Rove's group throws $7 million behind the following spot in 10 key states:
Mataconis can't take the hypocrisy of Karl "Deficits Don't Matter" Rove. Greg Sargent sees an opening:
[T]he rich irony on display with the new Crossroads new ad — an attack operation founded by a leading official in the administration that ran up the deficit and left behind policies that have continued to inflate it for three years — has opened the door to a more direct attack on the real sources of the deficits that are now being blamed daily on Obama. … As Jamelle Bouie noted recently, Obama has been somewhat reluctant to directly mention Bush and directly link Romney to the former president, perhaps because of a desire to avoid appearing like he’s trying to transfer blame for the status quo to his predecessor.
Meanwhile, the Romney campaign courts Latino voters:
Alex Burns has more:
The video, which is available here in Spanish, is an extension of the approach Romney has used across demographic groups: casting the economy as an issue that transcends political categories and that has the potential to bring wary Hispanics, women and other voters into the GOP fold. Whether that’ll be enough to get the job done, remains to be seen. But as Obama hits the airwaves with several rounds of Spanish-language advertising, this is the message Romney is deploying in response.
Finally, First Read tallies general election ad spending:
$108 million has been spent on TV ads by the presidential campaigns and outside groups, according to an analysis by NBC/SMG Delta. Just 16 states have seen any spending since the end of the GOP primary, and the lion’s share of that has been concentrated in just 10 battleground states. Nearly $6 out of every $10 spent so far have been in a trifecta of states that could very likely determine the outcome of the presidency – Florida, Virginia, and Ohio. …
The biggest spender so far – no surprise – in those battlegrounds is the Obama campaign, with $41.5 million poured into TV. (The Romney campaign has spent $7.4 million.) But outside conservative groups combined – not including the Romney campaign — have outspent the Obama campaign there with $49.6 million.
Previous Ad War Updates: June 4, June 1, May 31, May 30, May 29, May 24, May 23, May 22, 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 