I must first make the disclaimer that I have not watched every one of John McCain’s advertisements. I haven’t even seen one. Everything I know about them is from reading what other people write.
Barack Obama claimed in the debate that McCain’s ads were 100% negative. I found what appears to be an unbiased source that appears to support Obama’s claim, but before you Obama-worshipers get too excited, read the whole article.
The headline proclaims: “McCain ads did go ‘100% negative,’ study finds.” Aha! Gotcha, John McCain. Obama was right.
Or was he? Talk about misleading headlines! The headline refers to a period of one week–a recent week in which McCain’s strategy has indeed been to attack Obama. (Why not? This is a political campaign, after all–not an esteem building exercise.)
During that particular week the ads were either entirely negative toward Obama or combined attacks on Obama with portrayals of McCain’s positions. (Are the latter group 100% negative? I’m not sure that some people realize what 100% means!)
Throughout the election campaign, the two candidates have had a roughly equal number of advertisements that contain at least something negative about their opponents. (Of course, that’s part of waging a political campaign! It’s just as strategic for one as it is for the other.) McCain has launched more entirely negative ads than Obama, apparently, which also makes perfect sense, given the adulation of Obama in the media. Of course McCain’s advisers would want to try to counteract it!
At the end of the linked article it points out that overall, throughout the entire campaign, McCain’s ads have been 26% positive (meaning that they do not criticize his opponent, I think). Let’s see now. Take away 26 from 100, and that leaves 74%.
So despite the headline at the top of the article, McCain’s ads have not been 100% negative, if you include the entire campaign period rather than just one week of it. And, despite Obama’s insistence that it was “absolutely” true, his statement was absolutely false.
Oh, and according to Obama’s math, I’m 100% smart, funny, athletic, and handsome.
3 responses so far ↓
helenl // October 18, 2008 at 1:03 pm |
Of course you are, RG.
The situation remains, McCain issues a negative ad, any time he can’t figure out another way to refute what Obama says. Obama issues a negative ad, only to refute McCain’s negative campaign. LOL
Kurt // October 18, 2008 at 3:13 pm |
In the context of the debate, I was sure that Obama meant that McCain’s RECENT advertising had gone 100% negative.
But I wonder where you get the notion of adulation by the media toward Obama. Forget about the freakin’ Tina Fey network; you have ABC and CNN at least trying to stay on an even keel, and the FOX/CBS Empire in the GOP’s pocket.
Eve // October 19, 2008 at 6:44 pm |
Oh wow, RG, I am shocked and amazed to see that Kurt Cobain is alive and well–and reading your blog!
And an Obama supporter, no less.