BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Democratic Party Obama's New Campaign Ad - What Do You Think?

I don't personally approve of smear campaigns - they represent gutter fighting, which is unseemly behavior. I don't believe that anyone is "guilty by association" - you can't choose who you work with, and I think that we have all worked with some dicey people at some point in our lives. For me a person's personal actions based upon their beliefs are what matters.

As an Obama supporter, I don't see this new ad as a smear against McCain, but a reflection of what how he does business in government. I'm curious how other people might view it.

Here is the link:
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It seems no matter how hard a candidate tries, they almost always wind up at some point involved in "smear campaigns'.

If for no other reason, than that they have tp answer the questions and allegations rasied against them by the opponent.

Some are able to handle it more elegantly than others - keeping the fighting and finger-pointing to a minimum. But in order to say why they would be the best cnadidate, it is almost necessary to compare themselves to their opponent.

This campaign did seem to start out more civilly than most at least.

But Obama did not "work" with Wright, how do you explain 20 some years of having him as his religious advisor and mentor to suddenly dismissing him once the people find out what Wright was all about and showed their disapproval?

And I DO think you can control who you work with and accept support from, to an extent. Depends on the situation. I think it is definitely something to be examined. You know if it came out that McCain or Palin had similar ties to anyone with the same types of scandal or beliefs, it would be all over the media. Why should Obama be treated any differently?

Considering McCain was CLEARED in the Keating 5 scandal, I see this as being equal to McCain's party bringing up Obama's ties and associations. It all comes down to judgment and character and these things are telling. The difference is McCain was officially cleared. Obama just keeps trying to deny and cover his tracks by disassociating himself AFTER people make the judgment for him.

I have known many people who didn't agree with everything their religious advisers believe in. What they do embrace, and what is most important to them, is the human and spiritual community of their church. But no one that I know are running for public office, so what they do is not under public scrutiny. Sometimes people in the public eye are forced to comply with what the public expects of them. Obama committed no crimes in going to church - one can choose to exercise their imaginations to fill in blanks that they wish to fill, but he committed no wrong doing. He left the church, and hopefully found one that he could fully embrace.

As far as Ayers goes, his past has been long since forgotten in Chicago. He is known and respected by the state as a prestigious college professor. Nothing more, nothing less. His past is not Barack Obama's fault nor it is his responsibility to bear the burden of it. The only thing he did was work with an upstanding citizen in his community. He is guilty of nothing. Smears have made it sound like an ominous relationship of some kind. It has been nothing but wholesome fundraising.

In the Keating scandal, McCain's hands were very dirty. He actually did things that added to the detriment our our financial system. This is a glaring example of his fundamental philosophy on how to run a government. Corruption and lack of sound judgment. He was cleared, but he still did what he did - and he still stands by the same deregulation policies that have crippled us. He is running for president, Ayers and Wright are not running for anything.

This is what I meant by smear campaigning. Obama hasn't accused McCain of anything he hasn't actually done. And no one in his campaign even have to bring up McCain's close ties with the Bush Administration, who have nearly collapsed our nation. And McCain has tried really hard to disassociate himself from that fiasco - even though he was a part of it for a long time, and still is. What I'm saying is, that there are truths, and then there are smears. They are two different things.

Shay

I would have to differ with the Ayres not being a big deal in Chicago etc. They've been discussing Obama's association with Ayres for MONTHS here in IL, but the wonderful liberal media has been ignoring it everywhere else. We've all (in Illinois) just been waiting for more to come out on Ayres, as well as Rezko and ACORN.

And I'm sorry, but just because Ayres has done some good does not negate his terrorist actions against his own country, imo.

Wholesome fundraising in IL? Ever heard of pay to play? LOL I don't think so. There is nothing wholesome going on in the state of IL when it comes to money.

In response to toddgr102, we can't cast judgment on Obama for his association with Rev. Wright. The media had tried to find evidence of his being there at the times that the bad sermons were preached and couldn't. He was not there. Now if people don't want to believe that it is another story.

Also, he was a member of this church. He was married and his children baptized. These are major events. It does not mean he attended church everyweek or even once a month. Many people belong to a church and rarely go. I know many people in my life that I have known for years whose "true colors" don't come out for many years.

As for Sarah Palin, if you have been watching the news lately, you would have seen video tape of a radical witchcraft hunter who was "laying hands" on her. This is getting a lot of coverage. And as far as Ayers, you would have heard that a John McCain supporter is the man who actually formed the board that Ayers and Obama sat on.

It's one thing for them to run smear ads against him for associations, but when you have the same track record, it's a little hypocritical Yes?

Haven't heard of any witchcraft hunter...but laying hands on someone and praying doesn't offend me.

I'd like to see actual links to unbiased sources to confirm the other stuff (McCain forming the board that Ayres and Obama sat on).

I have a personal story to share. I grew up in a Christian school but by the time I hit jr. high and high school I was pretty much evaluating what they were teaching for myself. And what I found was a lot of a. hypocritcal teaching and b. a lot of teaching that was NOT biblical. By my freshman year I was arguing the "biblical" things they were teaching (such as it is ok to stand outside of gay bars and egg them as they come, and how you should not associate with those who don't believe the same as you etc.) By my freshman year I was smart enough to see the hypocrisy and lies and twisting and knew enough to voice my opinion and get out. And I did. The next year I went to a public school. It also turned me off to religion for many years.

I just don't see how a grown man can attend a church that preached that hate, and claim to not know that was what the church was about. It was on the church's website until all this media frenzy came about! And once a person knows what it is about, to continue to go and support it, imo, is horrible. When this came out, he tried to excuse it and it wasn't until it kept going and would not die down and even MORE stuff came out that he FINALLY cut ties. I'm sorry, but be a man and either admit you agree with it or not. If not, admit you made a mistake and move on. Don't play these stupid denial games. If a 14 year can see the truth and know what to do, surely a grown man can.

This is a video of Sarah Palin receiving rites from African minister Thomas Muthee in her church, where he prays over her saying "bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus... Use her to turn this nation the other way around and to keep her safe from every form of witchcraft." BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

It might be a tad off topic but I'm curious to know whether and where exactly, the Obama campaign has responded to the "Obama Youth" video which was pulled from his website after scaring the heck out of a lot of people. Any time I see groups of children performing in that manner obviously at the behest of zealous parents and candidates, it FREAKS me out. And who does he have on his staff that didn't advise him that the comparison would be made to Hitler's youth groups?? By the same token, I am curious as to what everyone's reaction would have been had McCain gathered a group of all white children or all black children or children of every color and had them singing the song that these children were singing on his site. In for a penny, in for a pound. Leave the kids out of it unless you show footage of them thoughtfully articulating their positions on healthcare, poverty, war, bailouts etc..etc... That video scared the daylights out of my constitutional law class at the college where I teach (very diverse group). It was creepy way to further a political agenda. As far as "mass fear" is concerned, it certainly appears all four candidates are pushing us there. My son told me several students campaigning on behalf of Obama in the mock school election (junior high) are telling other students that if they don't vote for Obama, they're racist. I am quite sure, it's coming from the other side as well. I have NEVER been as uncomfortable during any election, as I am in this one, from all sides.

Gina, I completely missed the video! And I don't think it was off topic, at all, since we are discussing campaigns. Looking at the dates, I think I was away on vacation at that time. But, I was able to find thisBellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!