On WTTW's Chicago Tonight last Friday, CBS2 political reporter Mike Flannery laid into John McCain's recent ad suggesting that Barack Obama supports kindergarteners "learning about sex before learning to read." Flannery called the ad "disgraceful" and one of several "atrociously, grotesquely misrepresentative ads that the McCain camp has been running." Flannery added that the sex-ed spot "takes some of the sheen of the McCain 'man of honor' thing" and said it's an example of "overreaching on the part of the Republicans that they're going to regret." Watch it:
The Tribune's Eric Zorn has a good rundown of the "brazen inaccuracies" in McCain's sex-ed ad, as well as a compendium of other commentary on the topic.
Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 15:20
This is going to be the ugliest campaign in recent history. The Republicans have one card to play, that's fear. Fear that the blacks will take over and fear of another terrorist attack. All ugly ads from now till November 4 will have these themes.
This ad plays on fear of black men's alleged overwrought sexuality--an old GOP trick, a manipulation of cultural stereotypes of which the GOP is master.
These tricks will work as long as the media refuses to hold McCain accountable to any standard of truth.
Democrats must counter with more than surprise, more than outrage, more than the truth. We must talk about the need for honesty in politics and governing and the need to protect children at the mercy of sexual predators.
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