Liberal PACs Ready Attack Ad on McCain’s Health

Two liberal groups – one of them directed by a brother of the Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean – will begin running a graphic attack advertisement Thursday morning raising questions about Senator John McCain’s health. Showing vivid and unflattering images of the fresh scar that appeared on Senator McCain’s face immediately after his last operation for melanoma skin cancer eight years ago, the commercial ends with a screen headline that reads, “Why won’t John McCain release his medical records?” (Mr. McCain, 72, did invite a limited group of reporters to inspect more than 1,100 pages of his medical records in May, though he gave them only a three-hour window in which to review the documents.)

The commercial is among the harshest to run against Mr. McCain yet, seeking to exploit the sensitive issues of health and age. Officials with the groups running the ad, Brave New PAC and Democracy for America, said they were only showing the spot initially on MSNBC over the next few days, a limited run intended to draw news media attention on a network that has increasingly catered to liberal tastes.

Officials at the groups, both of which are political action committees that rely on individual donors, said they hoped to show the spot on stations in battleground states in the coming weeks as well. But it is unclear if individual stations will accept the spot: Leighton Akio Woodhouse, a spokesman for Brave New PAC, said late Wednesday that CNN declined to accept the commercial after reviewing its contents this week.

-Snip-

“We think this is an election issue,’’ said Mr. Woodhouse of Brave New PAC. When asked why the groups chose to show such graphic imagery of Mr. McCain’s scars, Mr. Woodhouse said, “We have pictures of him with a scar to show that he has a history of surgery.”


More at link

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/liberal-pacs-ready-attack-ad-on-mccains-health/

I don't know if this is such a great idea...

They'll go screeching about how those "Evil Democrats" are launching "ageist" attacks against a man who was a "POW for 5.5 years!"

This message board has many posts about McCains health. As well as a candidate's judgment and resume, surely his physical condition is equally relevant in determining his suitability. Especially so in McCain's case because his VP is so clearly unqualified. There's no reason for his health to be a taboo. It's not the same as playing race cards for example. Skin colour makes no difference, your life expectancy possibly being less than four years absolutely is. I don't think it's desperate to question his fitness, I think it's crucial it's discussed.

Congress Members get all those benefits paid for by the Government ...

Oh ... did you mean his poor subsidise the rich plan? Sorry

it will cause an uproar and be another stupid distraction like the lipstick on a pig thing. I hope the campaign makes them pull it.

Obama has damn near put this thing away. I believe his support has been UNDER REPORTED and UNDER POLLED. When you have someone down on the deck, as we do now, you step on their throat and finish them off.

This is what we (our side) should do. It's ugly, but winning is really the only thing that matters given the consequences of defeat.

I vote no.

We only got the most cursory glance at a few of his medical records.. no notebooks, no cameras, a few "select" newspeople, in a room with no windows all the way out in AZ for what .. two hours?

He's old, he's sick, the campaign itself has nearly exhausted him... He is trying to call a "time-out" on the debate..

And he a.. a... cipher for a VP who is so insubstantial that she can't even stand on her own two feet and answer the simplest question without coaching.

and old people may get offended. I don't like it...but we always take the high road. As I was typing I was thinking about the ads being run in Michigan that link Obama with every black crook in the nation. They do some really nasty slimy stuff but I don't like us to do it. Oh screw it..i'm totally conflicted on this one!

I ask myself, as ugly as this is, would I support if it meant something that would work in our favor as to how the election turned out? Would it make a difference in winning and losing?

The consequences for this country if McCain wins are so immense, it's chilling. Think about a Palin presidency if the old bastard kicks off during his term? Think about what that would bring, not just to this country but to the rest of the world. People like Putin would be emboldened, god knows who else.


I have no problem running the ad because I think we have to leave it all on the field, to borrow a sports metaphor.

If there is a conflict it's more about Obama's "former advisor" being a problem with the media coverage, not the content.

No prisoners.

Even without Palin in the picture a person running for President of the United States has got to demonstrate fitness for the job. Leave no stone unturned I say.

I bet my life on he is a sick...very sick old man.

concern (or it should be, seriously).

If the campaign can't address it directly, I understand that but that's what those 527's are for.

Roll 'em out!

Bush and company had no problems running McCains name into the mud.

In 04 we thought they went way over the line when they questioned the Patriotism of John Kerry and Max Cleland. Well, we all saw what happened there.

I say screw it, use the ads. Get down in the damn dirt with them. Don't think for one minute that they wouldn't use it if the roles were reversed.

We have so much going for us now...why even go there?

I admit that McCain's health is a concern to me.

It is part of the reason why Sarah Palin scares the beJesus out of me, pun intended.

But I don't know if it is something that needs to be pointed out in that fashion, I'm just glad it's a 30 second spot and no longer of having to see that picture.

Then again, McCain-supporting PACs have no problem running graphic pictures of fetuses or other war veterans suffering from their injuries, and it is good in that it points out the Media's decision to not show that side of his face -- very reminiscent of their decision never to show Roosevelt from the waist down.

:hi:

think of the cancer survivors--and their relatives and friends out there. This does NOT put the Democrats in a good light.

I suppose I can hope that either: A. Barack denounces it as soon as possible and it gets pulled, B. they manage to block it beforehand, C. it gets swept away by the economy and bail-out talks.

https://democracyforamerica.com/contribution_pages/70

and you can donate if you like it.

I do not think we should be proud of this. I saw the DFA ad this morning.

This article at least illuminates it somewhat.

Once he appointed an unqualified extremist VP candidate, he made his health an issue.

Sorry pal. No delicacy required. You pushed us into this by choosing such a dangerous deputy.

made me uncomfortable.

that frankly, is rivaling my wildest dreams. She is unqualified for the office pure and simple. She also might be a heartbeat away. McDouchebagg is 72 and has had cancer 4 times. The math is simple.

Initially, folks are a bit shocked when they first see the ad. My wife and I were, but it reminded us quite graphically, that he's not going to last much longer. Folks may get turned off by the shock, but the message will stick.

with health issues, who made a disastrous pick for his VP? I'd say this was a huge issue. Republicans can not talk about ads. This one is true, while theirs on the other hand have been proven lies. Time and time again.

excellent ad for the 527s to run. My Mom watches a lot of news, but until this summer she'd had no idea that McCain had ever had cancer. Based on that, I suspect a lot of people have no idea of the state of McCain's health. It might not be so important if Caribou Barbie wasn't his running mate.


For comparison, look at what happened with Paul Tsongas.

Interesting. I wonder if that'll be worth a couple of points.

On a slightly different topic, I wonder whether an ad saying, "hey, McCain has a history of lifethreatening cancer--do you really want Palin to become president?" would be better than this one, which (I haven't seen it) sounds slightly ghoulish. It wouldn't be at all ageist, the way that other "McCain's probably going to die in office" ads and articles could be seen as.

it's why they are praying he wins and he then meets misfortune. An atrocious way of thinking but an awareness they know his health condition.