Obama ad targets McCain's 'strong' remark
Barack Obama's campaign wasted little time in trying to capitalize on John McCain's assertion yesterday that, despite the deepening financial crisis, the American economy's "fundamentals" are "strong."
It's something McCain has said before. And by way of explanation, McCain said that American workers -- the linchpin of the economy -- are still very productive. It is greedy speculators on Wall Street that caused the problem, he said.
But Obama argues that only someone out of touch with economic reality would say it again on a day when two more Wall Street institutions, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, collapsed or were sold off, and the Dow tumbled 500 points. McCain's comment is replayed no fewer than three times in the 30-second spot.
"How can John McCain fix our economy if he doesn't understand it's broken?" the ad asks.
It's worth repeating that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, who made billions in the private sector, yesterday echoed McCain's economic assessment. "I do agree that fundamentally America has an economy that is strong," Bloomberg told Politico. "America’s great strength is its diversity, its hard work, its good financial statements, its broad capital markets, its enormous natural resources" and its work ethic, he said.
"I'd rather play America's hand than any other country," he said. "Without problems? No."
Still, Obama clearly recognizes that the worse things are financially, the more voters are likely to turn to new leadership. And his campaign uses dramatic music and sky-is-falling imagery in this TV spot to play on people's economic fears.
UPDATE: Obama's campaign also sought to capitalize on McCain adviser Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard, saying today neither the Arizona senator nor his running mate Sarah Palin is qualified to run a major corporation. Fiorina clarified on MSNBC that neither is Obama and that McCain isn't running to be a CEO.
But the Obama camp jumped. “If John McCain’s top economic advisor doesn’t think he can run a corporation, how on Earth can he run the largest economy in the world in the midst of a financial crisis? Apparently even the people who run his campaign agree that the economy is an issue John McCain doesn’t understand as well as he should,” spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.
The Democratic National Committee piled on, releasing a web video this afternoon that is a compilation of McCain saying repeatedly this year that the "fundamentals" of the economy are strong and that ends with former top adviser Phil Gramm complaining that beleaguered Americans had become "whiners."
Obama is so full of garbage. Soon the Republicans will be responsible for bad weather, meteorites, global hunger, space aliens. He may fool the blind-eyed, but a vote for Obama is a vote for ISLAM!
McCain doesn't understand economie, can be black mailed with with files from his time as pow in vietnam and will be over 80 years old after his second term. America is that your future? Is that your dream?
You should correct your article.
Your piece quotes Mayor Michael Bloomberg who is a friend of Mr McCain and hardly is an expert in the fundamentals of the economy. He is certainly one of the richest men in the world, but that doesn't reflect his ability to be the physician to diagnose the problem. This quote is disingenuous especially since you didn't quote a couple of the past Chairmen of the Federal Reserve who have said the opposite.
Since Mr. McCain has been in office for 26 yrs and with mostly a Republican Congress and Administration, and since he has said many times the economy is in great shape even as the crisis was happening, I think he is absolutely fair game for this type of criticism.
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dragonfly777, you are a total fool. Talk about blind-eyed! Obama is not Islamic....that has been PROVEN over and over again! Wake up....open up your blind-eyes!
I have to agreed with lucy2008! The reporter is disingenuous with his remarks and Mr. McCain with his Republician Party are the authors of this crisis and tomorrow's woes. Out of the last 20 years, the Democrats held the government for 8 years and when in the minority how can you change anything. Democrats needed Maverick Republicans to stand up then...Where was McCain?
McCain, meet drain. Enjoy circling it.
Democrats held the government for 8 years and ... ????
Thats right, and they blew their chance. How much time did you need?? 50 years?
Fools. Obama could fart and you would compliment it.
Ah! the genious of the Obama camp to cover up the Democrats CEOs at Wall Street that brought these crisis woe upon the tax payers nationwide.Talk about "NO MERCY" attitude by Obama and the Democrat Party,well what do we expect from the same Party that ignored Hilliary Clinton and the women voice.MERCILESS.
I'm confused by ZerObama...they held the gov't for 8 years and blew what? A record surplus, lowest unemployment and highest GDP is blowing it?
No, it took a student (and boy do I use that term lightly) of Reaganomics to blow this one. George W Bush is a moron and flubbed our economy up beyond recognition.
Whos the real fool here?
Obama keeps crying about how bad the economy is,
but if Americans are hurting so bad, how come they
were able to send Obama 66 million dollars last month?
... And, tonight Obama is asking Americans to give him
$28,500.00 each for the Obama/Streisand fund
raiser dinner. Two faced Obama has no credibility.
No Wright, no Farrakhan, no Pfleger, no Rezko,
no Ayers, no mean Michelle, and, NOBAMA !!!
Obama keeps crying about how bad the economy is,
but if Americans are hurting so bad, how come they
were able to send Obama 66 million dollars last month?
... And, tonight Obama is asking Americans to give him
$28,500.00 each for the Obama/Streisand fund
raiser dinner. Two faced Obama has no credibility.
No Wright, no Farrakhan, no Pfleger, no Rezko,
no Ayers, no mean Michelle, and, NOBAMA !!!
The mess on Wall St. is not partisan. Utter greed knows no political affiliation. Stop with the blame.
I hope the whole thing crashes and burns, then we will see the real test of american mettle and might, much more than paper pushing and money-laundering.
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