Obama Will Leave Us Without Defense Systems is the Charge in Fake Soundbite Attack Ad Running on CNN

An ad attacking Sen. Obama, apparently just released, convincingly fakes Obama's voice, with him saying he is against various conventional defense systems. The ad was running Monday and election eve on CNN. It comes from a group called letfreedomring.com.

The ad's clear aim it to instill fear in less informed voters hours before the polls open. The ad says that a President Obama would fail to protect the nation or keep it safe.

I posted something earlier tonight on this to learn if others had seen or heard the ad, and indeed others have. It seems to have minimally run in the tri-state area of NY, NJ, and CT; Tennessee, and the critical battleground state of Virginia.

If Obama had said that he was against conventional defense systems, including nuclear as we hear in this ad, McCain and the news media would have surely attacked him for this weeks ago, and run legitimate ads on the subject.

Instead, these ads are being run by a PAC, I presume, and in the final hours before the polls open.

One wonders how widespread this campaign is, and whether it can have any effect in closely contested battleground states among very poorly informed registered voters who may now be motivated to vote when they wouldn't have been yesterday. Also consider they are being hit with a barrage of Rev. Wright race-baiting attack ads from other PACs.

The proportion of such voters may only be a couple percent, but even that very small percentage can make the difference in a very close state. After all, we do not know all the parameters to consider in current polling with the first African American candidate.

If I'm correct that such an ad could bring some people to the polls who were not planning to vote a few days ago, the ad can have a real effect as polls are generally predicated on "likely voters."

Getting unlikely voters up and out the door to their polling place and phoning their friends may be one of the aims of this malicious smear ad, based in complete untruths.

I think Sen. Obama will emerge victorious tomorrow, but it might be much tighter than some think.

Comments

[labman57]

Typical Machiavellian tactics and mindset from the extreme-right. The GOP is all about morality, but cares nothing about ethics.

[TEB]

The ad aired in rural MN last night.

[stclairc]

The ad aired Monday night in Houston, TX on CNN.

[midwestgal STL]

I live in St. Louis, MO and I saw this commercial last night.

[rjmiller]

I think the "unlikely voter" vote is going to really blow this race out of the water. With the enormous amount of newly registered voters, who overwhelmingly vote for Obama, the polls were likely off by several percentage points.

[lvdragonlady]

The FCC should really reconsider some of MSM licenses. They have been the absolute worse during the last 2 years and the one sided journalism is a shame.

Will the news ever be the news and not a bunch of opinionated heads again?

[EnglishObamaFan]

I saw this ad last night in California (LA), am surprised these types of ads can be released (they should have to go through the party if they relate to politics)

Good luck Obama! I look forward to being in the US during this historic night

[BannedFromCommenting]

If people are "on the fence" and persuaded by dumb ads and not researching actual facts, the odds is they would vote for McCain anyway, because lets face it, most of them are clearly "less than informed".

[XME]

Actually, one of their ads ran here in SW Virginia on Sunday and Monday, but I don't think it was the same one, because it showed Obama speaking. Here's the ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQH9nuMmqKQ

[Steve-N-Lee]

This is just the kind of fear-mongering, manipulation I've been talking about on my blog. I hate it! It's verging on the criminal. I get so sick of the schoolgirl-like bitching and name-calling that politicians see as a vital element to their 'job'. Okay, McCain isn't directly responsible in this instance, but is he condemning the action? Has he ever questioned anything about Obama without good reason or justification? And vice versa, of course.

How are we supposed to entrust our safety, our families, our jobs, our futures to people who can bearly tell us their names with putting spin on it? These people see lying to us as an integral part of their job. They're used car salesmen on speed!

It's all just one big game to them. We're the pawns they're willing to sacrifice in order for them to 'win' whatever they see winning as - usually merely some gross consumerist dream.

In the 21st century, isn't it about time we had a system through which we were treated with respect, apprised of the facts, given the truth? How are we ever to evolve as individuals, as communities, a species when manipulation is at the very heart of everything we do?

Election fever? Fever is right - the only way you'd believe these liars is if you weren't in your right mind!

Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and suspense thriller 'What if...?' http://www.steve-n-lee.com