With Last-minute ad buy, GOP PACs play the Wright Card

[Puppycow]

The last card available is going to be played

Race-Tinged Attack Ads Start Flowing From Right In Campaign's Home Stretch
By Greg Sargent - October 30, 2008, 9:58AM
The outside groups on the right are starting to hit the race panic button as time runs out and things look increasingly dire.

The National Republican Trust PAC, for instance, just reported to the FEC that it sank nearly $900,000 into a new ad buy, most likely for this spot hitting Obama with a bunch of footage of Jeremiah Wright's rants:

The group had previously vowed to spend some $2.5 million on the spot, so this current buy falls short, but nonetheless amounts to real ad cash. (There's still more time, obviously, for the group to do a second buy.)

Meanwhile, another winger outside group, Let Freedom Ring, which has been known to spend serious money, is up with this new spot using Martin Luther King's "content of their character" line to urge a vote against Obama:

Late Update: A commenter below explains the spot's rationale:

Seems to me like the target audience on the second one is white Democrats who want to be reassured that they are not racists if they don't vote for Obama. (See, even that black person doesn't like him, and he can't articulate why, either!)

Will this work where all else has failed? I doubt it. I think that everyone not living in a cave has already heard Rev. Wright. The other one doesn't even say anything specific.

 

[T.A.M.]

Too little, too late. Independents have heard it, and do not care. DEMs certainly do not care. REPs are not going to vote for Obama anyway.

Zero to little impact.

TAM

 

[leftysergeant]

Zero to little impact.

Well, considering that the brother in the second clip didn't expalin what his problem with Obama is, it might help convince people that Republicans are not the geniuses they think themselves to be. Everyone will be all "WTF? Do you have a point?"

(They don't, of course.)

 

[Meadmaker]

If that's the best they've got, bring it on.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Color me shocked.

*McCain whimpers naked in the corner as he's stripped of his last shreds of dignity*

...pathetic and sad...

 

[TheJim]

It might actually help Obama as it reminds people he is a christian instead of a Muslin.

 

[skeptical]

It might actually help Obama as it reminds people he is a christian instead of a Muslin.

Doubtful. I have long since decided that when people say "he's a Muslim", that is code for "he's a ni****". There is too much information easily available that the Muslim claim is bogus. Clearly those people would not vote for him under any circumstances.

 

[BeAChooser]

I think that everyone not living in a cave has already heard Rev. Wright.

But does the average voter know everything about this story?

For example, does the average voter know that while Obama is now claiming he didn't know about Wright's extremism (presumably because he didn't go to church all that often), back in 2004 after he won his Senate seat, Obama proudly told a Chicago-Sun Times reporter that he attended the 11 o'clock service at Trinity church EVERY WEEK? And presumably his wife and children did, too. Given that, how could he (and they) possibly have escaped knowledge of Wright's views or not been influence by them?

Does the average voter know that ABC News reviewed more than a dozen sermons THAT ARE ON SALE by the church and found instance after instance of Wright expousing his radical agenda. Did Obama and his family never buy one of these tapes? Fox News looked at several hours of sermons and found the same thing. Wright GDing America. Calling it the "US of KKK". Castigating the US for bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki then saying "we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye. We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans and now we are indignant? Because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yard. America's chickens are coming home to roost." Stating that "the government lied about Pearl Harbor." Saying "We've got a paranoid group of patriot's in power." Proclaiming "black men turning on black men, that's fighting the wrong enemy. You both are the primary targets in an oppressive society that sees both of you as a dangerous threat". Telling his flock that "what we are doing is the same thing al-Qaeda is doing under a different color of flag". And on and on and on.

This is not a small subset of carefully selected sermons. It's the results from a small SAMPLING of Wright's sermons. Sort of like a poll based on a random sampling of voters. This sampling suggests Wright spent a lot of time pushing his extreme beliefs. One wonders what outrageous things Wright said in the tapes the church didn't want to sell to the public. Afterall, this is a church that gave a "lifetime achievement award" to Louis Farrakhan for his "commitment to truth, education and leadership". What does Farrakhan consider the "truth"? He called Judaism a "gutter religion". "Hitler was a very great man." "White people are potential humans, they haven't evolved yet." Oh yes, this church was a big believer in *truth*. Oprah Winfrey left the church in the mid-90's saying Wright's sermons were "incendiary". Wonder what she meant by that? How could Obama and his family have missed what was so obvious to Oprah? Are they clueless, as they seem to want us to believe they are on so many fronts (for example, we are also asked to believe they didn't know anything about Ayers)?

Doe the average voter know that the Trumpet, Wright's national "lifestyle magazine for the socially conscious", is filled with the same extremism? http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/082ktdyi.asp In it, America is called the "Western Diaspora". There were articles in it demanding impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Statements like this: "Do you see God as a God who approves of Americans taking other people's countries? Taking other people's women? Raping teenage girls and calling it love (as in Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings)?" And this: "Some analysts would go so far as to even call what [the United States, the G-8, and multinational corporations] are doing [in Africa] genocide!" And this: "White supremacy is the bed rock of the philosophical, ideological and theological foundations of this country." And this: "White supremacy undergirds the thought, the ideology, the theol-ogy, the sociology, the legal structure, the educational system, the healthcare system, and the entire reality of the United States of America and South Africa!" Did Obama never pick up a copy of the magazine? That would be odd, given that Obama was on the cover at least once himself (an edition that strangely enough neither Obama or the publisher will provide now).

How could Obama and his wife have been unaware of this after spending 20 years in the church, with Obama attending service by his own account EVERY WEEK? They couldn't possibly be unaware. So Obama must be LYING. That is only logical conclusion. And that is the real story here. We once again catch Obama LYING about past relationships. And if he'll lie to get into public office, how many of you think he will stop lying once he is in office? Did Clinton make democrats so comfortable with liars that they don't care any more? Prove the answer is not yes.

 

[mhaze]

Doubtful. I have long since decided that when people say "he's a Muslim", that is code for "he's a ni****". .....

That's true only in the fantasy world that you prefer, of which you do show your prejudicial misunderstandings and biases clearly.

There could of course be some people who would not vote for someone named Barack Hussain Obama. Why make that complicated or try to read anything into it? Side note: A while back I remember some guy named Castro running for a local mayorship. He lost.

 

[not_so_new]

But does the average voter know everything about this story?

some words.... some other words.....

I don't know BAC, does the average voter know everything about Palin showing up to cheer on the Alaskin Independance Party who's founder said "The fires of Hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American government."

Not a whole lot different than Wright's words.

When you play the association game some funny things happen huh?

 

[DavidJames]

Looks like McCain is regurgitating all the greatest hits of his campaign. I heard on the radio this morning a McCain ad talking about Obama wanting to increase the tax on families making under 42k.

McCain has become a true embarrassment.

 

[skeptical]

That's true only in the fantasy world that you prefer, of which you do show your prejudicial misunderstandings and biases clearly.

Pardon? If someone still claims Obama is a Muslim, they are seriously detached from reality. Are you claiming he is? or what?

There could of course be some people who would not vote for someone named Barack Hussain Obama. Why make that complicated or try to read anything into it?

I'm not reading anything into it. I live around a lot of people who are not voting for him because he's a Muslim/Terrorist/Ni****. Heard it from them personally. No need to speculate. But that's just me living in my fantasy world I suppose.

 

[Tricky]

Still waiting for one of the people who are foaming at the mouth about Wright to point out which parts of Obama's policy or platform were written, co-authored, or even influenced by Wright.

 

[Alferd_Packer]

At this point, it's a waste of money.

I truly don't think that there are any undecideds out there. Anyone telling a polster that they are undecided at this point is basicaly saying, none of your buisness.

 

[dudalb]

Too Little, Too Late.
Frankly, I think the Dems have sort of lost their right to bitch about this with some of what they have dug up about Palin's questionable connections (and I am no fan of Palin...just check my posting history) but why the GOP waited this long I don't understand. For it to have any impact they would have had to used it earlier.

 

[BeAChooser]

does the average voter know everything about Palin showing up to cheer on the Alaskin Independance Party who's founder said "The fires of Hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American government."

Not a whole lot different than Wright's words.

When you play the association game some funny things happen huh?

I'm not afraid of discussing AIP and Palin's alleged association with it ... unlike you with Wright and Ayers.

I'd hazard that the average voter does not know everything about Palin and the AIP since your side has totally misrepresented what little of that story they've presented to the public. Let me demonstrate.

Palin and Todd's involvement with the AIP is miniscule compared to Obama's involvement with Wright and the Trinity Church.

Obama spent over 20 years in the Trinity church, attending service every week by his own admission. Obama's face even graced the cover of the Church's magazine, the Trumpet, at one point. Obama gave tens of thousands of dollars to the church.

Palin on the other hand was never a member of the AIP. The McCain/Palin campaign provided documentary proof (this pdf file of voter registration records: http://hotair.cachefly.net/images/2008-09/palin-voting.pdf ) to show that Palin was a registered republican all the way back to 1982 and never changed that registration despite several address changes.

Todd was a member of AIP, but only for a brief time and never attended party activities except one AIP convention where they did such radical things as nominate the siting Lt. Governor. Yes, who actually won election. And Todd's been registered as "undeclared" since 2002, a switch that occurred long before Palin ran for the VP slot. Whereas Obama didn't leave Trinity Church until very recently when it's agenda and Wright's words finally got some public notice.

And let's compare AIP with Wright and the Trinity Church. I don't believe the AIP ever said the US got it's just deserts on 9/11 ... like Wright did. Nor claimed that AIDs was a genocidal plot against blacks ... like Wright did. Or has called us white oppressors. How radical can the AIP be when the top 2 items in their platform are these: "To effect full compliance with the constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Alaska AND To support and defend States’ Rights, Individual Rights, Property Rights, and the Equal Footing Doctrine as guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States of America and the state of Alaska." And how about their statement that they believe "full compliance with the constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Alaska is necessary." Compare that agenda with Wright and the Trinity Church.

And as to that quote by Vogel that you cited, perhaps he had reason to hate the US government. You see, the rest of the story is that Vogler moved to Alaska before it was a state and the federal government took his land and mineral claims away without compensation ... and at gunpoint. He might have had reason to think the federal government abused it's power. Wright, on the other hand, just retired to a multi-million dollar home in the burbs that he got by spreading hate and living off other people's labor all his life. It's hard to see why he felt so abused as to GD America.

And unlike Wright, the Alaskan legislature, including Democrats, honored Joe Vogler after his death. But all of a sudden you Obama defenders equate him to someone like Ayers, who actually did set off bombs in government buildings. And of course, there is absolutely no direct connection between Vogler and Palin or her husband ... while there is a direct connection between Obama and Wright and Ayers and Dohrn. Oh that's right ... we aren't supposed to talk about that.

 

[Tricky]

but why the GOP waited this long I don't understand. For it to have any impact they would have had to used it earlier.

Oh, they've been carping about it for months.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3759039&highlight=Wright#post3759039

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3793626&highlight=Wright#post3793626

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3863703&highlight=Wright#post3863703

(the "search forum" maxed out at 200 hits for only the last six months)

But of course, Hillary was the first to bring it up, but it is obvious that Republican supporters and/or Democrat haters like BAC, Cicero and MaGZ were rubbing their hands with glee waiting for their chance.

I don't know if the ads mentioned above were the first time that any official arm of the GOP brought it up, but you can be certain that it hasn't been far from the minds of the hard core rank-and-file. The funny thing is, it didn't work for Hillary (and her timing was much better, because it is old news now) so why they think it will work now, I can't fathom.

 

[Alferd_Packer]

(snip) Or has called us white oppressors. (snip)

Can you prove that you are not?

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

BAC,

This line of critique carries a foul stench of desperation due directly to the fact that you and others who subscribe can't demonstrate in what way(s) Obama's supposedly compromising associations have compromised his politics.

If it really were so legitimately important to know and consider, why would the GOP/McCain's campaign wait until the 59th second of the 59th minute of the 11th hour to bring it to the forefront (sort of anyway)...

Still waiting for one of the people who are foaming at the mouth about Wright to point out which parts of Obama's policy or platform were written, co-authored, or even influenced by Wright.

...+1

 

[not_so_new]

I'm not afraid of discussing AIP and Palin's alleged association with it ... unlike you with Wright and Ayers.

words, more words and then more words after that.....

I am not afraid to talk about Wright or Ayers, I did say I was?

My point is that IT DOESN'T MATTER.

IF (and that is really out on the ledge…) Obama "palled around with terrorists" what is he going to do, take down the U.S. and rebuild it as the Socialist Republic of Obama or something?

Give me a break.

The associations of others do not incriminate you. It doesn't make Obama a terrorist because he knew Ayers any more than it makes Palin a sessesionist because she gave a speech at the AIP convention.

This is a non-issue, it is only meant as a distraction from the real issue which is that McCain is not good with economic policy, has no real plan for the nation and has run an abysmal campaign with poor coordination, execution and management.