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McCain hits back with 3 a.m. ad of own

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor April 3, 2008 09:50 AM


It didn't take long for John McCain to respond to Hillary Clinton's latest ad positing a middle-of-the-night phone call in the White House.

Of course, if you "borrow" every second of footage and just change the voice-over, it doesn't take long.

Clinton's "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep" spot argues that McCain isn't proposing enough to deal with the wave of foreclosures and that if there were an economic crisis would "let the phone keep ringing."

McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, changes the script to say: "Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama just said they’d solve the problem by raising your taxes. More money out of your pocket. John McCain has a better plan. Grow jobs, grow our economy, not grow Washington.

"It's 3 a.m., time for a president who is ready," the announcer concludes.

Obama pulled off much the same feat when Clinton hit him with the original 3 a.m. ad just before the Texas primary last month, one that implicitly questioned his readiness to be commander-in-chief. His campaign morphed Clinton's ad to highlight his judgment.

30 comments so far...
  1. wow he is ready to cut taxes and bomb iran, bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb iran

    That will help the country do something

    Posted by J April 3, 08 11:00 AM
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  1. I find it interesting that Democrats and Republicans alike agree that the best economic stimulus is to put money back into the pockets of Americans. The checks are almost in the mail! But, the Democrats turn right around and say they will take all that money back, plus a lot more. I suppose that's economic stimulus in reverse gear. Washington is big enough. The best thing to do is downsize government SPENDING, reverse government tax increases with permanent tax reduction, and reverse the trend that puts government into every aspect of an American's life.

    Posted by John Auger April 3, 08 12:06 PM
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  1. Let's add fear. Republican stanse again. Like the Dems are raising taxes on us...
    They want to raise taxes on the rich! That is what's wrong with the Republicans. They don't care the rest of us are poor.

    Posted by J Rogers April 3, 08 12:07 PM
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  1. i'll never understand why the "tax and spend" line works for republicans; all of the politicians, with extraordinarily few exceptions, are perfectly willing to "tax and spend" all of the time. these "conservatives" love growing washington as big as possible, just like the liberals, and they all preach free markets yet love corporate bailouts and economic stimulus. as much as i hate liberals, you have to hand it to them for being consistent, since they don't pretend that they are opposed to government spending.

    Posted by Jon April 3, 08 12:09 PM
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  1. Cutting taxes and waging wars of aggression while running up debt that the Chinese are buying up while taking our best jobs.

    Heck of a plan Johnny

    Posted by Fred Couples April 3, 08 12:09 PM
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  1. of course McCain is awake at 3:00 am, he is up taking a piss

    Posted by AJ April 3, 08 12:16 PM
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  1. Clinton...Obama; Obama...Clinton. Oh well, as a registered Republican I know one thing for certain. Either one of those two will be a heck of a lot better than D & D. No, not Dungeons and Dragons, but close. Dick & Dubya...also better known as Disaster & Disgrace.

    Posted by c.o. jones April 3, 08 12:17 PM
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  1. no darling!!, wait until iran bomb your family and your kids

    Posted by igor April 3, 08 12:17 PM
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  1. nah, there's enough dissent growing inside Iran to start liberalizing the country - albeit too slowly for most Americians, it is happening...

    Posted by KS April 3, 08 12:17 PM
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  1. Vietnam isn't over for him. It'll be payback.

    Posted by vin April 3, 08 12:19 PM
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  1. plagiarism

    Posted by Jim April 3, 08 12:25 PM
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  1. J,

    I see that you were not an English Major. It is difficult to take seriously sombody who can't write or spell.

    Posted by Moose April 3, 08 12:26 PM
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  1. McBush will cut the taxes and be in Iraq for 100 years. He will take all of us to Iran also to bomb Iran. Our children will be born there and become citizens there. It is good for our children because then they would not have to pay the trillions of dollars of debt that Bush and BcBush are accumulating for the coming generations to pay off. When the parents and Grandfathers are living off of the income of children and grand children to be born in future it is called Bush McBush brilliance. Cudos to them for such a strategy. No wallstreet guy can beat them .

    Posted by wellwisher April 3, 08 12:28 PM
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  1. McCain has a good point. I have a mortgage on a house I knew I could afford. It is a much smaller house than most Americans own, but it is all I knew I could buy at the time. Why should I know have to pay increased taxes to help cover irresponsible lenders and home buyers who bought extravagant places well beyond their means. While they will continue to enjoy the large home that they purchased, my taxes will go up to cover their inability to pay for their home. It really doesn't make much sense. I'm normally a democrat, but I side with McCain 100% on this issue.

    Posted by ccs April 3, 08 12:30 PM
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  1. WHY CAN'T BHO/HRC SAY "FOLKS GOVERMENT IS NOT THE SOLUTION". DEMOCRAT VOTERS HAVE BEEN VOTING FOR DEMOCRATS FOR 70 YEARS AND GO LOOK AT THE STATICS, THEY ARE STILL POOR.
    ONLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR DESTINATION, GREAT SOCIETY DID NOT WORK, WELFARE DID NOT WORK..............................
    I WOULD QUOTE JFK NOT WHAT THE COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY!

    Posted by Athar Zafar April 3, 08 12:55 PM
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  1. Why do we have to bail out every moron that comes along?

    If you haven't figured it out yet, our representives haven't represented us in a long time. They will do and say anything so they can stay in office and fill their pockets.

    "Can't we all just get along" and fix the government and the country?

    Posted by Steve April 3, 08 01:01 PM
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  1. Isn't "Political Intelligence" an oxymoron?

    Posted by Steve April 3, 08 01:03 PM
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  1. Better a pro-active, experienced republican LEADER than these
    wanna-be imposters masquerading as such. Anyone who works in downtown
    NYC knows what it's like to face terrorists on US soil...why not take the battle to their door where it belongs?
    Go McCain!

    Posted by John america April 3, 08 01:07 PM
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  1. John-not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer-McCain graduated 894 out of 899. He crashed three planes before he ever saw combat. He has NEVER in his life had a job in the private sector.

    I do not want a senile senior citizen answering the phone at 3:00 a.m. He probably can't even work the answering machine.

    Posted by robert lewis April 3, 08 01:07 PM
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  1. Great ad. Our focus should be on cutting taxes to businesses so they can grow and create more jobs to stimulate the economy.

    Posted by Irma Jeanis April 3, 08 01:08 PM
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  1. A policy of an administration drunk on the blood of four thousand, driving our country down the road to ruin, shouting "gimme 4 more".

    Posted by Errol J. Lima April 3, 08 01:11 PM
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  1. Neocons like socialism for the rich and capitalism for the rest of is.

    Posted by Spinning Head April 3, 08 01:14 PM
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  1. How many tax dollars per republican vs how many tax dollars per democrat.
    I wish the left would grow up.

    Posted by JohnJohn April 3, 08 01:14 PM
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  1. The really sad thing about all of this is, no matter which on of these three eventually win, we the public, LOSE----again. Our politicians are supposed to SERVE the American public but it is the other way around anymore. Best way would be to cut the size of our gov't in half then wait six months and cut it in half again. This way the people will be able to afford the government that has been thrust upon us

    Posted by Larry Beers April 3, 08 01:14 PM
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  1. Republicans have been in control of the executive and legislative branch and look at the economy today. If their plan of cutting taxes had worked, don't you think we would see that? Why would anyone want to continue digging a hole when we are buried in deep *&# now? Vote these bums out and elect someone who will take this country in a whole new direction.

    OBAMA 08

    Posted by DJ April 3, 08 01:16 PM
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  1. it doesn't matter really...in the end they are all a bunch of crooks...otherwise they'd have real jobs like the rest of us...politicians have just learned how to con society into buying their b.s.

    seriously, why would millionaires (yes, these "leaders" are all filthy rich") stomp all over one another for a job that doesn't pay what they would get in the private sector...

    answer....POWER...it's ridiculous...it's no longer about doing the right thing...whichever of these clowns has the most cash to tell the best lies wins...


    Posted by Golgatha April 3, 08 01:26 PM
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  1. No, no, no! If we give Americans a tax rebate it will HELP stimulate the economy. If we raise taxes it will HELP stimulate the economy. Isn't that clear enough for everyone? Doh!

    In truth, what the Republicans propose is to stimulate the economy by putting money back in the hands of people who earned it (a tax rebate). What the Democrats propose is to take money from people who earned it and give it to people who did not. And I suppose Ralph Nader would like to see us print a "greener" currency. The choice is obvious.

    J.

    Posted by Jack April 3, 08 01:29 PM
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  1. This guy doing the VO sounds like a maniac. Seriously.

    Posted by james April 3, 08 05:00 PM
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  1. It is sad that the Dems who tell the world that the Reps are a bunch of biggoted racist chauvinistic pigs are in fact practicing biggotry racisism chauvinisim and age discrimination. How could anybody who is a member of AARP take the Dems seriously after supporters like robert lewis speak up.
    Does any body think Bill Gates is stupid? Didn't he fail to finish college?
    Are we not, all of us, tired of our congress spending money on homegrown projects designed to line the pockets of their constituency. The Dems promised to put a stop to it. It is still going on at the same breakneck speed as when the Reps were in power. How about a line item veto.

    Posted by mitch April 3, 08 09:53 PM
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  1. McCain- The rich get richer and the poor get poorer..Middle class jobs gone and they're not coming back! Give us all your sons and daughters to fight and die in a war-gone-bad. Strip us of our homes, our jobs and our kids!
    Economic flunkie. Bush hug-up. Oh, yeah..vote for McCain!

    Posted by jen April 28, 08 08:04 PM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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