Obama Gets a Smack Down From Both Likely and Unlikely Sources After His Infomercial

Not unexpectedly, Senator John McCain delivered an excellent smack down in re Barack Obama’s thirty minute infomercial wherein the Illinois Senator advertised his favorite product – Barack Obama.

But wait, there’s more! Hell has indeed frozen over. AP writer, Calvin Woodward, posted a story last night: Obama’s prime-time ad skips over budget realities. This from Associated Press? With board members and huge Obama supporters Murdoch and Zell? This is the same news organization that constantly touts “the One” and falsely reported that Hillary had conceded the morning of the last two primaries – when voters were just going to the polls. AP disses Obama? Are pigs flying? Pigs with lipstick?

Breathe, Ani. Breathe.

Let’s take these in order. First Senator McCain uses the sense of humor he displayed in his brilliant performance at the recent Al Smith dinner:

“Now, tonight, we can all look forward to my opponent’s performance in a television infomercial. It used to be that only rain or some other act of God could delay the World Series, but I guess the network execs figured an Obama infomercial was close enough. As with other infomercials, he’s got a few things he wants to sell you: He’s offering government-run health care … an energy plan guaranteed to work without drilling … and an automatic wealth spreader that folds neatly and fits under any bed.”

Nice. You go, John. He’s got lots more to say, but we’ll get to that later on.

AP’s Mr. Woodward then dissects the Spin vs. the Facts of Obama’s multi million dollar advertisement to the American people tonight:

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was less than upfront in his half-hour commercial Wednesday night about the costs of his programs and the crushing budget pressures he would face in office.

No kidding….

Obama’s assertion that “I’ve offered spending cuts above and beyond” the expense of his promises is accepted only by his partisans. His vow to save money by “eliminating programs that don’t work” masks his failure throughout the campaign to specify what those programs are—beyond the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Here is Mr. Woodward’s analysis:

THE SPIN: “That’s why my health care plan includes improving information technology, requires coverage for preventive care and pre-existing conditions and lowers health care costs for the typical family by $2,500 a year.”

THE FACTS: His plan does not lower premiums by $2,500, or any set amount. Obama hopes that by spending $50 billion over five years on electronic medical records and by improving access to proven disease management programs, among other steps, consumers will end up saving money. He uses an optimistic analysis to suggest cost reductions in national health care spending could amount to the equivalent of $2,500 for a family of four. Many economists are skeptical those savings can be achieved, but even if they are, it’s not a certainty that every dollar would be passed on to consumers in the form of lower premiums.

THE SPIN: “I also believe every American has a right to affordable health care.”

THE FACTS: That belief should not be confused with a guarantee of health coverage for all. He makes no such promise. Obama hinted as much in the ad when he said about the problem of the uninsured: “I want to start doing something about it.” He would mandate coverage for children but not adults. His program is aimed at making insurance more affordable by offering the choice of government-subsidized coverage similar to that in a plan for federal employees and other steps, including requiring larger employers to share costs of insuring workers.

THE SPIN: “I’ve offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost.”

THE FACTS: Independent analysts say both Obama and Republican John McCain would deepen the deficit. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates Obama’s policy proposals would add a net $428 billion to the deficit over four years—and that analysis accepts the savings he claims from spending cuts. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, whose other findings have been quoted approvingly by the Obama campaign, says: “Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next 10 years.” The analysis goes on to say: “Neither candidate’s plan would significantly increase economic growth unless offset by spending cuts or tax increases that the campaigns have not specified.”

THE SPIN: “Here’s what I’ll do. Cut taxes for every working family making less than $200,000 a year. Give businesses a tax credit for every new employee that they hire right here in the U.S. over the next two years and eliminate tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Help homeowners who are making a good faith effort to pay their mortgages, by freezing foreclosures for 90 days. And just like after 9-11, we’ll provide low-cost loans to help small businesses pay their workers and keep their doors open. ”

THE FACTS: His proposals—the tax cuts, the low-cost loans, the $15 billion a year he promises for alternative energy, and more—cost money, and the country could be facing a record $1 trillion deficit next year. Indeed, Obama recently acknowledged—although not in his commercial—that: “The next president will have to scale back his agenda and some of his proposals.”

Furthermore, Biden has confessed to us that now the number for couples receiving a tax cut are not those earning below 250K, or 200K, but 150K – wonder how much more he’ll revise that number down before January – let’s hope we don’t have to find out. And at a recent fundraiser in Pennsylvania, Obama remarked that changes to health care and education might have to be put on hold because of, uh, us not having any money.

But I guess it’s OK for Obama to spend a billion dollars on his campaign only to be able to get to a neck-and-neck race in this “no lose year for Democrats,” even with 90% of the media heretofore in the tank for him.

Fear not. John McCain takes up the baton and really goes to town reminding voters of the character of his opponent vis-a-vis this very issue:

“When you’re watching this gauzy, feel-good commercial, just remember that it was paid for with broken promises. Senator Obama signed a piece of paper committing to public financing of his campaign. Twice he looked the American people in the eye and said he would sit down with me before he abandoned public financing. He didn’t mean a word of it. When it was in his interest to break his promise, he tossed it aside like it didn’t mean a thing. He is the first candidate since Watergate to abandon the public financing system, and his campaign is now being flooded with hundreds of millions of dollars in undisclosed and questionable donations. His campaign has directly profited from his broken promise and because of that, the American people have to ask: what does the broken promise behind tonight’s infomercial say about the value of his other commitments?”

It says plenty, Senator McCain. Wow. Now that’s what I call the straight-talk express.

“That is what concerns small business owners and people all over this country. Senator Obama’s word doesn’t appear to mean that much. When he tells America tonight that’s he’s going to cut taxes for the middle class, people wonder if he’ll keep his word because his record is supporting higher taxes on working families. He voted 94 times for tax increases or against tax cuts. When he tells America tonight he’s going to cut spending, people wonder if he’ll keep his word because his record is one of supporting higher spending.”

“Whether it’s Joe the Plumber in Ohio, or Andrew the Plumber and Sandra the sign-maker here in Florida, we can’t even afford the tax hikes Senator Obama admits to. His tax increases are exactly the wrong approach in an economic slowdown.”

It certainly looks like Senator Obama’s chickens are finally coming home to roost. Yesterday, a former employee of an ACORN affiliate testified in a Pennsylvania court of law as to ACORN soliciting donations for its organization by using Obama campaign donor lists:

McCain campaign manager, Rick Davis, made this statement:

“Today’s testimony by a former employee of an ACORN affiliate proves Barack Obama is guilty of lying to the American people about his relationship with ACORN. At the last presidential debate, in front of sixty million people, Barack Obama said his campaign was not involved’ with ACORN. We now know that Barack Obama’s campaign was working hand-in-glove with an organization reportedly under investigation by the F.B.I. and in more than a dozen states. In addition to funneling $832,000 to ACORN for get-out-the- vote efforts, the Obama campaign and ACORN have been sharing donor lists, encouraging maxed-out Obama donors to contribute to this unethical organization.”

Drip. Drip. Drip.

And as if that weren’t enough, on FOX news tonight, McCain Slams LA Times for Double Standard in Withholding Obama-Khalidi Tape:

John McCain slammed The Los Angeles Times Wednesday for refusing to release a videotape that the newspaper’s editors say shows Barack Obama praising a Chicago professor [Rashid Khalidi] who served as a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization when it was a U.S.-designated terror group.

John McCain says he’s sure The Los Angeles Times would be quick to produce a tape that purported to show him or his running mate at a neo-Nazi event, so he can’t understand why it won’t show Barack Obama in the company of a former PLO mouthpiece.

“Apparently this is a tape with a dinner that Mr. Ayers … was at, and also … one of the leading spokespersons for the PLO. Now, why that should not be made public is beyond me,” McCain told La Kalle radio.

“I guarantee you, if there was a tape with me and Sarah Palin and some neo-Nazi or one of those, you think that that tape wouldn’t be made public? Of course, Americans need to know, particularly about Ayers, and also about the PLO. So hopefully there will be enough pressure on the L.A. Times that it’ll come out, but its really unfortunate that we have to go through this,” McCain continued.

Governor Palin, too, had come choice words for the LA Times, certainly in Obama’s back pocket from the beginning:

“If there’s a Pulitzer Prize category for excelling in cow-towing, then the LA Times, you’re winning,” she said.

Palin said she wants to know how Obama responded to derogatory comments said about Israel and America’s support for its ally during the party.

“Israel was described there as the perpetrator of terrorism instead of the victim. What we don’t know …is how Barack Obama responded to these slurs on a country that he now professes to support, and the reason is the newspaper that has the tape, The Los Angeles Times, refuses to release it,” she said. “It must be nice for a candidate to have major news organizations looking after his best interests like that.”

All in all today, point McCain/Palin.

But truly, the best review of tonight’s informercial came courtesy of a poster on NoQ. Thanks much, CJ. This made my night. Be sure to pass this one around:

“Caught the show, too, with a house full of my son’s friends, late twenties, early thirties. These guys got up and did the hopey dopey. Pretty funny.

You put your paycheck in, you take your paycheck out, you put your paycheck in and you shake it all about. You do the hopey dopey and you pay the other guy, that’s what’s all about.

You put your service hours in, you take your service hours out, you put your service hours in and you shake em all about. You do the hopey dopey and you work yourself to the ground, that’s what it’s all about.

That’s a sample, it went on and on. I guess there are no BO supporters in this house here in Calif.”

Nice to know some people have not taken leave of their senses. I’ll gratefully take them wherever I can find them.

To everyone who stood up and spoke the truth today, thank you.