Crossroads GPS goes in for the kill with $10 million behind the following spot airing in ten swing states:
How the NYT sees it:
More soft-pedal than Swift Boat, the 60-second advertisement, complete with special effects, is a deeply researched, delicately worded story of a struggling family; its relatively low-key tone is all the more striking, coming at a point in the campaign when each side is accusing the other of excessive negativity.
Jamelle Bouie is indignant:
As befitting a Karl Rove outfit, the claims in the ad are either misleading, or outright falsehoods.
Citing a Reuters story from 2009 on conservative efforts to sink the bill, Crossroads GPS insinuates that the stimulus was a failure, despite wide consensus that the bill kept United States out of a depression, and significantly improved prospects for recovery. The ad continues in this vein, blaming high insurance premiums on the Affordable Care Act — when the cited article says otherwise — and blaming Obama for the increase in debt, despite the fact that under his administration, government spending has risen at a slower pace than any time in the last 60 years. Obama is one of the most miserly presidents in recent history, especially compared to George W. Bush, who grew spending at more than 7 percent per year; double the rate of Bill Clinton, and more than five times the rate of Obama. The simple fact is that the accumulation of debt over the last three-and-a-half years has more to do with the Great Recession than it does with any of Obama’s spending priorities.
Steve Benen adds:
The Crossroads attack ad is as cynical as politics can get, working from the assumption that voters are fools. It talks about bailouts, assuming voters won't know it was Bush/Cheney that rescued Wall Street before Obama took office. It talks about debt, assuming voters don't know Mitt Romney's agenda would raise the debt far more than Obama's agenda would. It talks about student loans, assuming voters don't know that Obama expanded Pell Grants and Romney wants to scrap student loans altogether. It talks about "job-killing debt," which as a policy matter, is just idiocy. It lies about the stimulus; it lies about spending; it lies about health care.
Meanwhile, Obama's Super PAC continues to fight the Battle of the Bain:
Another ad focuses on the Ampad case:
Meanwhile, the RNC accuses the Obama campaign of "covering up" Booker's remarks. The DNC notes that private equity is not about job creation.
Previous Ad War Updates: May 21, May 18, May 17, May 16, May 15, May 14, May 10, May 9, May 8, May 7, May 3, May 2, May 1, Apr 30, Apr 27, Apr 26, Apr 25, Apr 24, Apr 23, Apr 18, Apr 17, Apr 16, Apr 13, Apr 11, Apr 10, Apr 9, Apr 5, Apr 4, Apr 3, Apr 2, Mar 30, Mar 27, Mar 26, Mar 23, Mar 22, Mar 21, Mar 20, Mar 19, Mar 16, Mar 15, Mar 14, Mar 13, Mar 12, Mar 9, Mar 8, Mar 7, Mar 6, Mar 5, Mar 2, Mar 1, Feb 29, Feb 28, Feb 27, Feb 23, Feb 22, Feb 21, Feb 17, Feb 16, Feb 15, Feb 14, Feb 13, Feb 9, Feb 8, Feb 7, Feb 6, Feb 3, Feb 2, Feb 1, Jan 30, Jan 29, Jan 27, Jan 26, Jan 25, Jan 24, Jan 22, Jan 20, Jan 19, Jan 18, Jan 17, Jan 16 and Jan 12.
The Dish 