Obama ad slams McCain on China trade

Barack Obama's campaign launched a tough new TV ad today in Pennsylvania and other swing states that tries to tie John McCain to what it calls unfair trade with China.

The ad cites the 2004 shutdown of the Corning plant in State College, Pa., during which some worker were briefly rehired to send the equipment to a new plant in China. The Obama campaign, blaming China's unfair trade practices that have "long been protected by the Bush-McCain economic policies," cites a study from Economic Policy Institute saying that the United States has lost 1.7 million jobs due to the growing trade deficit with China since President Bush took office.

"Corning shuts down its plant in Pennsylvania, hundreds lose their jobs," the announcer says in the ad. "Then the workers are rehired to disassemble the plant. And ship the equipment to China.

"Washington sold them out, with the help of people like John McCain," the announcer continues. "He supported tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. And voted against cracking down on China for unfair trade practices. We can’t afford more of the same."

Responding to the ad, the Republican National Committee accused Obama of not helping workers at a Maytag plant being shut down in his home state of Illinois.

“In lieu of accomplishments or any real record of reform, Barack Obama is choosing gutter politics to attack John McCain. Pennsylvanians have already seen Barack Obama’s thin record and false attacks and just as they did this spring, they’re eager to tell him ‘thanks but no thanks,” Blair Latoff, a RNC spokeswoman, said in a statement.