GOP Leader To Obama: Take Down Those Attack Ads!
House GOP whip Eric Cantor has been successfully using the battle over the stimulus to secure a great deal of media attention. Now he’s trying a novel tack: Making an issue of that ad campaign by Obama allies I wrote about below, which shows, he suggests, that President Obama is the real partisan here.
Cantor has an aggressive new statement out demanding that Obama force the coalition running the ads — which includes MoveOn, AFSCME, SEIU, and Americans United for Change — to take down the spots, which pressure GOP Senators to back Obama’s stimulus package.
“President Obama should immediately disavow plans by some political groups who announced they will run attack ads against Republicans,” Cantor says. “Let us be clear: attack ads will not create jobs or help struggling families but will only serve to undermine our nation’s desire for bipartisanship. Instead of thinking about winning at any cost, we should all be thinking about creating the jobs Americans need.”
For Cantor to argue that these ads are what’s undermining bipartisanship right now is pretty bold, given that the GOP caucus voted unanimously against the stim package less than 24 hours ago. But in general the press seems to be willing to grant that both sides are behaving in equally partisan fashion.
On a totally separate note, given that Cantor now wants to make an issue of these ads, I’m a bit surprised that the statement doesn’t single out MoveOn, which Republicans have frequently tried to use to tar Obama as an unrepentant lefty.
Yes. Amazing, isn’t it? Obama makes an unprecedented attempt to reach out Republicans, they give him a collective FU, and it’s “politics as usual”, according to many.
Why is Cantor concerned about those ads? Is it possible he’s seen the data from Gallup and WSJ/NBC which indicate that the Republican brand is in the crapper, and that maybe the brave and resolute stand Republicans took against those free-spending liberal Democrats might not play so well with the folks back at home?
I would love to know what their internal polling shows. some repubs have told me they’re convinced they’re gaining ground with the tax cut piece of the argument…
Interesting. They’re convinced they’re gaining ground. Rather than they’re actually gaining ground.
LOL I LOVE this move by President Obama. Just by talking about it Eric Cantor is drawing attention to them without President Obama having to spend a dime. I predict that they are a viral hit on youtube and some Senators will be fielding some angry calls. In the words of Thomas Friedman
.
Suck. On. That. GOP
I have to go with CT Voter here–their internal polling tells them they are gaining ground I wonder if this is the same polling firm that told McCain he would win PA….
sgwhiteinfla—yes. rope a dope I think.
I still would like better press corps and better message from the dems though.
plus these ads – here’s one – are the touchy-feelyest, most non-aggressive ads you can imagine.
hey all, open thread up
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/uncategorized/happy-hour-roundup-4/
g
Cantor is bold, but he has been less that completely honest while debating these things. Check out what Politifact has said about him lately:
Click on the ruling to see all of Cantor’s statements for that ruling.
True
0(0)
Mostly True
0(0)
Half True
0(0)
Barely True
0(0)
False
2(2)
Pants on Fire
1(1)
here’s the link:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/personalities/eric-cantor/
I don’t think what Cantor says has very much credibility.
“But in general the press seems to be willing to grant that both sides are behaving in equally partisan fashion.”
More false equivalintcy. Not exactly a newsflash.
Your posts always show me that you really have some indepth knowledge about this. Quite a valuable read i must say.