Don't run anti-Obama ad, McCain tells N.C. GOP
John McCain urged North Carolina Republicans today not to air a TV ad attacking Democrat Barack Obama over his association with his controversial former pastor.
The N.C. Republican Party plans to air the ad, which features a clip of the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. attacking America, and which hits the two Democratic candidates for governor, who will share the May 6 ballot with the Obama and Hillary Clinton, for endorsing Obama.
"They should know better," the narrator says. "He's just too extreme for North Carolina."
In a letter to state party chairwoman Linda Daves, McCain writes, "From the beginning of this election, I have been committed to running a respectful campaign based upon an honest debate about the great issues confronting America today. I expect all state parties to do so as well. The television advertisement you are planning to air degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats. In the strongest terms, I implore you to not run this advertisement.
The presumptive Republican nominee adds: "This ad does not live up to the very high standards we should hold ourselves to in this campaign. We need to run a campaign that is worthy of the people we seek to serve. There is no doubt that we will draw sharp contrasts with the Democrats on fundamental issues critical to the future course of our country. But we need not engage in political tactics that only seek to divide the American people. Once again, it is imperative that you withdraw this offensive advertisement."
McCain cannot control what the GOP wants to do. It's call free speech. In fact, by drawing attention to it McCain is doing more to send out this message than just ignoring it.
WHAT ELSE can you expect from the GOP ?
If McCain cannot control the actions of his own party, how can we expect him to successfully lead the country?
Hey Clowns ..if Obama never had a bigot for a pastor then it would not be an issue. If Obama and others of good will (right and left) stopped giving crediblity to vile creeps then they would retreat to the shadows where they belong. Obama should have walked/ran out of his church the first time he heard such hatred. He did not...he tried to justify it....hence the problem. .Disgusting...no courage of his convictions...unless bias is part of his conviction.
While it appears that McCain wants a clean, fair fight, he already knows from his own experience last time what the party machinery can and will do. He's probably been told to disavow it.
It's kind of cunning really.
low and lowest => Hillary and GOP. ditto to comment #3. If McCain can't control his own party, how can he lead the country succesffully?
Negative and fear monger ads never effect on smart and knowledgable people; those ads aims for ignorant American only.
As a moderate voter, I implore John McCain to fulfill his pledge to run a clean and ennobling campaign. Please don't hide behind the veneer of these independent groups. Lay down the law, John. You gave your word.
McCain has one chance of becoming president. Obama. He must help Obama whenever he can.
Precisely why Obama must reject public financing during the general election. 85 million in public financing is peanuts compared to what Obama can generate with his 1.5 million contributors (I'm going online now to give Obama 100 bucks). If Obama can generate 40-50 million a month he can overcome all the negative advertising, swift-boating and Republican 527 can throw at him. Obama'08
The Republican party is clearly afraid of Barack Obama becoming the Democratic nominee. They know many Republicans and Independents are supporting Obama.They know Obama could very well win the election in November. They also know his opponent will galvanize the Republican party in favor of McCain and give McCain the best shot at winning in November (right or wrong, too many Republicans hate the Clintons). This is why they are attacking Obama at this point in the campaign. They do not want him to win the nomination.They are desperate and unscrupulous, and this is only the beginning. This should be transparent to all voters. It is also a clear example of what millions and millions of Obama supporters want to see changed in this country. We will never be able to address the serious problems that face our nation if we can't see these distractions for what they are and put them behind us. The majority of voters will have the capacity to understand the crystal clear differences between Democrat Obama and Republic McCain policies in the fall. Democrats will come together and defeat Republicans if the nominee is Barack Obama.
McCain wrote a mere letter of protest. This is not a show of real opposition from what we know of McCain. It was merely required to keep the press quiet. Why should they pull the ad? It is a true fact that this hateful racist pastor spewed bizarre accusations blaming everything on "white people". He is famous for it. He has shouted anti-white themes for 20 years, in Obama's church. If Hillary Clinton (or John McCain),went to a church who had a white pastor who was saying identical things, replacing the word "white" with "black", the newspeople would be condemning her around the clock. The ad does not show anything but the true speech of Obama's mentor. Are we at the point where the truth should be hidden for one candidate and not the others? I find it highly upsetting that when Obama, when speaking of his grandmother, said that a person such as her, who made anti-ethnic comments and was a racist, was a "typical white person". If Clinton or McCain said that a person who was making anti-ethnic insults and was a racist, was a "typical black person" they would have been showing the news clip with wild protests over and over. Why should McCain protest when the ad is showing the truth as recorded? What type of country would we have if one person controlled the honest opinions of people in their own party?
I'm a leaning Democrat, a US Marine, and most important an American citizen. I salute John McCain for his action. In this one act, not excusing his wanting to continue Bush III, he is truly a great American. Kudos for doing the right thing Senator McCain!!!!
Dave up there made one of the most ignorant comments I've seen on here so far...
"McCain has one chance of becoming president. Obama. He must help Obama whenever he can."
Based on what? ALMOST EVERY SINGLE POLL SHOWS ONLY OBAMA CAN BEAT McCAIN
You should really research your facts before spreading ignorant information.
McCain is a freakin' Trotskyite himself so he has nothing on Obama.
Obama is nothing more than an empty suit and a creation of the media who is in reality, a puppet of the communist controlled CFR.
He has already pledged a large part of our GNP to foreigners. Isn't that nice?
A vote for Obama is a vote for a communist /racist who is not America first.
I am ashamed of any Marine who would support a racist like Obama.
Facts are facts: Obama is a communist and a racist.
The GOP should not have to hide this fact. Just telling the truth is not a crime.
The Democrats have no compunction about printing vile things about certain other candidates that were not true but I guess there is A DOUBLE standard isn't there?
That said, McCain has many skeletons in his closet that REAL republicans ought to be exposing:
1 - He was once considering to be a Democrat
2 - He was funded by mortal enemy and criminal George Soros
3 - He has reconquistas on his staff (Juan Hernadez)
4 - He has just about conceded the US to the NAU and to foreign influences a the the UN
He is a filthy globalist. At least Obama admits he's a filthy globalist. McCain is a GOPer in disguise.
McCain does not care who runs negative ads about Obama . Him saying not to run the ad gave permission for the media to run the ad. MSNBC ould not wait . The problem with our elections , the media has too much power over the entire process . Like the lie about Hillary winning Penn by 10 points , not true . It was a win by 8 points .Chris Mathews called the votes for Hillary last night at 7:30, it was not over until 8pm . these actions by Chris & others make the american people very frustrated and will make many not vote in nov. What is wrong with letting the process work as it should without any outside influences that only add drama and confusion.
As a Democrat I admire and respect John McCain's view on this issue even though he probably has hidden agendas related to it. For him to endorse that ad would be hypocritical being that he's accepted numerous endorsements from bigoted pastors. And by the way, Rev. Wright isn't a bigot. The people accusing Rev. Wright of being a bigot I would classify as the "uneducated" population. When I say uneducated I don't mean in terms of formal education and degrees, I mean as in being thoroughly informed about a subject. If those commentators bothered to watch the whole 10 min clip of Rev. Wright's speech they would know that he was quoting a White Republican Ambassador who happened to state the "chickens coming home to roost" comment on Fox News. I'm sure McCain educated himself on this media hoax, that's why he's not endorsing this non-issue.
John McCain should be happy that they are running this ad. I think he should be running several himself. Anything that would wake the people up to what a radical Obama is, is doing a service not only to the American people, but actually to the democratic party as well. The media hasn't done their job, and that ad is more than fair game. Obama is running for President, if he cannot handle the heat he needs to take his whining, out of the kitchen. Here is an article I posted yesterday on my blog that expounds on the pass the mainstream media has given B.O.
http://saywhatyoureallymean.blogspot.com/2008/04/msm-and-obama-supporters-must-get-heads.html
I believe alot of people misunderstand why John Mc Cain has repudiated the endless showing of the Reverand Wright video. The reason he has done this is not to give the appearance of moral correctness, but is to reject the idea that all things are permitted in running for the office of the President of the United States.
The last time I saw John was the day he was launched off the America to provide close ground support fot our troops in Vietnam. He hasn't changed much.
Mccain pisses me off, He has NO right to tell anyone what they can say...who in the hell does he think he is.
I think he's changed his mind.
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