So What's McCain Doing During Obama's World Tour?

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 07.22.08 @ 12:35 PM

Barack Obama is going around the world and the media can't get enough. (I'd say that I was actually embarrassed for Katie Couric's coverage so far, but then I'd have to admit that I was watching network news!) So how has McCain been carving out his little bit of spotlight? He's reminding anyone who'll listen that Barack Obama was wrong on the surge. He's fighting with The New York Times over a rejected op-ed (see previous link). And he's running ads on TV and online (not that anyone's paying that much attention).

This 30-second spot mongers fear! But not fear that we'll all be blown up or that Obama is a Muslim. Nope. Fear that Obama is directly responsible for out-of-control gas prices. (Nice use of Obama's fans chanting Obama, by the way.)

And in this viral video making the Internet rounds, Team McCain offers a greatest hits of TV anchors salivating over Obama. (At first, I thought this was a product of Fox News rather than the McCain camp as it takes great delight in mocking MSNBC.) It's obviously way too long (and too inside-baseball) to run on TV, so this is just blog fodder.

UPDATE: Good story in the Wall Street Journal (subsription required) about Steve Schmidt, the man behind McCain's new combative stance.

4 Comments

By MICHAEL | NEW YORK, NY July 22, 2008 02:17:33 pm:

It's interesting how this Ad Age "Campaign Trail" blog has basically turned into an Anti-Obama website. How cutting-edge and cynical!

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By WALTER | HOUSTON, TX July 23, 2008 08:36:54 am:

It's interesting how this Ad Age "Campaign Trail" blog has basically turned into an Anti-Obama website. How cutting-edge and cynical! –MICHAEL WATERS, NEW YORK, NY

Well Mike ole buddy there are some things we should be thankful for, this would be one of them. The obvious fawning of the press and the total and complete lack of objectivity needs to be pointed out. Sorry you don't get that. I would think the fact that ALL three networks sent their major anchors trotting after Obama and then when the NYT refused to print McCain's op-ed might give you a clue to the bias in this campaign. I guess not in your case.

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By KenWheaton | New York, NY July 23, 2008 09:24:14 am:

Michael,
I think Ad Age has pointed out on this blog and elsewhere that Barack Obama is winning the marketing war. I've made my full disclosures about not being an Obama swooner and at the same time have been able to point out when he's kicking McCain's butt all over the marketing field (which is pretty much all of the time). But I guess since it's not 100% pro-Obama coverage 100% of the time, I'm not doing my job. As it is, I don't see how you missed the sarcasm directed at McCain in this post ("not that anyone's paying attention"). Or the other posts in which I write that McCain's advertising is awful. I'm not writing about Obama spots yesterday and today because Barack doesn't NEED tv spots and cheap online video at the moment. You can credit his strategists, his message or the bias of the anchors, but he's getting the sort of free press that many marketers would sell their children for.

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By MICHAEL | NEW YORK, NY July 23, 2008 02:04:05 pm:

Eh, I don't buy it. It sounds more like a well-organized series of hints and memes laid by McCain supporters and Republican operatives that is meant to play to people's impolitic notions that Obama is an Affirmative Action Candidate who doesn't really deserve to be there.

The main story I've been hearing from the press--cable, internet, newspapers--is that "the media is fawning over Obama." And who's telling us this? The media!!! Oy vey, please come up with something original. Obama is the Democratic candidate because he connects with people well and those people put him there.

Furthermore, McCain's ads for the last week have not been half bad.

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