Obama Buys Olympics Airtime, While RNC Runs Spot In Paris...Maine

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Advertising

The race for the White House is expected to take something of a backseat when the Olympics begin August 8th, but Barack Obama isn't exactly ceding the spotlight to the rhythmic gymnasts: The presumptive Democratic nominee is paying NBC Universal $5 million to air commercials during the Beijing games.

It is, Ad Age reports, "the first significant network-TV buy of any presidential candidate in at least 16 years."

News of an ad buy from the Republican National Committee has also emerged, though it's a far smaller buy than Obama's. In a cheeky response to Obama's headlines-dominating European trip, the RNC is airing radio ads in American cities that share names with the European cities Obama is visiting.

Obama's stop in Berlin, Germany has resulted in spots in Berlin, Pennsylvania, Berlin, Wisconsin and Berlin, New Hampshire; his expected Paris stop has led the RNC to air its ad in Paris, Maine, Paris, Michigan and Paris, Missouri.

You can listen to the attack ad here; it claims that "Obama chose Washington politics over the needs of our military," while McCain "has always put the public interest first."

"If Obama can't rise above politics to support our soldiers in a time of war, then how can he claim to have the strength to change the way Washington works?" the spot concludes. "John McCain is ready to lead. Barack Obama is not."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by nobush3rd July 27, 2008 1:23 AM EDT: He ought to give his next talk in Boring, MD or Boring, OR.

The old coot is not only geographically, historically and ethically challenged (to put it mildly), he''s cranky, shrill, and repetitive.

A vote for McCain is a vote for Bush, period. If you think that is good, then you must be making over $250,000.00 a year. I personally believe John "I''ll NEVER surrender" McCain is still fighting the Vietnam War. If he wins, I believe that he will reinstate the draft. He will have to because no one is "joining" voluntarily and at some point, he will have to allow so-called "volunteers" go home.

John McCain has BEEN in Washington for 26 years. He''s had a chance to change things. All that BS about being a Maverick "came to him" like enlightenment after being caught in the Keating 5 scandal. His economic policy is engineered by Phil "Nation of Whiners" Gramm -- the same guy who took over a $1M from the banking and insurance industry while legislating deregulation of the same. The same guy who bought you (oops, I meant BROUGHT you) the Enron loophole deal.

John "I know how to win wars" McCain is a Republican. He''s had 6 years to win a war. If he''s won the Iraq War, can we please come home now?

McCain = Bush''s Third Term
http://nobushthirdterm.com; Reply to this comment


by joereed007 July 25, 2008 10:43 AM EDT: Sounds to me like Republicans are scared silly and don''t know what to do with themselves these days. It is hilarious just reading all their desperate yells for help. It seems as though they know their candidate, John McSame, has no chance of winning so they in turn have no hope. Has anyone noticed they have nothing good to say about John McSame but all they do is whine and attack Obama? The Republican Party...home of the whiners, blah, blah, blah. Here is some good news on John McCain while out at a German restuarant in Ohio yesterday six people showed up....Listen we all know the enthusiasm for John McCain barely breaks the teens so the few that are on this board are the few included. Their voice is small and worthless......just trying to save you guys some time..; Reply to this comment


by grammawhamma July 25, 2008 12:53 AM EDT: It''s really a pity that Obama wasn''t the Democratic nominee already back in Feb. He could have bought air time during the Super Bowl....or perhaps even given a live speech at half time.; Reply to this comment


by deberry10 July 24, 2008 11:40 PM EDT: I just listened to the ad and am appalled. Once again, John McCain flat-out lies.

Obama voted "YES" ten times to support our troops. The one time he voted "NO" was when the bill he supported, which was passed by congress and which the president vetoed, was rewritten to exclude the timeframe for withdrawal that Bush (and McCain) opposed - a timeframe, by the way, much less constricting that the "end of 2010" timeframe now suggested by Irag''s government.

Like everything else in John McCain''s campaign, "straight-talk" has yielded to the RNC flak machine.

If you don''t stand for anything, attack the other guy.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso12 July 24, 2008 5:50 PM EDT: Since over 80% of Europe think Obama is a vast improvement over Bush and think America and Bush are more dangerous to world stability than any other country... and since the EU''s official message at the results of the 2006 elections was " finally, perhaps the nightmare we all have had to endure since 2001 is coming to an end" Well...all that we can say to the GOP which is reviled overseas as well as here as closer to the Nazi brownshirts than anything else--GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR AD. Europeans are not hillbillies though--they can spot a bit of propaganda and a liar a mile away--they''ve had plenty of practice. LMAO; Reply to this comment


by fhysical_ed July 24, 2008 3:47 PM EDT: Why don''t we ask veterans who''ve been in Iraq and Afghanistan which candidate does a better job of supporting them?

http://www.iava.org/full-ratings-list; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 July 24, 2008 3:28 PM EDT: McCain and his brother George Bush both refused to support the last GI spending bill stating that it was giving our troops too much.

The Republican Party have continued to cut GI benefits during this time of War and didn''t support our troops with a viable plan, protective equipment, and ample post action medical care at Walter Reed.

John McCain is ready for..retirement.

nuff said.; Reply to this comment


by ariel133 July 24, 2008 3:02 PM EDT: "If Obama can%u2019t rise above politics to support our soldiers in a time of war, then how can he claim to have the strength to change the way Washington works?" the spot concludes. "John McCain is ready to lead. Barack Obama is not."
ENOUGH SAID.; Reply to this comment