of the ad, which the campaign says will be for the web.

ANNCR: Who's Barack Obama? First, Obama attacked McCain. Then said: BARACK OBAMA: "We've got the long term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows." ANNCR: Strong fundamentals? Is Obama saying McCain's right? Or is Obama saying his own attacks are shameless? Either way, Obama's a hypocrite.

Comments

[amcg50]

Sad to say but nothing that McCain will do suprises me anymore... He is a shamless hypocrite!

[grantlingel]

Is anyone actually surprised by this new attack by the McCain camp? They are beyond desperate and even their own are beginning to realize it.

http://grantlingel.blogspot.com

[alfrede]

Hi,

It is not possible for the Republicans to talk about the fact that they have been "in charge" in Washington for the past eight years.

Therefore, they have to try to denigrate the Democratic candidate as the Swift Boaters did in 2004.

The big question is will it work again???

What do U think?

[wdw101]

of course it will work

[gunmuse]

Ok no one has had a majority and that is what leads to the "compromise" problems 18 billion in bribe money to feed through bills that have trillions in money pumped into buddy companies.

Congress has belonged to Democrats for the past 2 years so its gets real old to hear about the last 8 years. Maybe a few more Democrats should take notice of what Bill Clinton and Denis Kastinch have been saying the past few weeks about the Hyper left screw them every way they can and lie about doing it causing this grief.

Considering what this country has been through in the past 8 years DOT COM BURST, 911 and two wars Its amazing we didn't have soup lines. If Democrats want to take ZERO credit for this amazing achievement I have to wonder what is it that they are doing that is positive? I really hope that nancy pelosi didn't trash the repubs just to piss them off so that a diaster economy would help Obama'spoll numbers

[jjoshaugh]

Still trying to deflect blame away from your side?

I dont call a majority of 1 a majority when that one is Joe leiberman and the Blue dogs...

[findingmuse]

It hasn't worked with me so far. And it hasn't worked with too many of my friends who classify themselves as Independents. You know who it's worked well for? People like my mother, which is to say: older generation Americans who are filled with fear of change, fear of terrorism, fear of losing their Social Security, fear of non-whites, fear of this, fear of that.

When you're willing to lie and distort the truth and scare the holy sh&t out of people who are easily scared sh&tless, then yes. It does tend to work.

But not with people who want to be dealt with honestly, with a fresh approach. This is just a repeat of 2004's election at this point, for me.

[MourningDude]

All the analyses about racial bias in the election have been forced to admit that it's racism within the Democrat party that might be the deciding factor, and that racism doesn't seem to have any impact at all within the voting proclivities of the Repubs.

[zimmie02]

I keep trying to think that McCain is still the man with integrity that I use to admire and it is just politics, but the more and more I see of McCain the more I realize that he is a despicable human being. I liked Bill Clinton but he ruined his presidency because he is a liar. It's one thing to stretch the truth a little. We all know politicians do this. Obama does this occasionally but McCain is flat out a liar. He was asked recently in Iowa if his ad about Obama wanting to teach sex education to kindergarten children wasn't exactly true and he said yes it's true. Obama voted for that and I will prove it to you. He didn't even blink in his lie.

[wdw101]

your post does not make B.O's policies any better

[Independent voter]

You're right. Let's elect a lyi.ng sc.umb.ag and to heck with this change and hope nonsense.

[Tommygun264]

The fact that Senator Barack Obama has been right about the occupation in Iraq, right about the economy and right about pretty much everything else is beside the point. That's why the McSame camoaign has resorted to lying and fear mongering - they can't win in an honest, straight-up debate of the issues. If McSame had any valid arguments with substance, don't you think he would be making them? He can't so he hasn't. Just like you can't defend McSame's underhanded tactics, so you try to deflect criticism by making vague, non-specific assertions about the supposed inferiority of Obama's policies without actually saying what those policies are, what makes them inferior or explaining how McSame's position is in any way superior. Just more vague, baseless charges, a form of dishonesty, better known as lying.

[gunmuse]

The bill your talking about was orginally for grades 6-12 and was very "adult" in nature and it was changed to include down to Kindagarden. Of course you obviously took 2 minutes to read the bill before you called someone a liar I assume you know this already. Given that you didn't lets work on the premise that Mccain lieing somehow makes obama a better person? Blind hatered is the very politics you should try to avoid spreading. Take time to read what you post about.

[XME]

This is one of the most pathetic ads I've seen from them. It's not even effective except to those people who are already voting for him.

[wdw101]

then what are you worried about

[Tommygun264]

Merely pointing out the FACT that this is a lie does not denote fear - nothing in XME's post says anything about being afraid. Your smug, completely baseless statement reveals more about you than it does about the person you are attempting to intimidate.

[vegangoddess]

The next time they pull the old "Obama has no "executive experience" line, then this ad should go up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuVNZPoVPYg&feature=user

[vegangoddess]

Just like the "John is right" goofy ad. They are all drinking something much stronger than koolaid over at Mc's camp. Must be spiked with Absinthe or something..because they are all Hallucinating!

[Apple100]

Obama's campaign should make a counter ad that calls into question John McCain's character. Here is a man that has no qualms about declaring "I'm John McCain and I approved this message", following ads that are obviously constructed of spliced footage and lies. The only parts of McCain's campaign that make any sense are the parts that he's hijacked from Obama's platform, and of course he lies and claims them as his own. This is the guy voter's are supposed to trust to guide the country?

[MourningDude]

So now after Obama has been saying that this crisis is only a symptom of a badly broken economy that has been failing for 8 years, SUDDENLY the fundamentals are strong, and we will grow again once we get through this short term crisis?

Zuh?

[mjt218]

How dare you attack the patriotism and fortitude of the American worker!!

All joking aside, I think this is a fundamentally different comment than McCain's. Barack is referring to the power and reach of our industries, educational institutions, and to the ingenuity of Americans to help the economy turn around long term. McCain's comment from every angle I've seen it was talking about short term economic indicators like unemployment, poverty statistics, etc.

It's the difference between saying like McCain, "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" and saying like Barack that our nation has the fundamental set of characteristics needed long term to provide for a strong economy,

[Tommygun264]

That's not what he said - merely picking a portion of a much larger sentence where Senator Obama uses the term "fundamentals" only translates into the statement, "the fundamentals of our economy are strong", in the fevered brains of the pub lemmings desperate to find something, ANYTHING to use against a political opponent with superior policies. It's really sad to see how far some people will go to find a justification for their otherwise indefensible behavior - anything to avoid facing the fact of their own irrational prejudice.

[sisteract]

McCain better watch out. Lighening may strike if he continues to lie so shamelessly.

[jerseymaiden]

That ad is just an elaborate set-up to a punchline, and it won't make sense to most people who see it. My prediction, before this is all over, McCain will scrap the set-ups and just run egregious-insult ads. They won't make an argument or a point, they'll just be like: "Obama's a hypocrite" or "Obama's a Muslim" or "Obama blew up the economy" or whatever.

[tempting]

http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/the-republican-party-having-brought-you-the-meltdown-now-blames-obama/

Some of us know this wasn't caused by one entity or one person. Just how stupid does JM expect us to be.

[MDinOK]

The ad says it all! McCain is just pathetic and desperate.

[RhinoCrossing]

How will McCain spin the truth that Obama added significant content to the new financial bill (i.e., the FDIC limits change), while McCain simply barked and grumped?

[Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger]

He'll say that Obama is trying to help the rich and some fools will believe him.

[Evelyn]

Ok that's bad. A little twisting, a little exaggerating, that's politics as usual. But this is the equivalent of putting ...into a sentence and leaving out the word NOT. It's a complete and shameless lie, and it's not a matter of interpretation, it's deliberate. Shameless, desperate, pitiful old man!

[unite4change]

Among other things, lies, dishonesty, and treating America like they are stupid is what McCain and the republican party does best. We can never be trusted again.

Every American should be angry! This is the republican party at work every American should see this movie about voter fraud everyone should see. Watch it and pass it along to everyone you know.

http://www.freeforall.tv/