McCain ad: “Foundation”
posted at 8:25 am on September 17, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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John McCain’s campaign continues to focus on the economic turmoil of the last two days in its latest ad, “Foundation”:
You, the American workers, are the best in the world. But your economic security has been put at risk by the greed of Wall Street. That’s unacceptable.
My opponent’s only solutions are talk and taxes.
I’ll reform Wall Street and fix Washington. I’ve taken on tougher guys than this before.
Two aspects of this ad make it intriguing. First, McCain simply talks into the camera, and except for a couple of shots of the New York Stock Exchange, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, that’s the visual focus of the commercial. It’s a change of style that emphasizes the “straight talk” theme and attempts to make a personal connection to the voters watching it.
The second is the optimism that McCain uses in this ad. He obviously hopes to contrast his approach to that of Barack Obama, who’s been stressing doom and gloom — the better to sell the need for wholesale change, although with the Bush administration nationalizing AIG, Obama may not be much of a change at all. Instead of offering fear and loathing, McCain exudes calm and confidence, and reminds people that he has faced tougher foes in the past.
This may be one of McCain’s best ads of the campaign. Direct, optimistic, forceful, and serious, he’s making the case for tested leadership in a crisis.
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This ad is a good start. What McCain needs to say next is that he was sponsoring legislation back in 2005 which would have prevented this, but the Democrats filibustered it, and Fannie Mae was giving $$ to Obama. This would show McCain to be a man of foresight (as he was with the Iraqi troop surge), rather than merely blaming others for the mistakes of the past (Obama).
McCain probably needs to have a good long talk with Mitt Romney about the specifics, so that the plans would work. Nothing wrong with capitalism, but it’s got to be honest.
But any McCain / Palin plan would beat Barackruptcy.
Steve Z on September 17, 2008 at 9:50 AM
It may be a good ad (although I hate the voiceover) but I get pretty tired of McCain’s bashing Wall Street instead of focusing on the corruption at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It’s almost as tiresome as hearing O’Reilly cast Big Oil as greedy villains.
When will we see an ad that talks about the tens of millions that Clinton cronies Johnson/Gorelick and Raines made by cooking the books and ultimately fleecing the American people?
What happened at Enron is small potatoes compared to this scandal. At least Enron’s book cooking was limited to their employees and investors; the sub-prime mortgage fiasco screws every one of us, either directly as home owners, or indirectly as the fallout leeches throughout the entire economy.
Buy Danish on September 17, 2008 at 9:52 AM
Thank you. I’m gonna have that mental image in my head all day now. Ewwww.
Pcoop on September 17, 2008 at 9:53 AM
I liked it where McCain said he would rather be with the working people in Ohio, then with the Hollywood crowd in Beverly Hills.
Let Hollywood elect him (Obama) as “mayor”, we will elect the president’
right2bright on September 17, 2008 at 9:55 AM
For crying out loud, saying McCain can kick Obama’s ass or vice versa is just hyperbole! It is a hypothetical statement. It is like the computer models of the saltwater crocodile takng on a great white shark in a giant prehistoric death match on the Discovery Channel! Yet Rywall wants to pick a fight about how a wounded McCain would accomplish an ass-whuppin of Obama, instead of the policy issues that separate the candidates. All you say Dave, is that Obama’s policy is more than taxes. Ok, what is it? I’ve been to his website, can’t get a straight answer there either.
JAM on September 17, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Tommygun,
Good response, My issue though is that people are falling for the Premise that Wall Street is to blame for poorly managed and operated companies. Wall Street are just the junble worker ants of the economy. The tree of capitalism must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Wall Street and Fallen Companies.
Egfrow on September 17, 2008 at 9:59 AM
I am very thankful that, as a Canadian, Dave Rywall can not vote in the USA.
carbon_footprint on September 17, 2008 at 9:59 AM
It’s is it’s natural manure.
Egfrow on September 17, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I like the smirky “I’ve taken on tougher guys then this before” at the end.
Spirit of 1776 on September 17, 2008 at 10:06 AM
This kinda stuff is verging on populist demagoguery (Wall St. greed, companies failing not being “right”, etc).
It’s probably an effective ad though… Sigh.
ebrawer on September 17, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Take, for example, John McCain’s admission that economics isn’t his thing. “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” he says. “I’ve got Greenspan’s book.”
So, we should trust John McCain with this economic problem? Someone’s not thinking right.
jim m on September 17, 2008 at 10:18 AM
jim m
That was a candid omission that perhaps should not have been said, but it was.
I do not think the alternative has any better grasp or any grasp at all of sound economic policy based on his socialist tendencies. I will take John McCain steering economic policy advisors in a capitalist market over Obama steering socialist/redistributionist economics anyday!
JAM on September 17, 2008 at 10:24 AM
We may not need Johonny Mc’s commissions or leadership on finance reform after all; Chris Cox has finally moved.
They have driven good companies into the dirt for their personal gain; no more!
Hooaah…!
J_Gocht on September 17, 2008 at 10:31 AM
“Guys, this DryWall guy is in front of his computer with his pants around his ankles saying…”they’re responding to me….oooohhh! they’re responding to me!…oooh! oooh! oooh!”
Freeze his ass.
LtE126 on September 17, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Thank you. I’m gonna have that mental image in my head all day now. Ewwww.
Pcoop on September 17, 2008 at 9:53 AM”
Okay…okay.
How about not in front of his computer…but staring at his Andrew Sullivan beefcake poster?
LtE126 on September 17, 2008 at 11:03 AM
I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. I am tired of talk that comes to nothing.
My father was the first to see through the schemes of this man. My father had sharper eyes than the rest of our people.
Hinmahtooyahlatkek on September 17, 2008 at 11:05 AM
While liberals sneer at average Americans, Senator McCain & Governor Palin stand up and fight for us.
While liberals shout blame as they pocket campaign contributions from failed lending companies, Senator McCain & Governor Palin have a record of success at fighting corruption and getting reforms passed into law.
This is why McCain/Palin will win on Nover 4th.
Loxodonta on September 17, 2008 at 11:05 AM
You might as well expect rivers to run backwards
Hinmahtooyahlatkek on September 17, 2008 at 11:11 AM
Boy, THAT is the truth.
chiefeditor on September 17, 2008 at 11:48 AM
I believe this maybe the perfect irony. An Obama supporter who thinks that all McCain has is talk.
Orwell would be proud of Obama’s sole accomplishment–convincing the multitude that the exact opposite of the truth is the truth.
Remember Obama is building his reputation on his promise to doing something, anything, in the future.
He has no past record of sucess in any arena to point to. There is nothing he can use to convince anyone of anything. It is all a promise. Talk, No record.
petunia on September 17, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Amen sister…
+1
SkinnerVic on September 17, 2008 at 12:07 PM
I would like to paint a picture of two Presidents, Hoover and Roosevelt to show that a knowledge of economics will not ensure prosperity; while a knowledge of foreign policy does ensure victory.
To say that President Hoover was well versed in economics is an understatement. After an education in mining engineering, he was the head of the Food Administration in WWI, member of the Supreme Economic Council and head of the American Relief Administration post-war, and finally Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Harding and Coolidge. Yet he failed to prevent the worst collapse in American financial history.
As a counter-point, look at President Roosevelt, who served as Secretary of the Navy under Wilson and perservered through a devastating disease. He went on to lead the United States to victory in WWII.
You tell me, which is worse: having a President who is not intimately familiar with economics but is truly courageous and has a strong military background or an elitist President who is clueless in foregin policy?
m064404 on September 17, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Perhaps I’m being to general in my terminology. My main point was that “greed” is not a good thing and always leads to negative consequences.
csdeven on September 17, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Ugh…I just threw up in my mouth a little.
ManlyRash on September 17, 2008 at 1:43 PM
meh… kindov a snoozer
Drunk Report on September 17, 2008 at 3:22 PM
Why hasn’t the Democratic ties to these failing institutions been used in these ads? It’s hard to believe that the rust belt will get behind the Obama-Biden-Raines ticket. Yet it isn’t even touched. The purpose of these ads is to bring items to light that Joe six pack doesn’t know.
It’s hard to believe the economic change we need will come from the CEO of the Titanic (Fannie Mae).
Micheal on September 17, 2008 at 5:59 PM
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