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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > August > 11
Monday, August 11, 2008
Eye on Ohio: “Embrace” ad for Obama
The ad: “Embrace,” 30 seconds.
Producer: Obama campaign.
Where to see it: It begins airing today on national cable stations.
Script (male announcer): “For decades, he’s been Washington’s biggest celebrity. John McCain.
“And as Washington embraced him, John McCain hugged right back. The lobbyists — running his low-road campaign. The money — billions in tax breaks for oil and drug companies, but almost nothing for families like yours. Lurching to the right, then the left, the old Washington dance, whatever it takes.
“John McCain. A Washington celebrity playing the same old Washington game.”
Video: There are lots of shots of McCain with President George W. Bush. They hug, affectionately butt heads, and Bush even kisses McCain on the head. There’s also video of McCain with Letterman, Leno and on “The View” and “Saturday Night Live.” McCain is shown with lobbyists — at least that’s how the Obama campaign identifies them — and aides and in front of an oil rig.
Analysis: This is an Obama-strikes-back ad. You called me a celebrity? I’ll call you one. Take that.
In his earlier ad, McCain used video of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to cast Obama as a well-spoken, but unprepared, empty suit. The Obama ad wants people to know that McCain has had his own fling as the media’s favorite politician, although it’s a stretch to say that McCain’s been “Washington’s favorite celebrity” for decades.
But that’s not the real point the ad is trying to make.
The goal is to drill home the message that McCain and the very unpopular President Bush are head-butting, kissing cousins, politically speaking, and that electing McCain would be the same as giving Bush and the fat-cat oil and drug companies four more years.
This is a problem for McCain, a direct assault on his self-proclaimed reputation as a Washington maverick, beholden to no one but the voters and, as McCain puts it, “the country we love.”
The ad might try to do too much. Bush is unpopular, so it makes sense to try to link McCain with him. But Letterman, Leno, “Saturday Night Live” and “The View” aren’t exactly on the same celebrity low road as Britney and Paris.
William Hershey is Columbus bureau chief for the Dayton Daily News. E-mail: whershey@daytondailynews.com.
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Conservative think tank wants to let the sunshine in
The Buckeye Institute, the Columbus-based conservative think tank, wants to let the sunshine in on state and local governments.
On Monday, Aug. 11, the group announced a new Web site, OhioSunshine.org.
The goal is to fill it with state and local government budgets, public employee contracts, public records policies and related information. It’s a “wiki” Web site which means its available to anybody who wants to post information on it.
“We like to say that there are 11 million pairs of eyes to ensure good government in Ohio,” said Mike Maurer, head of the Buckeye Institute’s Center for Transparent and Accountable Government.
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AFL-CIO joins McCain bashing over DHL
The AFL-CIO has joined in bashing Republican John McCain for lobbying work that McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis did for DHL.
The labor federation announced on Monday, Aug. 11, that it’s sending mailers to more than 100,000 “union swing voters” asserting that McCain “turned his back on Ohio.”
According to reports, Davis - and McCain - helped German-owned DHL secure the 2003 deal that allowed DHL to acquire Airborne Express. Now DHL is trying to turn its air freight business over to UPS which would mean the loss of 8,000 jobs in Wilmington. McCain and Davis should do more to try to stop this, critics have charged.
The AFL-CIO also has launched an e-mail campaign calling on members and labor activists to contact McCain’s Ohio campaign and ask McCain to fire Davis.
Republicans say that Democrats and their allies are trying to politicize the DHL issue and instead should join forces with McCain to try to help the community.
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“Barns for Obama” campaign starts
Barack Obama may come across as a city slicker but he wants Ohio voters to know that he can be a down on the farm guy.
That’s the message of “Barns for Obama,” the Democrat’s effort to reach out to rural Ohio voters.
The campaign will reach out to rural Ohioans statewide to encourage voters to paint their barns with the Obama logo .
It includes a video of a barn painting in northern Trumbull County in northeastern Ohio that promotes the Obama campaign.
Here’s the video:
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GOP lashes back on DHL issue
Republicans don’t think much of two new Democratic Web videos criticizing Republican John McCain and his campaign manager Rick Davis for the lobbying ties Davis once had to German-owned DHL.
Democrats say Davis and McCain should do more to keep DHL from turning its air freight operations over to UPS, at the cost of 8,000 jobs in Wilmington.
Here’s what Blair Latoff, Republican National Committee spokeswoman, had to say:
“The Democrat Party of Ohio and Barack Obama are more intent on politicizing job losses than they are seeking solutions to improve our challenging economic times.
“While Barack Obama was playing to the cameras, John McCain was giving straight talk to Ohioans about his plans to both save and create jobs.
“Maybe Barack Obama should take John McCain’s lead and meet with the hardworking families of Wilmington who risk job loss.”
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Dem videos blast McCain on DHL
Democrats clearly believe they can make political gains by blasting Republican John McCain on the lobbying ties his campaign manager Rick Davis had to German-owned DHL.
Ohio Democrats on Sunday, Aug. 10, released a Web video, “Wrong Choice,” criticizing both McCain and Davis on the issue and the Democratic National Committee released one of its own, “Job Killing John.”
Democrats cite news reports that Davis - and McCain - in 2003 helped secure the deal that allowed DHL to acquire Airborne Express. DHL now wants to hire UPS for its air freight operations, which would eliminate 8,000 jobs in Wilmington. Davis and McCain should do more to stop the deal, Democrats says.
Last week while campaigning in Ohio, McCain declined to respond directly to the Democratic charges but said everybody should work together to try to keep the jobs in Wilmington. Here are the videos - first from Ohio Democrats and below that from the DNC.
