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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > August > 01
Friday, August 1, 2008
McCain’s new controversial Web ad about Obama makes religious comparisons
John McCain on Friday defended his new ad that seems to make a comparison to Barack Obama and a “religious figure.”
The ad, which is only running on the Internet, refers to the presumptive Democratic nominee as “The One.” The ad features a lot of religious themes and even has The Ten Commandments’ Charlton Heston as Moses parting the Red Sea.” According to the Associated Press, on Friday McCain said he doesn’t think the ad is negative.
“We think it’s got a lot of humor in it, we’re having fun and enjoying it … we’ll continue to fight and scrap all the way to November 4,” McCain said.
Tell us what you think of the new McCain ad.
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Obama, Strickland - the birthday buddies
Democrats Barack Obama and Ted Strickland are birthday buddies.
Obama turns 47 on Monday, Aug. 4, while Ohio Gov. Strickland turns 67 on the same day.
Since Obama is running for president and Strickland backs him - after first backing Hillary Clinton - the Democrats are using the birthdays for weekend Campaign for Change pot luck and phone bank parties. Click here to find a party.
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House goes home; Republicans fairly miffed about this development
Three local lawmakers - all Republicans - reacted to the House’s adjournment for the month Friday, Aug. 1, in their own deeply personal ways.
All three are miffed that the Democrats did not pass bills addressing the gas price crisis. And all three want a solution that includes drilling for new domestic sources of oil, as well as renewable sources, increased conservation and other answers.
Rep. David Hobson, R-Springfield, introduced a bill that would lift the moratorium on drilling off the coast of Florida. That bill - a rariety for Hobson, who traditionally gets things done through appropriations bills and deal-making with his fellow lawmakers - doesn’t get into drilling off the Pacific coasts or Alaska.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, meanwhile, took the revolt approach: After House Democrats turned off the lights and the microphones, he led a group of Republicans to making speeches about gas prices in a darkened chamber, with only those in the gallery around to watch. Even C-SPAN had turned off the cameras.
And state Sen. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, who hopes to succeed Hobson in the House, took a public relations approach: He sent out a release condemning the House for failing to address the crisis.
“They literally turned off the lights and left the Capitol without an energy plan,” he said in an interview. “We deserve better than that.”
Austria predicts lawmakers will be greeted at home angrily - he said the families he’s meeting around the district are furious that nothing has been done.
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Eye On Ohio: Obama ‘Full Nelson’ and ‘Gimmick’ ads
By Jonathan Riskind
Columbus Dispatch
The ad: “Full Nelson,” 30 seconds.
Producer: Sierra Club Political Committee.
Where to see it: It’s airing in several key states, including Ohio. View it at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio.
Script: “Big Oil companies have our economy and politics in a choke hold. They are getting billions from the government … raking in record profits … while we pay $4 a gallon for gas. “John McCain’s answer? Another $4 billion giveaway to Big Oil. “But Barack Obama has a plan that breaks the grip of Big Oil. It invests in clean-energy options and gives families energy tax rebates. “Barack Obama. Real relief. Real change. “The Sierra Club Political Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.”
Video: The spot begins with a shot of people surrounded by oil barrels overflowing with cash. A mountain of money then falls away, revealing the U.S. Capitol and a photo of McCain. The narrator and accompanying music sound ominous. The music then turns inspirational and the narrator’s voice upbeat as Obama is shown in front of the White House before moving to a photo of solar panels being installed while Obama’s energy plan is discussed.
The ad: “Gimmick,” 30-seconds.
Producer: MoveOn.Org Political Action.
Where to see it: It begins airing today, though MoveOn has not decided if it will be shown in Ohio. View it at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio.
Script: “Sen. McCain, you let me and my kids down. From the very beginning, I told them, ‘This is a principled guy.’ So when you said you were going to help make driving affordable again, I believed you. “And your idea is to do offshore drilling, which I find out won’t produce much oil for 10 years … and then barely save us any money anyway. “That’s not a solution, Mr. McCain. That’s a gimmick. We expected better. “MoveOn.org Political Action is responsible for the content of this ad.”
Video: The ad features a middle-age father, sitting at a desk in his house, talking soberly into the camera.
Analysis: These ads were released in tandem and discussed jointly, during a conference call with reporters, by the Sierra Club and MoveOn.Org.
The political arm of the Sierra Club has endorsed Obama’s candidacy, and MoveOn.org, a liberal political advocacy group, also backs Obama.
Many experts agree it could take up to 10 years to begin seeing significant new oil supplies from new domestic oil exploration. But proponents of drilling say that approving such a step would immediately send a signal to the rest of the world, and to speculators, that America’s domestic supply will be on the rise in the future, leading to lower gas prices in the short and long term.
McCain’s economic plan includes a proposed cut in the corporate tax rate for all U.S. companies, not just oil companies. Obama’s economic plan does not cut such corporate tax rates.
It is true that Obama’s energy plan does not include new drilling and focuses more on renewable energy such as wind and solar, including proposing to spend $150 billion over 10 years on such technologies. McCain, who in the past opposed lifting the ban on new offshore domestic drilling, is now backing that step.
McCain also wants to expand nuclear energy and provide money for technology to cut down on coal emissions.
But neither ad mentions that Obama in 2005 voted for an energy bill supported by President George W. Bush that contained billions of dollars in tax breaks for oil companies, while McCain voted against the measure.
Jonathan Riskind is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch. E-mail: jriskind@dispatch.com.
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Local Obama campaign office to open on Monday
The Dayton-area office for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is having its grand opening on Monday Aug 4th - which is also Obama’s 47th birthday. Coincidentally, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland also has a birthday on the 4th. He’ll be 67.
The Obama office will be on the first floor of the Kettering Tower at Second and Jefferson streets, same location it was during the March primary. Obama supporters are encouraged to attend - and bring their cell phones - and help make phone calls to undecided voters across Ohio. The event starts at 6 p.m.
The victory office for local Republicans, and presidential hopeful John McCain has been open and staffed for four weeks. It is located at 526 Miamisburg-Centerville Road and can be reached by phone at (937)528-7888 if you’re interested in volunteering or getting more information.
