Low FIDEL-ity: "McCain Campaign Running Obama-Castro Ad"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

McCain Campaign Running Obama-Castro Ad

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/24/mccain-campaign-running-o_n_114657.html

The McCain campaign has a new web ad out placing Barack Obama, for the second time, side-by-side with a foreign dictator. This time, it's Fidel Castro.

A Democrat in south Florida alerted the Huffington Post to the image, which shows Obama and Castro, profiled side-by-side, above a quote from the Cuban leader praising the Illinois Democrat as "the most advanced candidate."

Picture association is a time-honored tool in political campaigns (think: former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland having his mug pasted beside Osama Bin Laden's during the 2002 congressional elections). And indeed, this is not the first time that the presumptive Republican nominee has used the tactic. Early in June, McCain's campaign launched a web ad placing Obama beside Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underneath the caption: "Is it OK to unconditionally meet with anti-American foreign leaders?"



Unlike that spot, the Castro advertisement actually uses the foreign leader's words against Obama. But the quote is misleading in regards to the actual political dynamics in play. For starters, since Obama became the de facto nominee, Castro has been critical of his candidacy, arguing that he has not called for serious alterations to U.S.-Cuban relations and would willingly allow the island nation to suffer from hunger. Obama, meanwhile, has criticized Castro as a repeated abuser of human rights and a tyrant whose time has passed.

Moreover, the guilt by endorser meme is something that even McCain has disavowed. When questions started being raised about his supporter, John Hagee, the Senator washed his hands of the pastor's controversial statements. "When he endorses me," McCain said, months before he rejected Hagee's endorsement, "it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for and believes."

For now, it seems the McCain camp is using its Castro ad on sites catering to South Florida - obviously a politically important geographic region. An email to McCain staffers went unanswered, but if readers have any more information, please send us tips.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. So how about a parallel ad showing McCain with Hagee?

The blurb should say something about fanatical extremists.

Or maybe the picture with McCain and Bush hugging; that caption could say, "The wanna-be king names his wanna-be successor."

What other ads could be drawn up?

[niceypoo]

2. Why waste money justifying it with a response ad?

What the Dems should go after is McCain's promise not to run negative ads.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. That was my immediate reaction...

...and if it hadn't been so early in the morning, with me still working on my first cup of coffee, I might have Googled that promise and added it as a separate paragraph.

:-)

But you hit the nail on the head. One of the basic principles of the Karl Rove school of dirty politics is that you MUST define the playing field for your opponent so that they spend all of their time and resources "defending" themselves, never moving forward.

The fact that Obama has kept his focus on his own message and agenda leads me to believe that he is not willing to play this one Rove's way.

:patriot:

[nc4bo]

3. A poster with mcfudd hugging up on bush would do well I'd think.

No photo of mcfudd has ever elicted such revolting, nauseating reactions from my core as the famous hug shot.

ugh :puke: :puke: :puke:

More proof that Mcfudd's reaching for the life preserver.

[Alter Ego]

4. What's next, Obama/Hitler?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

6. Obama / Vlad The Impaler. Obama / The Grinch. Obama / Mosquitos trying to bite you at 3 AM.

Obama / Flat Tire On The Way To Work
Obama / Painful Rectal Itch
Obama / Acid Reflux
Obama / Your Husband Or Wife Is Sleeping With The Mailman
Obama / Your Kid Is Getting Cs and Ds in His Senior Year So He's Not Getting Into Stanford

:rofl:

No shortage of ideas or angles at McCain's "Straight Talk Express."

:eyes: