Progressive Media USA hits McCain with ‘Out of Touch’ ad

April 15, 2008

Following up on an item from last week, independent efforts to help “define” John McCain while the Democratic nominating race continues got off to a very rough start, in large part because Democratic investors have been focused more on the Democratic primary than their Republican opponent.

Progressive Media USA, however, stepped up to pick up the slack. The project, led by Media Matters’ David Brock, is poised to be “the main vehicle for independent Democratic attacks on McCain.”

The group’s first ad was unveiled late yesterday. It’s called “Out of Touch.”

The spot features McCain and Bush talking about the same issues, using the same language. The ad will reportedly begin running on CNN and MSNBC today.

There’s some difference of opinion on the ad, but I think it works just fine.

Yglesias noted:

When you think about how potentially damaging something as basic as “John McCain agrees with George W. Bush about important issues” could be as an attack, it’s a stark reminder of how bad the fundamentals are for the Republicans. I would, however, somewhat prefer to see early attacks focus on McCain’s disastrous thinking on national security issues — the economy argument is very easy to make, so it’s more important to get started on the more difficult task of making the case that for all the honor of McCain’s military service, it’s left him with a reckless and absurd strategic vision.

I don’t disagree with any of this, but for an initial ad run, I like the idea of keeping the message nice and simple: McCain = Bush. If you want four more years like the last eight, have we got a candidate for you.

Once that’s established, everything else can be worked into this framework, especially McCain’s “disastrous thinking on national security issues.” But that’s the beauty of the message. On Iraq, McCain = Bush. On economic policy, McCain = Bush. On healthcare, McCain = Bush. And so on.

I’ve been feeling pretty discouraged about the presidential race lately, but I feel like the saving grace for Dems may very well be that very few Americans want to keep the country moving in the direction it’s currently headed, and on practically every issue that matters, McCain is running on a four-more-years platform. It’s not rocket science.

The drive to define presidential candidates should always be really simple. Kerry? Flip-flopper. Obama? Elitist. Gore? Exaggerator.

McCain? Bush.

More please.

  • I think that ad’s terrific! It makes its point BIFF, BAM, POW. It would be nice if our Party could get its act together to supply a Batman, Robin or Superman to step in to defend truth, justice and the American way, but till we have a nominee, ads like this will have to do.

    I think it’s time for Obama to step up the pressure. We need another one of his signature speeches, this time aimed at small town America (and those urbanites similarly out of work and out of hope after a generation of Reagans, Bushes and Clintons).

    While he’s getting us all to move on from the surface-level divides of gender and race, it’s time for him to pick up where Mario Cuomo (1984 DNC “tales of two cities” Keynote) and John Edwards (“two Americas” earlier this year) left us: Force the superdelegates (ex officio delegates, to be precise) forward on our path to total victory.

  • It’s interesting how McCain is so trapped in a box. He likes being seen as a straight talking maverick, but as a Republican candidate, he’s largely forced to adhere to the talking points coming out of Heritage Foundation, AEI, Cato and other spin tanks. That’s how the machine works. Repeat the same talking points, march to the Souza tempo. If the Dems stick to the “nothing new here” meme, all the bumper sticker wisdom in the world isn’t going to help much.

    Let Obama make the policy arguments.

  • Seeing as we have to pay for ads such as this one, and Hon. Sen. McCain himself volunteers to pay for the suff telling everybody about his non existent strategic (same as President* Bush) vision, I think this is a better buy.

  • The best ad would be an image of Bush morphing into McCain (and back again, over and over) the headline “Four more years?”, and a voiceover with Bush and McCain saying the same things as each other. End with an image of “the hug”.

  • Talk about John McCain, a/k/a The Terrible-Tempered Mr. Bang of Indecision 2008:

    His latest Grand Delusion–as in a summer-long fuel tax holiday–smells of “good concept, but no sense when all is said and done.

    Particularly considering where fuel taxes cover the Highway Trust Fund.

    And with a significant and measurable shortfall ensuing in case the tax holiday goes through, expect further deferred maintenance (and then some) on the nation’s already-deteriorating highways and bridges, translating into traffic problems becoming all the worse.

    Not to mention wasted fuel as a byproduct of said deferred maintenance.

  • It’s okay for starters. I’d like to see a half-dozen of these things lined up for the general that all hammer the same theme — McCain equals more Bush — on issues where Bush sucks and public opinion actually favors progressive solutions. Editing these things together from existing footage is cheap compared to buying airtime; varying the subject but reinforcing previous messages by maintaining the style would be devastating.

    I’d like to see another series based on McCain flip-flops, again, using his own words, to destroy his straight-talker image and credibility. A third series could take on his “maverick” image and fourth series would contrast his “experience” with his lack of knowledge and bad judgment.

    These kinds of ads are the only way I can see to tear down the false image McCain and our ass-kissing media are creating.

  • I’d like to see another series based on McCain flip-flops, again, using his own words, to destroy his straight-talker image and credibility.

    Agreed. Easy to do — “agents of intolerance” followed by him hugging Falwell, tax cuts quotes on both sides, etc. etc. They could even use the same “on the one hand, on the other hand” clip from this ad.

    And it would hurt him on all sides — conservatives get reminded of his liberal strayings in the past, independents get reminded he’s not a “straight-talker,” and even Democrats tempted to stray get reminded he’s embraced some nutty positions lately.

  • I actually thought it was kind of lame. Just because the two men used the same phrases to describe the economy…is that an argument? McCain’s economic policy is whack-a-doodle. Shouldn’t future ads go straight after it? I want to see more ads, ones that go after him on spending (his plan would cost trillions of dollars in addition to a war we can’t pay for), ones that go after this stupid, but very happy sounding gas tax holiday (seriously, who’s on holiday here? McCain’s brain). I also think there should be an ad that hits him really hard where he lives- foreign policy. He screws up constantly, but people believe him anyway.

    I honestly think that the only way we can insure that Obama (the presumptive DEM nominee at this point, at least until Hillary shoots him with her six-gun) wins is to run on McCain. We have to undercut his appeal to white working class and Hispanic voters- voters who prefer more familiar, traditional, paternalistic candidates. We have to thrash him until he looks so weak and inept, no one but the truly deluded will vote for him. McCentury is the weakest GOP candidate I’ve seen in my lifetime. Of course, we did just finish 8 years with the Moron-in-Chief, so I guess anything is possible….The MSM isn’t helping either. #*$(#$#*(@&*()#
    I really hate those people.

  • im always a little saddened to read such hate and venom as appears in danniell’s peice. i thought liberals “loved all people” and would never write such hateful things. can’t we debate ideas rather than calling people names?
    joe

    • Comments are closed.