North Carolina Republicans pull anti-Obama ad - Reuters

[rndmprsn]

even though mcclame is "playing" like a decent person for TV, it sure as hell makes him look like a bigger person than the clintons.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2429689820080424

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - North Carolina's Republican Party on Thursday withdrew an advertisement critical of Democrat Barack Obama's links to a controversial preacher, Republican John McCain's campaign said.

McCain senior adviser Charlie Black said he had been informed by the Republican National Committee's representative in North Carolina, that the state party had agreed to withdraw the ad.

McCain, the Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee, had appealed to the state party to withdraw the ad, saying he wanted to run a respectful campaign...

...The 30-second ad in question attacked Democratic North Carolina gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore for their endorsements of Obama, referring to the Illinois senator's "judgment" in supporting Wright and calling him "too extreme for North Carolina."

[Ichingcarpenter]

At first the State's GOP told the National GOP to stick it

They were gonna run the ad no matter what the national committee said.

GOP infighting is good, and its good they dropped the ad.

[liberaldem4ever]

1. How nice of them to do that

Now that the ad has run so often that everybody there has seen it.

[zabet]

5. Yes, it has been played repeatedly on the local news channels. nt

[rurallib]

10. Like they had it planned to happen that way.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

34. NC News stations refusing to run the ads, some local GOP against the ads

North Carolina TV Station Rejects Obama/Wright Ad

By Eric Kleefeld - April 24, 2008, 5:40PM

The North Carolina Republican Party is hitting a wall in their efforts to run that attack ad against Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright: Finding a TV station that will run it.

WRAL-TV, the CBS affiliate in the "Triangle" region of Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville, has officially rejected the ad.
WTVD, the ABC outlet in that same media market, is also saying they haven't been asked to run the ad but would have reservations
about doing so.

TV station rejects state GOP ad

Apr 24, 2008 01:06 PMFrom Staff Reports

At least one North Carolina TV station is refusing to air the N.C. Republican Party's ad about Sen. Barack Obama's former minister.
A spokesman for WRAL-TV in Raleigh said the station will not show the ad. A spokesman for another Triangle station, WTVD, said it had not been asked to air the ad but would have reservations about doing so.

The ad points out that Democratic gubernatorial candidates Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore have endorsed Obama. It calls Obama too "extreme" because of his ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and implies that Obama heard Wright's controversial sermons.

...The state Republicans hoped the ad would help them raise money. But it also has become the focus of a fund-raising effort by state Democrats.

Jerry Meek, chairman of the N.C. Democratic Party, has sent out a letter to North Carolina Democrats saying the ad shows "just how out of touch North Carolina Republicans truly are."

"This much is clear: North Carolina Republicans will say anything and do anything to win," Meek writes.

Meek tells Democrats that they need to raise money to "prepare us for the challenges ahead." He asks them to send a contribution of $50, $25 or $15.

...more at the link

North Carolina GOP leadership divided over ad

Apr 24, 2008 08:07 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina Republican leaders said they are standing by a television ad criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama despite objections in their own ranks and the refusal of two television stations to air it.
Republican National Committee member Linda Shaw said Thursday she was shocked her colleagues decided to produce and air the ad, which shows a picture of Obama with his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and a clip of the firebrand's comments about America.

"I do not support it," Shaw said. "I had nothing to do with it. I wish she had not done it. And I'm very disappointed."

Shaw, a longtime party leader, said she repeatedly urged state party Chairwoman Linda Daves to withdraw the spot. Likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain also asked party officials to not run the ad - a stance he reiterated Thursday.

...WRAL-TV in Raleigh and WSOC-TV in Charlotte have declined to run the ad, Woodcox and station officials said.

"In reviewing this spot we determined it was inflammatory," said Jim Hefner, WRAL vice president and general manager. "We had come to that decision without knowing what John McCain and what the national Republican Party had to say about the spot. But that sort of solidified our decision."

Hefner said stations are required to carry ads from candidates as long as they meet set standards, such as the candidate saying he or she supports the ad. But stations have discretion - "the responsibility" - to review ads submitted by outside organizations for accuracy, he said.

...more at the link

[Jim Sagle]

2. McCain's campaign has ethics? Haw haw haw. McCain wants to run against Obama.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. Huge horseshit mistake..

See ya in November.

[bullwinkle428]

3. McCain doing his "good cop" routine, as he's done before;

look for the GOP to keep playing this sketch over and over and over throughout the campaign season!

[Life Long Dem]

4. Yeah, we'll see how much pull he has and what kind of person McSame

is if he doesn't talk about it to MSM or they don't run it on the news as well.

[powergirl]

6. Did Sen. Cinton ever reject or denounce the ads????

Can someone tell me???:popcorn:

[galaxy21]

7. I think Mccain might be genuine here

He was the victim of a pretty dirty campaign himself, it makes sense he doesn't want to do that to anyone else.

[powergirl]

9. Sen. McCain has more honor than Sen. Clinton

I disagree with him on the direction of the country. I do not want him to be president. He knows what it's like to be shit on - specifically when he got the Bush/Rove treatment in SC in 2000.


But Sen. McCain is a man of honor. I wish I could say Sen. Clinton is a person of honor, but she has let us all down with this. I salute you, Sen. McCain.:patriot:

[DearAbby]

28. Bingo...I dont have to agree with his politics

But he knows first hand what it is like being on the receiving end of a smear campaign...also I am sure he doesnt want the spotlight on the endorcements of Hagee and others

[Hippo_Tron]

16. Bullshit, there's nothing genuine about McDinosaur

He had them run the ad so that he could look like a good guy for having them pull it. You are naive if you think he's above dirty tactics.

[Yurovsky]

32. I was thinking the same thing ...

plus you get the ad run repeatedly on the news for FREE.

And silly fucking me thought Karl Rove had retired...

[elizm]

23. I'm guessing she PAID for them...

Go ahead...flame away.

[gateley]

8. There have been reports

both that they WILL and that they WON'T run the ads, so is this the final word?

[pdxmom]

11. According to the NC GOP, they are going to run the ad, due to the

national interest that has been shown. Thank you MSM.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0408/Confusion_in_North_Carolina.html


McCain can't lead within his own party...how will he lead the nation?

[anigbrowl]

26. That State GOP letter is the most self-serving BS I've ever read

"Those who step forward to run for the highest post in North Carolina must show the best judgment."

Ah, the gubernatorial election is in November, Ms Daves. These two candidates are running for the Democratic nomination; North Carolinians are not selecting anyone for office next May 6.

Actually, I wonder if the NC GOP is breaking FEC rules by interfering in another party's primary (or two primaries, if you consider that we're talking about candidates for both the presidential and gubernatorial party nominations).

[windbreeze]

12. How far do we trust this antic??

about as far as I could throw McCain...wb

[cstanleytech]

13. To little, to late.

In fact I am willing to bet this was a case of you wash my back and I'll watch yours where McCain gets to pretend to be shocked and appalled while the ad ran and Fox News was as usual willing to provide some of the smearing by running story after story about it and in essence they were getting around the campaign fiance limits by claiming it as a news story each time they ran it.
In the end I smell BS coming from McCain, the GOP and Fox News.

[crankychatter]

14. Because it's "news" it's probably being re-aired in NC ad nauseum for FREE

swift move actually

[cstanleytech]

17. Bingo!!! nt

[Hippo_Tron]

15. What a crock, McCain had them run the ad so that he could look good for having them pull it

[cstanleytech]

19. Eh, I would not go so far as to say that........

I think he might have known and approved of it but I am not so sure he planned it himself, it seems more like something Karl Rove would plan and execute...........btw isnt he directly working over the table now for fox news?

[Hippo_Tron]

21. It was orchestrated by a McCain subordinate, I am 100% sure of that

[anigbrowl]

27. That's a hunch - find some evidence

Otherwise you end up being regarded as a conspiracy theorist. Your hunch may well be correct, but absent evidence it's just an opinion.

[Hippo_Tron]

30. I have no evidence, and I rarely say I'm 100% confident about hunches

But I know how this game is played. The Republicans are notorious for being dirty and McCain wants to appear to be "above the fray". This is the exactly the kind of stunt you pull if you want to try and demonstrate that.

The only other explanation is that McCain is a good guy who really is above dirty politics. I don't believe that for a second.

[cstanleytech]

31. Umm actually you said you were 100% sure

which is different however I'm willing to accept you meant that as your personal opinion and not a statement of fact, mind you I share pretty much the same opinion that he probably did know and approve of it but like I said I think that in the end Rove probably had more of a hand in it than McCain did because it has alot of the fingerprints of the kind of person Karl Rove is all over it.

[Hippo_Tron]

35. Rove is basically a McCain surrogate

He's not officially working for the campaign (yet) but he definitely is advising him.

[Bensthename]

18. This makes Hillary look bad and makes McCain play on Obama's rules...

First off, if McCain holds to his promise of not playing character assault tactics, then he will be a breath of fresh air compared to the Billary campaign.
Also, makes Hillary out to be too negative and debunks her "GOP is going to do it too argument"..

But, you say McCain is only doing this to look good? Maybe, but that means he will be like Hillary and not able to beat Obama on the major issues..
Unfortunately there are the people in the voting middle that react to negative campaigning so it will be used. But as soon as McCain starts to lose on the issues he will turn to Hillary/Rove tactics and he negatives will sky rocket also.

Let McCain try to beat Obama on the high road. He won't win.

[nonobadfish]

20. There was a news story earlier stating several stations were refusing to carry it

even if the North Carolina does try to air it. Maybe more will refuse as well.

[jackson_dem]

24. There you have it. Proof the MSM is in the tank for Obama

Since when did media stations refuse to air attack ads?

[merciful]

33. I only heard that one station refused the ad n/t

[jenmito]

22. But I saw on MSNBC that the NC GOP denied this report and said they WILL run the ad starting next

week.

[bunnies]

36. Yep.

I just saw exactly that 5 minutes ago. They're running it and dont give a damn what McCain says.

[cliffordu]

25. Kind of a little late....man I wish they'd all have hunting accidents.

Like I wish the bear would win.....

[RoadRage]

37. Brilliant Strategy for McCain...

As much as I'd like to think that he's doing this out of the "Kindness of his heart".. the man is not stupid.

He's very well aware that 1/3 of the democratic party currently DISPISES the other 1/3. He also knows that he's going to need some of those votes in November if he really is going to have a shot at winning this election.

So, he asks to have a few negative ads pulled, and BAM - many Obama supporters (like me), think - wow.. this guy is nicer then Clinton. I like him better then Clinton. I can't stand Clinton. Come November.. screw her, i'm voting for McCain.

In a couple of weeks.. we'll see a couple of negative ads run against Clinton. McCain will kindly ask that they're pulled. BAM - Many Clinton supporters think to themselves.. "McCain is a much nicer guy then Obama. I hate Obama. I won't vote for Obama if he's the nominee - but i'll vote for McCain".

For the record - i'll be writing in Obama in November if Clinton gets the nomination.. i have no intention of voting for either McCain or Clinton. But, I will say - this is a brilliant strategy by the Republicans. We know the Rove playbook.... and as you can see, one of our candidates is using it to perfection. The Republicans like to be a step ahead.. and they are. This is a new play out of their new playbook.. it's one we haven't read yet.