Obama’s New “Low Road Express” Website Against McCain
EmailThe campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, today introduced a new website to respond to charges made by the more pointedly aggressive campaign of his rival, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
"LowRoadExpress.com" is the name of the new website, borrowed from an editorial decrying McCain’s tactics written by the liberal editorial pages of the New York Times.
The site features video clips and newspaper editorials condemning McCain attacks as "false" and "desperate" and "inappropriate."
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said that McCain started out his campaign "talking about straight talk and civility, pledging to run a respectful campaign," but since that time, Plouffe said, quoting a St. Petersburg Times editorial, "The Straight Talk Express has taken a nasty turn into the gutter."
"This is not the John McCain voters thought they were going to see in this presidential campaign," Plouffe said, saying that McCain’s Paris Hilton/Britney Spears TV ad is "frivolous and it demeans the dialogue of the campaign."
But though the site uses the media — the New York Times, St. Petersburg Times, Factcheck.org, and a consortium of Ohio newspapers — to prove its points about McCain attacks, the Obama campaign refused to directly answer questions from the media about comments Obama made Wednesday that "McCain and the Republicans" are going to attack him based on his exotic name and his race, saying "’Well, you know, he’s got a funny name and he doesn’t look like all the presidents on the dollar bills.’"
"We weren’t suggesting in any way he’s using race as an issue," said Plouffe, who otherwise dodged reporters’ questions as to what Obama meant by his comments.
- jpt
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Senator Obama can’t stand for the truth to be exposed about him. He whines and blames. He needs to grow up. Running for the presidential slot is for grown, mature people.
Posted by: Mary | July 31, 2008, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
Now who is childess, first it was the radio ad calling McCain McSame, now low road express, my my you typical politican Barack.
Posted by: rachel | July 31, 2008, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
Mary:
“Senator Obama can’t stand for the truth to be exposed about him. He whines and blames. He needs to grow up. Running for the presidential slot is for grown, mature people.”
Republican tactic: Projection: a defense mechanism in which one attributes one’s own unacceptable or unwanted actions, thoughts or/and emotions to others.
Well played!
Posted by: Jim | July 31, 2008, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm
“Running for the presidential slot is for grown, mature people.” I couldn’t agree more, and that is exactly what McCain is NOT doing. Naming calling and character assesination has not place in a campaign for president of the US at a time when our country is inmersed in such challenging times. Sen. Obama knows that and that’s way he is out there promoting the democratic agenda to address the concerns of working americans, instead of behaving like a little kid in a playground.
We want to hear ideas and proposals Sen. McCain!!!!
Posted by: carl29 | July 31, 2008, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
I wish Sen. McSame could get his lie straight about whether he used the Packers or the Steelers when he was a POW.
Which team was it McSame? Get your lie straight.
Posted by: Will | July 31, 2008, 5:19 pm 5:19 pm
John Low Road Express McCain has said absolutely NOTHING positive about what he plans to do for the country.
All he does is attack, attack, attack.
There is absolutely NO reason to vote for McCain in this election.
He promised that he was going to run a good campaign and yet he has absolutely FAILED to do that.
SHAME ON JOHN MCCAIN.
He is no longer an American hero.
Posted by: Sandy | July 31, 2008, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
Good job Obama, keep putting McSame in his place. He’s an old war mongering, cry baby. I would ask McSame to grow up but at his advanced age that could only mean death so I’ll just say MAN UP McSame.
Posted by: McLame is a loser | July 31, 2008, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
pathetic ….
McCain and his campaign are just …
pathetic.
Posted by: sn00t | July 31, 2008, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
A advertising company just came out with some findings: A 1/3 of McCain’s campaign ads are just negative, a 1/3!!!
NHe’s got nothing to offer to the people of this nation. No wonder why all McCain does is attack, attack, and attack. McCain: Nothing for the American People!!!
Posted by: carl29 | July 31, 2008, 5:24 pm 5:24 pm
While Obama strives to take the high road, McCain seems to counter by hiring Rove. (actually one of his trainees, Mr. Schmidt and somehow with the Schnidt house the joke about Santa’s Sled crashed into an outhouse by mistake comes into play).
Posted by: bhciapol | July 31, 2008, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
John McCain should be reminded that Americans are already disappointed on him and his campaign.
Within a week they have accused Obama of all sorts of things including, treason sabotage.
John McCain even plays politics with injured troops even though he himself is an American Hero.
Shame on you McCain, Americans are yearning for the McCain of 2000.
Posted by: Raymond Micheals | July 31, 2008, 5:38 pm 5:38 pm
Face it, Republicans: it just McCain’t gonna happen.
Posted by: Conservative | July 31, 2008, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
In terms of years McCain’s a grown up, but his current antics put him in the realm of second childhood. At the rate he’s going, by the time election day rolls around, he’s going to be sitting in baby stroller with a pacifier falling out of his mouth. Come to think of it, a pacifier is a lot more useful than what’s falling out of his mouth these days.
Posted by: nanameow | July 31, 2008, 5:48 pm 5:48 pm
McCain’s negative attack ads make me want to tune out altogether. It’s a huge turnoff to see him going Access Hollywood on us when there are real problems in this country. It’s sickening. And he’s proud of the “celeb” ad? Bizarre.
Posted by: cincyr | July 31, 2008, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
When we describe whiney, temper tantrums,misleading, blaming others – most people would think a toddler or young child is having a rough day and is need of guidance. NEVER could I imagine that would be the Republican nominee for President. It’s sad to watch such a well-respected man sacrifice his dignity for the sake of a political campaign.
Posted by: Paige | July 31, 2008, 6:06 pm 6:06 pm
Jim–those tactics are being used by the Obama campaign too. And I am not a Republican, never been one and don’t plan on changing my political status any time soon. I am an independent, try to look at the positions of all candidates and make a rational choice based on facts and what is best for my family and country, not political rhetric. All voters should base their choice on rationality and facts, not the best looking candidate or who can play basketball with the young volunteers.
Posted by: Mary | July 31, 2008, 6:06 pm 6:06 pm
Latest USA/Gallup Poll among likely voters: Macain 49%, Obama 45%. AND THAT POLL WAS TAKEN RIGHT AFTER OBAMA’S GLAMOUR TRIP. POLL IS EVEN MORE NOTEWORTHY CONDIDERING OBAMA SPENDING MANY TIMES THAT OP MCCAIN AND….. WITH MOST MEDIA IN TANK FOR OBAMA!!!
Posted by: Jimbo | July 31, 2008, 6:07 pm 6:07 pm
With Obama continually shooting himself in foot, McCain is just making hay while the sun shines!! With dems owning pretty much ALL of the entertainment media and MOST of the news media, WHY NOT MIX IT UP A LITTLE -I DON”T BLAME JOHN!!
Posted by: Manitu | July 31, 2008, 6:13 pm 6:13 pm
jimbo – I hate to break it to you, but I understand Gallup is being looked at for “polling malpractice”. I wouldn’t put too much credit with their #’s in either direction at the moment.
Posted by: Paige | July 31, 2008, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
Paige.
NO DOUBT, DEMS.. TAKING A GOOD LOOK AT GALLUP. MAKES SENSE TO ME.
Posted by: Manitu | July 31, 2008, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
Straight talk express has fell down the slippery slope to the gutter. You are 71McCain. Grow up and stop complaining and address the issues.Enough blaming everyone because you are not capable of having a state of the art campaign. Poor John, just cannot get it together.
Posted by: Audrey | July 31, 2008, 6:33 pm 6:33 pm
Personally, I find the McCain ads too soft…they are more like the soft-road express. McCain camp needs to hit harder and unmask the farce that has been the Obama campaign….they need to do the job the MSM is not doing.
Posted by: hype bites | July 31, 2008, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
McRove, NOT THIS TIME !!!
Posted by: OBAMA08 | July 31, 2008, 7:03 pm 7:03 pm
For that web site to work, people would have to read it. His base will and that provides them talking points. His determined opposition will and that will provide them talking points in rebuttal. If Obama wants to keep the race issue alive for his own use, this will do it in the short run.
But it won’t change minds already made and it will fatigue the ones unmade about issues they really care very little about.
You’re black, Obama. Be proud of it or get over it, but if you don’t get past it very soon, you will lose this election. Being black is not a qualification for being President. And if you blow this, the history you think you are making will be read quite differently than what you believe you deserve.
Posted by: len | July 31, 2008, 8:47 pm 8:47 pm
Hillary looks even less like “those other presidents” than Obama, and yet she got more popular votes than Obama. Maybe experience rather than looks are more important??!!
Posted by: EMJ | July 31, 2008, 8:57 pm 8:57 pm
This is what Republican’s are all about. Their real positions are so weak they cannot withstand debate. How do you tell a typical working American, already being drained by high food and energy costs, that they need to donate about $3 more for every gallon of gas they use above the real price, to make rich Republican’s even richer?
Posted by: Bob | July 31, 2008, 9:35 pm 9:35 pm
shame on YOU, obama.
the candidate who has never completed anything except his two novels of “hype” which were loosely based on your life.
the candidate who accused the Clintons of being racists.. but who couldn’t take time off from campaigning to celebrate Martin Luther King this year.
the candidate under whose watch low cost housing projects in Chicago were begun almost nine years ago…. and which are still NOT FINISHED!
the candidate who played “wink wink” with Canada and the Nafta “talk”.
the candidate who is still a lure for long term associations with questionable associates like Rashid Khalidi, Farrakhan, Reverend Meeks, Nachi Auchi, Rezko, William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn.
the candidate who CHOSE not to visit the wounded troops during his whirl-wind fact-finding tour last week.
the candidate who talks about the low road McCain’s campaign is walking… while encouraging his supporters to describe him in derogatory anti-age slurs…. and even paint his patriotic past as problematic because of injuries
he suffered in the line of duty.
shame on you, Obama!
Posted by: Just thinking: | July 31, 2008, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm
Yawn! Enough with the websites criticizing everyone who criticizes you, Obama! And please, NO MORE SPEECHES! Methinks that thou doth protest too much! Take it like a man, and stop whining like a spoilt child! You can say what you like about W., but I have never heard him whine or defame anyone for all the horrible names he has been called, and he has been called plenty! Wonder how a President Obama will react to such treatment? Show some grace under fire! No back-bone-obama!
Posted by: Beckie | July 31, 2008, 11:47 pm 11:47 pm
Seems that Obama’s bona fides as
a “community organizer” is a weak
foundation on which to justify a
run for POTUS….but obviously it
was PLENTY for the DNC power brokers.
J. Jackson was a community organizer,
and see how close that got him to the oval office.
Posted by: oddfellow | August 1, 2008, 12:07 am 12:07 am
Obama’s campaign manager on April 25, 2008, during National Journal interview:
“The vast, vast majority of voters who would not vote for Barack Obama in November based on race are probably firmly in John McCain’s camp already.”
Obama on June 20, 2008, during a Florida stump speech:
“We know what kind of campaign they are going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young. He’s inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And, did I mention he’s black.”
Obama on July 24, 2008, during stump speech in Berlin, Germany:
“I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable.”
Obama on July 30, 2008, during a Southern Missouri stump speech:
Democrat Barack Obama, the first black candidate with a shot at winning the White House, says John McCain and his Republican allies (Bush and McCain) will try to scare them by saying Obama “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”
Not using race?
Posted by: drjohn | August 1, 2008, 7:23 am 7:23 am
Graduating at the bottom of his Naval Academy class and ill temper are hardly the stuff presidents are made of. America- do not elect anymore fools to the Whitehouse. $10 Trillion national debt, sky rocketting prices including gas, EXXON MOBIL and their MaCain Bush GOP supporters riping of Americans, falling dollar, ballooning balance of trade -$498B. MaCain can’t come up with a single idea on how to start solving the mess he left with Bush over the past 8 years. He is one more time trying to fool, distract and laugh at Americans. He will not succed this time. They have proven to be incapable of running the country. VOTE FOR CHANGE in November.
Posted by: Victor Ogu | August 1, 2008, 9:39 am 9:39 am
I just heard that another 51,000 Americans have lost there jobs, Millions of Americans do not have health care, an obsolete energy plan, and many other important issues not talked about by McCain. It is as if McCain has realized that he cannot compare with Obama on the issues, so his only hope of winning is to start trying to define Obama as an Elitist, Risky, Unpatiotic, frivolous and dangerous. McCain vowed he would run a clean & honorable campaign and make the distinction between himself and Obama on the issues. In the last couple of weeks the ads and statements out of McCain’s camp has been distorted,twisted, dishonest, outright lies & unethical. The MSM has also some blame to share for reporting untruths without a disclaimer i.e., “We cannot vouch for the truthfullness of this Ad”. I was really hoping that the debates would be interesting and that the battle would be about issues, I know that won’t happen now. How could Obama have a battle of wits with McCain, when McCain is acting like a senile idiot!
Obama 08
Posted by: Elitist | August 1, 2008, 9:53 am 9:53 am
haven”t forgotten the attacks from McCain on Obama”s Foreign Policy strategy. McCain called Obama, naive, unpatriotic, dangerous and would not keep America safe.
Isn”t it amazing that McCain, President Bush,Iraqi Politicians (President, PM),Afghan president,Israeli PM,President, All the European Leaders he visited (Germany, France & England) has the thrown their wholehearted behind Sen Obama foreign policy. I don”t hear anything more about the Surge. So much for Obama not being fit or ready to be POTUS. That leaves McShame only one route to the presidency. McShame is counting on the voters not being informed, Since McLame cannot win on the issues, he has chosen an unethical road paved with untruths, lies & distortions. McCain new strategy is “If you can”t get win thru brilliance, baffle them with B-ll S-it” Not this time, not this year and definitly this year.
America deserves an intelligent, honest, vibrant, caring leader.
Obama 08
Posted by: Elitist | August 1, 2008, 10:41 am 10:41 am
I am so sad that John McCain again shows Karl Rove’s power lives on! I respected John McCain and still do as a war hero however, I am tired of his campaign being so negative. Could he address the issues? Doubt it since I think he is clueless. Don’t respect him now as a candidate. Go Obama.
Posted by: carol | August 1, 2008, 6:26 pm 6:26 pm
Obama and his campaign are free to label their opponents from President Clinton to Senator McCain as racists, when neither of them have EVER told anyone that they should “fear” Obama because he is black. Meanwhile, McCain tells Americans that they should not vote for Obama just because of his celebrity status, but instead, look at his policies, and that’s just too much heat for Obama to bear?? While I didn’t care for the Spears/Hilton ad, Obama’s constant playing of the race card is beneath someone who said he was not going to be a typical “politician.” So far, he has proven to be anything but just another typical politician.
Posted by: Armanius | August 1, 2008, 10:55 pm 10:55 pm
Thanks for drjohn for putting all the quotes out there so that people can read for themselves, and ask whether or the race card is being used by Obama and his campaign:
============
Obama’s campaign manager on April 25, 2008, during National Journal interview:
“The vast, vast majority of voters who would not vote for Barack Obama in November based on race are probably firmly in John McCain’s camp already.”
Obama on June 20, 2008, during a Florida stump speech:
“We know what kind of campaign they are going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young. He’s inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. and, did I mention he’s black.”
Obama on July 24, 2008, during stump speech in Berlin, Germany:
“I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable.”
Obama on July 30, 2008, during a Southern Missouri stump speech:
Democrat Barack Obama, the first black candidate with a shot at winning the White House, says John McCain and his Republican allies (Bush and McCain) will try to scare them by saying Obama “doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”
Not using race?
Posted by: Winston | August 1, 2008, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
Funny that McCain featured an attack ad with his college classmate, Moses.
Posted by: pete | August 1, 2008, 11:55 pm 11:55 pm
Can you believe that CBS News and other major media outlets put out this web address by accident???
Posted by: Navy Veteran | August 3, 2008, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm