‘Do you feel better off?’

April 20, 2008

The Democratic National Committee launched its first television ad of the general election campaign today. (It first aired this morning on ABC’s “This Week,” where John McCain was the featured guest.)

It’s a doozy.

I like it. Coupled with the first ad from Progressive Media USA, it helps define McCain as someone who not only defends the last eight years, but plans to follow a similar course over the next four.

And given that McCain is a little sensitive on the issue, it’s an ad I hope to see more of.

The truth is, McCain doesn’t know what to think when asked about whether Americans are better off than they were eight years ago. He seemed quite certain in the debate footage featured in the DNC ad.

But just over the last couple of days, McCain has grown increasingly confused. On Thursday, asked if Americans are better off today than before George Bush took office, McCain said:

“I think if you look at the overall record and millions of jobs have been created, et cetera, et cetera, you could make an argument that there’s been great progress economically over that period of time.”

Literally one day later, asked the same question, McCain said:

“In fact, I think Americans are not better off than they were eight years ago, when you look at what’s happened to middle-income Americans.”

McCain’s just making this easy.

Yglesias made the argument the other day that some of the early attacks should probably 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.”

It’s a perfectly fair point, but if Dems can establish now that McCain lacks credibility (and coherence) on the economy, it might be easier to take advantage of the shaken public confidence in him soon after with more arguments relating to national security.

We should also leverage the free media. As long as the MSM is awash in ‘the economy is issue #1,’ we should focus on Hon. Sen. McCain bona fides in this area.

  • Good thing for McCain that Hillary-Joe is still trying to steal out a win.
    Else… the rapid evolution of his talking points would start to erode confidence in him as a virile grandpapa. Keep in mind… St. John enters the fray as some sort of oracle of independent astuteness. It is going to take lots of effort to wear that blessed nonsense away.

    All that being said:

    I like the Progressive Media USA ad a lot more.
    The conflation with Bush is a memorable way of abrading his character.

  • I agree that McCain needs to be ‘attacked’ on the economy first. If we start focusing more on the Iraq strategy at the beginning…. the hard-core conservatives and the ‘ignorant’ masses who reflexively vote a Republican ticket, will dig in their heels when you ‘dare’ attacking this wonderful ‘war hero’. Once they dig in their heels, they could care less about how many facts and common sense you use in describing how bad McCain would be for their own well being.

    By addressing the issue of the economy first and foremost, you at least make it easier for the ‘ignorant’ reflexive Republican voters: they’re not so dumb that they don’t understand that gas prices, and food prices are through the roof.

  • Hey, man, that’s just straight talk. “You could make an argument that there’s been great progress…” doesn’t mean McCain would make that argument. He knows, once he’s been told, that things are tough “when you look at what’s happened to middle-income Americans.”

    That’s middle-income Americans. Middle-class Americans, which include those in the top 5% of the income range, have been doing okay, thank you.

  • nice ad. for version 2 they should add the clip of lieberman whispering the correct answer in mccain’s ear — and then do a subliminal frame with nancy reagan doing the same for ronny.

  • Oh, did I blink? Where’s the” I’m a uniter,not a divider reference”? Im not into nation building? ~~~~~~~~~Well, I guess that would be true,just DESTRUCTION of THIS NATION,now that we’ve pulverized Iraq. Next on the agenda?Bomb,bomb,bomb,Iran…will that be his campaign’s theme song? What a putz! A petite,elite putz!

  • I think we should run with pictures of mclame with his tongue down the chimp’s throats, all kissy kissy, after the state of the union address.

    I know that it won’t make the gay crowd vote for him en-mass and it will be very sickening to the typical repug/neocon voter.

  • The ad was a good start and ROTFLMLiberalAO, has it right. I’d really like to help out the DNC fund these type of ads, but until we have a nominee it’s not gonna happen…such a shame, all that time wasted. Meanwhile, we can only hope that the right hon. mcidiot keeps on flapping his gums and coming up with these gems. There will be plenty of footage for ads…

  • I am so sick and tired of hearing “for all the honor of McCain’s military service”. What is honorable about being shot down and captured? What is honorable about totaling four military aircraft before then? What is honorable in being accused (w/o response or a hearing) of causing the USS Forrestal fire through a prank gone wrong? What is the honor of the son and grandson of four-star admirals finishing fifth from the bottom of his USNA class of eight hundred ninety-nine?

    Pretty shameful military service if you ask me. Hundreds of thousands have served more honorably, with less “family tradition” and support, in the failed wars which McCain wants us to continue, over 4,000 of them paying the highest price of all … for nothing other than Commander Codpiece’s “honor”.

  • McCain’s a multi-millionaire. He’s done great in the last eight years. Too bad about the rest of us.

    Oh, pardon me, McCain’s WIFE has done well in the last eight years. Senator McCain hasn’t done $hit other than pass all those tax cuts for the ultra-rich. Senator McCain, like Bush, has never been successful at anything other than being RELATED to rich people.

    So how come Kerry’s wife had to release her taxes, and McCain’s wife doesn’t?
    What’s she hiding?

  • (It first aired this morning on ABC’s “This Week,” where John McCain was the featured guest.) — CB

    Oh, my… 🙂 Someone at ABC must have a good sense of humour. The ad’s points would have been amplified by McSame’s transposition of the tune into a minor key.

  • Terrific ad. This is the way to play McCain — he’s given us enough rope to string him up good, so just use his own naivete and delusions against him.

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