McCain ad attempts to link Obama with former Fannie Mae executive Franklin Raines who happens to be black. The ad makes it feel like some big scary black hoods are breaking into your white grandma’s piggy house. Ugh. Raines slapped Carly Fiorina with a “Say What?” when she tried to say that he was an economic adviser to Obama. Here’s the facts (HuffPo):
Obama’s campaign says Raines is not an Obama adviser and that McCain’s campaign knows it because Raines said so in an e-mail earlier this week to Carly Fiorina, a top McCain adviser. Obama’s campaign provided The Associated Press with a copy of the e-mail.
“Carly: Is this true?” Raines asks above a forwarded note informing him that Fiorina was on television saying he was an Obama housing adviser. “I am not an adviser to the Obama campaign. Frank.”
Obama’s campaign says Fiorina did not respond.
The McCain campaign’s stumbles have made them desperate. Here’s the deal — historically, when the economy seriously hits the skids, the incumbent party tends to get thrown out in favor of ahem, change. What’s really amazing is how hypocritical this attack is (Washington Monthly):
Second, if getting advice from officials at troubled financial institutions is a sign of bad judgment, McCain way want to explain why two of his top advisors include John Thain, from Merrill Lynch, and Martin Feldstein, who serves on AIG’s board of directors.
Third, and most importantly, all McCain’s attacks do is offer people like me a chance to remind folks about his own connections to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
More than Mr. Obama, Mr. McCain’s circle of advisers and contributors includes current and former lobbyists or directors for the companies, although since July he has called for a ban on any lobbying by the two firms.
Among the companies’ past advocates are Mr. McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, a longtime lobbyist; Mr. McCain’s confidant and adviser Charlie Black, whose firm worked for Freddie Mac for several years ending in 2005, and the deputy campaign finance chairman, Wayne L. Berman, a vice president for Ogilvy Worldwide and a former Fannie Mae lobbyist.
Mr. Davis previously was head of the Homeownership Alliance, a coalition of banks and housing industry interests led by Fannie and Freddie to stave off regulations.
Lord. For comic relief, check out the driver of the Straight Talk Express and his observations of McCain’s Obama attack ads from comedian Billy Mires.
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http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2008/09/mccain-campaign-remixes-racism-and-economy/