September 19th, 2008 Washington Post Editor
By Jonathan Weisman The Ad: John McCain's campaign, picking up where it left off Thursday, released a new advertisement challenging Sen. Barack Obama's credentials on the financial crisis by linking him to former Fannie Mae chief executive Jim Johnson, who once led Obama's vice presidential search panel. The ad starts with Obama saying, "It would be unacceptable for executives of these institutions to earn a windfall," then dismisses the statement as hypocrisy because of...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 19th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: John McCain admits he doesn't understand the economy. So who advises him? Carly Fiorina, the fired CEO who got a $42 million golden parachute. Phil Gramm, the ex-senator who pushed through deregulation and called Americans hurt by this economy "whiners." Then there's George Bush, whose disastrous policies McCain wants to continue. They think the economy is fundamentally strong. We know they're fundamentally wrong. Analysis: The key facts in this...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 19th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: Obama has no background in economics. Who advises him? The Post says it's Franklin Raines, for "advice on mortgage and housing policy." Shocking. Under Raines, Fannie Mae committed "extensive financial fraud." Raines made millions. Fannie Mae collapsed. Taxpayers? Stuck with the bill. Barack Obama. Bad advice. Bad instincts. Not ready to lead. Analysis: This John McCain ad is based on a disputed premise. There's no dispute that Obama has...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 17th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Robert Barnes VIENNA, Ohio -- John McCain and Barack Obama moved quickly to try to frame the debate over the country's economic crisis, releasing new commercials in which the candidates speak directly to voters. Obama went first, with a rare two-minute ad, "Plan for Change," that doesn't mention McCain directly but talks of past failures and offers a prescription for economic change. "This isn't just a string of bad luck,'' Obama says. "The...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 16th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Anne E. Kornblut LOS ANGELES -- First, Sen. John McCain switched his campaign theme to one of "change" -- offering up the "change you can believe in" motto that Sen. Barack Obama had been running on for more than a year. Now McCain has picked off another Obama turn of phrase. "Enough is enough," McCain says in a new eponymously named ad. That's a line that Obama has used at various points during...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 16th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: (Graphics:) Sept. 15, 2008. Lehman Bros. Collapses. Markets in Turmoil. Job Losses at 605,000 for the Year. Foreclosures at 9,800 a Day. And John McCain Says? (McCain:) Our economy I think, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong. (Graphics:) The fundamentals of our economy are strong? (McCain:) The fundamentals of our economy are strong. (Graphics:) How can John McCain fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 15th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: (John McCain:) I will not take the low road to the highest office in this land. (Narrator:) What's happened to John McCain? He's running the sleaziest ads ever. Truly vile. Dishonest smears that he repeats even after it's been exposed as a lie. The truth be damned. A disgraceful, dishonorable campaign. After voting with Bush 90 percent of the time, proposing the same disastrous economic policies. It seems deception...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 12th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: He was the world's biggest celebrity, but his star's fading. So they lashed out at Sarah Palin. Dismissed her as "good looking." That backfired, so they said she was doing, "what she was told." Then desperately called Sarah Palin a liar. How disrespectful. And how Governor Sarah Palin proves them wrong, every day. Analysis: This John McCain commercial, which contains two significant distortions, is part of a larger effort...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 12th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: 1982. John McCain goes to Washington. Things have changed in the last 26 years. But McCain hasn't. He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail. Still doesn't understand the economy. And favors $200 billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class. After one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 12th, 2008 The Washington Post
Sen. Barack Obama greets Sen. John McCain at the Service Nation Summit at Columbia University in New York, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008. (Chris Carlson/AP) By Jonathan Weisman NEW YORK -- With the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks over, the campaigns of Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama went back to war this morning with new attack ads that use the same harsh tactics the candidates lamented in a forum on civic service here last...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 9th, 2008 The Washington Post
Updated 7:35 p.m. By Howard Kurtz The Ad: When they grow up, will the economy be strong enough? Barack Obama understands what it takes. Make America number one in education again. John McCain doesn't understand. John McCain voted to cut education funding. Against accountability standards. He even proposed abolishing the Department of Education. And John McCain's economic plan gives $200 billion more to special interests while taking money away from public schools. We can't...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 8th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: They call themselves mavericks. Whoa. Truth is, they're anything but. John McCain is hardly a maverick, when seven of his top campaign advisers are Washington lobbyists. He's no maverick when he votes with Bush 90 percent of the time. And Sarah Palin's no maverick either. She was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it. Politicians lying about their records? You don't call that maverick. You call...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 8th, 2008 The Washington Post
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: Announcer: The original mavericks. He fights pork barrel spending. She stopped the Bridge to Nowhere. He took on the drug industry. She took on big oil. He battled Republicans and reformed Washington. She battled Republicans and reformed Alaska. They'll make history. They'll change Washington. McCain. Palin. Real change. McCain: I'm John McCain and I approve this message. Analysis: John McCain is using this ad to try to reclaim the...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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September 6th, 2008 Lexie Verdon
By Jonathan Weisman The new Republican National Committee-John McCain campaign ad isn't so new at all: Another mocking jab at Barack Obama's celebrity, another assertion that the Democratic nominee will raise taxes. What is new is the target: Florida. After months of letting Obama saturate the Sunshine State's airwaves alone, Republicans are finally moving in. The new ad, entitled "Temple," will be running in Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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