New Obama Ad Rebuts Palin Pick

From The Nation.

The Obama campaign released a new, national cable ad on Saturday responding to John McCain's decision to tap Sarah Palin as his running mate. The message could not be clearer: Forget McCain/Palin, this ticket is all about McCain/Bush.

The negative ad comes just after Obama and Biden congratulated Palin's progress, though not her positions, touting her on Friday as a "compelling new voice" whose assent marked an "encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in our politics." Picking up where that praise left off, the ad says McCain offers no change, given his economic policies and support for Bush. "He's made his choice," the narrator sighs, "but for the rest of us, there's still no change." The Obama camp is right to commend the Palin pick for breaking barriers -- I had a similar reaction on Friday -- and immediately return to savaging McCain for his elitist economic agenda and stubborn support for the failed Bush policies of the past.

The ad is below, followed by an MSNBC debate I did from the Democratic convention on McCain's outreach to Clinton supporters and the prospect of putting a women on his ticket.

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From The Nation.

Comments

[theVoice0fReason]

I feel sick to my stomach.

This pick will bring out the religionazi wing dings in full force. The Dobson sheeple alone may bring out enough, to nullify all the gains O has made in registering and energizing the 18 - 20-somethings.

Couple that with our "ancestors" still fighting the culture wars of the 60's, throw in a PUMA or two ( are there more? ) and that will be that.

I'm merely an X chromosome, but i gotta tell ya, NOTHING infuriates me MORE than thinking that these two "patriots", ( Maverick McPO Dubya & Sister Surge ), will be able to legislate their way into controlling the Loves of my Life's bodies, ( my Lady, and my two Sisters ), if the _unspeakable_ were to ever happen to them.

I wish all the great feminists would assemble with us and march in full force to the polls on Nov. 4 and yell back with one SWIFT and UNIFIED voice, heard all the way back in Washington -- "No way. No how. No McSame".

UNiTY '08

[rosal]

Lets see, where did I hear:" He has no experience, we don't know much about him, this is not on the job training." Now that she gave a speech, we can say: " All she has is a speech she gave."
Its really disturbing to see Mc's judgement failing time and time again. I don't want this man anywhere the red button, and now to top it all, there is another one I don't want anywhere near nuke launchers.
I hope all the people in this county is as concerned as I am. Somebody with such poor judgement should never be allowed near the White House.

[siney]

i agree. ignore her and keep focus on mchouses... she's like the annoying kid in the room anyway....no doubt voted most likely to aim higher than she oughta.... from here on out, it'll be ALL YUP YUP ALL THE TIME on FAUX News, anything to get the focus off bush and mchouses...

[TheImpaler]

This puts Obama in difficult position. How do you attack someone with such obvious shortcomings without sounding "elitist" in the process? I feel for Biden who will have to "debate" her. They will prep her with sound bites and cute one-liners and anecdotes. She can"t really lose. Can"t really go after her without being perceived as mean or arrogant. Remember Gore/Bush debate? Despite having encyclopedic policy knowledge, Gore was caricatured as arrogant by MSM for being anxious while W was trying to put a sentence together. This is such an obvious mismatch that going after her can backfire. Instead they have to focus on the decider himself, his judgment and priorities.

[Charmed]

Obama has set the example and let's try to stick to it......stay focus on McCain and what his policies are.....

[Paula1953]

I think the best thing the Obama camp could do is ignore her. Keep bashing McCain and Bush and totally ignore her for as long as possible.

[kellygrrrl]

well, if the rumors floating right now are true (and it's looking that way)
she will be gone before the election starts.

The ReThugs will try to blame Dems for attacking the lady and her family,
but this thing is about to implode

(I won't link the rumor, but you can find it)

[slwkf]

Which one? I've heard several.

[franziscate]

I agree. And that seems to be the approach Obama/Biden decided on. And although I donated $100 last week to the Obama Campaign, I donated another $ 50 today because of the choice McCain made, and I am very short on cash to start with!

[teron678]

true ...........

[Head-Liner]

The late Bernie Mac just made us laugh one more time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GetoffMylawn]

McCain brings an ax handle to women's rights.
"When the ax came into the woods, the trees all said, 'Well, at least the handle is one of us.'

[momof3inGA]

Nice one!

[jlover]

obama is right to keep attacking mccain as bush's 3rd term......remember mccain is still the presidential nominee.....i would not even focus on palin...let the media focus on her.....this is want rove wants....get people talking about palin's inexprience....he's got more experience,no she's got more experience.etc......now everybody is focused on NONSENSE,and not the ISSUES....IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ISSUES OF THE DAY.......obama and especially biden cannot seem to eager to attack palin......if biden remains poised and cool during his debate with her,it will be o.k...... I call it he NEW HAMPSHIRE EFFECT.......the rove playbook is easy to see......

[BGDiNLV]

Listen people!! Sympathy votes. We saw it in Mrs Clinton,now this is what they are trying to pull. Make enough stupid comments and create a false sense of getting Mrs Palin getting jumped on by us and the MSM. Lets all just let it go.Focus on our team.They saw what happened to Hillary,now they are trying to create the same effect,just to get the Reublican women and some Democract women to do the same. View it for what it is..lets just let it go. I agree totally jlover. stay on point.This will be old hack,because ,and we can be so distracted by HYPE!!

[jhamm1]

"....although this is his running mate...."

What the devil is that supposed to mean? As if he made a sensible decision?

[tuttlemsm]

I noticed that too. It's very frustrating and infuriating.

This is the ad that you would run if he had chosen someone sensible and qualified, like Kay Bailey Hutchinson. "Although we are forced to concede John McCain made an excellent choice in a running-mate, you should nonetheless never forget that George W. Bush is McCain's real running-mate."

This is NOT a running-mate whose excellence you concede. This is a running-mate whose absurdity you challenge.

As risky as McCain's choice is, I think the "ignore it" strategy is even riskier. A lot of very not-so-smart people need to be educated as to the dangers of this inexperienced hard-liner.

[DasBoot]

McCain has proven himself once more a reckless gambler. Is it putting country first if you choose a clearly unqualified person, who is on the record saying she has no idea what the VP does, to step in for you at a moment's notice?

Yes, Palin will certainly pry away some PUMAs, but it will be a zero-sum game. For every disaffected Hillary supporter going for McCain, there will be an insulted feminist who refuses to be conned. For every excited hard right ideologist who identifies with Palin there will be a centrist turned off by her extremist positions.

And most importantly: McCain just sabotaged his best weapon: the relentless slogan that he is experienced and Obama is not. This short-sided choice therefore shows that McCain panicked when he saw how well the Democratic convention went. Yes, he succeeded in stealing the headlines, but he destroyed any strategy his campaign had. How very dumb.

[jfcee]

Out of the tens of millions of republicans and independents, McCain selects an 'unknown' person that he forces on us. She may be called upon to make many life and death decisions. Since, unlike Obama and Biden and McCain, she wasn't processed through us so we must now try to get to know her in a couple of months. Try to get comfortable with her abilities and judgements in such a short period of time.

Like Mr. Bush, who made numerous errors in personnel, e.g. 'Brownie' at FEMA, Rumsfield at Defense, Wolfowitz at Defense and World Bank, etc. -- Mr. McCain is showing a great lack of ability to vet and select people for key positions. And a great lack of respect for us.

[tuttlemsm]

"Out of the tens of millions of republicans and independents, McCain selects an 'unknown' person that he forces on us. She may be called upon to make many life and death decisions."

But she's cute. CNN says that you're supposed to "fall in love with her" along with the rest of America.

[mariefla]

Yes Infoquest, she is scaring the beejeesus out of me because I am afraid now more than ever that we will have 4 more years of the same incompetence that plagued our country during the last 8 years. Decisions will not be made based on fact and we will be mirred in more of the same. She was chosen to reinforce the base period. The base that is a little bit weary of John McCain. Now they don't have to be because they have someone just like Bush that they can control. That change nothing. If you were scared to vote for McCain because he will continue the policies of George Bush, be even more scared now.

[kmac23va]

The only way this pick is historic is because it's the GOP making it. Or does no one remember Ferraro in 1984? Palin does, she even mentioned her. So really the only way this becomes historic is if McCain wins. So let's not say Sarah Palin is breaking barriers until and unless John McCain is the winner of this election. (And since I doubt that'll happen...)

[preemptivelove]

it's an appointment, let's be clear. there is nothing historical about this choice, even if he wins.

[tuttlemsm]

Exactly.

Barack Obama winning the presidency would be historic because he *earned* his place on the ballot. He defeated bona fide heavyweights in a hard-fought primary. Joe Biden. Chris Dodd. John Edwards. Bill Richardson. And both the Clintons.

Being appointed to the bottom of a ticket and confirmed by convention is not even in the same league as Obama's achievement.

[infoquest52]

Sarah Pallin is scaring the bejeebies out of the Obama camp. I loved hearing all the democratic pundents yesterday and today as they try to smear Sara. Proof to me and others that yes McCain picked the perfect VP candidate. I can see the more they smear her the more the independents and undecided votes will pour over to the McCain/Palin camp.

[Gma11]

Scaring?

I am ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED!!

I haven't watched soap operas for decades, but I'm remembering now how delicious and addicting they could be. And this one is happening in real life!

[CanadianforObama]

Aren't there some cartoons you should be watching?

[DasBoot]

You know your own candidate so well you can't even spell her name correctly...

[MPeter]

Get a life. What does she have to offer? Two years as mayor of a backwoods town of less than 6000 people? Or are you one of those who count her experience as run-up for Miss Alaska, being governor of a state near Russia and being a mother of five as credentials that qualify her to lead the most powerful nation on earth. Biden will make her look like a deer caught in headlights. Just watch.

[tuttlemsm]

I hope you're right, MPeter, but Biden better be careful not to have a "Let me help you with the difference, Mrs. Ferraro, between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon" moment. He must be tough but absolutely and resolutely fair, and never appear in any way patronizing.

I also don't know what he can do about the expectations game. As with Dubya, all Palin has to do to "win" is be able to put together a reasonable number of subjects with predicates. It's such an unfair and ridiculous double-standard held against smart people.

[preemptivelove]

way to go, infoquest. i love how you rightwingers put "country first". that's beautiful.