From The Road
June 17, 2008 1:03 PM

Young Child Used in Anti-McCain Ad

From CBS News' Michelle Levi:

Washington, DC -- In a joint effort, labor union AFSCME and political action committee MoveOn.org have launched a new ad campaign accusing McCain of "counting on" a new generation of Americans to serve in Iraq by suggesting the possibility of an young child's future deployment.

The 30 second spot features a young mother holding her toddler son, Alex . She explains his talent for trying new food, chasing their dog and pulling on her heart strings. In a dramatic turn, the mother asks, " So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? " She looks at her child and says "Because if you were, you can’t have him."

"What the ad will do is sort of emotionally get to the voter about what is at stake if McCain wins," MoveOn.org Communications Director Ilyse Hogue tells CBS News. "It speaks to people's fears and worries" that America may be sending another generation to Iraq, Hogue added.

Pollster Anna Greenburg who has woked with MoveOn.org on guaging the effectiveness of their adverstisements says the simplicty of this ad drives its message. On a conference call with reporters, Greenburg said this spot tested higher in audience influence than any other ad tested for the PAC -- an outcome she attributes to the " straightforward and clear" message and "trustworthy" messenger.

AFSCME representative Paul Booth told reporters that the collaboration between the groups "indicates that progressive forces are coming together with the same objective...want[ing] someone in the White House who will put real problems" at the forefront. While the groups have no current plans to work toegther in the future, Booth says, if their objectives overlap in the next 20 weeks leading up to the general election they will certainly consider another joint venture.

The ad buy totaled $540,000 and was split "roughly evenly" between AFSME and MoveOn.org. The ad will start airing Wednesday on CNN, MSNBC, Washington, DC broadcasts as well as in select television markets in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

To view the ad, click here
Tags:
MoveOn.org ,
child ,
Iraq ,
McCain ,
AFSCME
Topics:
John McCain
Add a Comment See all 22 Comments
by jack3213 June 17, 2008 1:25 PM PDT
What the ad will do is sort of emotionally get to the voter about what is at stake if McCain wins," MoveOn.org Communications Director Ilyse Hogue tells CBS News. "It speaks to people''s fears and worries" that America may be sending another generation to Iraq, Hogue added.

IF YOU PULL OUT OF IRAQ TOO SOON THEN YOU BETTER HAVE FEAR- AND BETTER HAVE WORRY- WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO ACCOUNTABLITY FOR ACTIONS? OBAMA HAS BEEN PART OF THE GOVERNMENT AS WELL, BY THE WAY- WHERE IS HIS ACCOUNTABILITY - OH, THAT''S RIGHT- HE BARELY VOTED ON ANYTHING!
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by walker1209 June 17, 2008 1:54 PM PDT
Wake up and smell the coffee America! As long as there is one liter of oil in the Middle East, the United States WILL have a presence there in one capacity or another.

Ads and actions like these are one of the reasons I no longer support the Democrats as a whole; while I know the Republicans can be smarmy and sleazy - I always thought that the Democrats rose above this kind of stuff; and these are some of the same folks who had the AUDACITY to accuse Senator Clinton and her campaign of low-ball politics. Get real folks, the only CHANGE here is the face, and the only HOPE I have is that Senator McCain is elected president and brings some sort of normalcy back to the country. I know that there are many issues facing the country, but I feel that Senator McCain is the best remaining candidate to help America solve her problems.
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by rowdywicca June 17, 2008 2:11 PM PDT
Looks like the Democrats aren''t above politics as usual after all!

What kind of scum would put a baby in an ad to SCARE the public into a vote!

Looks like Obama''s kind of CHANGE is pure scum!
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by seriously771 June 17, 2008 2:13 PM PDT
i say we let the iraqi''s kill themselves instead of americans. the less arabs there are, the better. let europe deal with the middle east. those are their neighbors not ours. we have too many of our own problems to deal with. this isn''t the united states of earth, its the us of a. let the rest of the world deal with their own problems.
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by realitysux2 June 17, 2008 2:19 PM PDT
Who cares about the *** ad....Most Americans are so tired of Bush and his cronies that they would vote for anyone that isn''t one of them. Young children have been used in many political ads before, noone had a fit, why bother now. You are right there will always be an American presence in the middle east as long as there is oil there. Keep in mind that the only reason that is the case is that the American people allow it to happen, for what ever reason. American people and olititians alike have somehow forgotten that polititians work for us, not the other way around. American people have already stated many times that most of us do not want to remain in the middle east, at least not in a war. So the question is why have more Americans not done more to get our troops home where they belong? America will forever have enemies, our presense in the middle east at this point will not change that, our polititians have already sealed our fate with that.
God bless our troops and to hell with the people keeping them where they don''t belong.
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by votehillary June 17, 2008 2:20 PM PDT
Americans have a duty to protect the country and "freedom" - so "Alex" needs to step up to assume his duties, too. The Iragi''s don''t mind taking over the USA if we let them, or if Obama simply gives it away to terrorists and communists. Moveon.org is really absurd.
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by mymee June 17, 2008 2:21 PM PDT
Although I find the ad a bit in distaste I must say that all you Obama haters are jumping the gun here. According to the article the ad was created "In a joint effort, labor union AFSCME and political action committee MoveOn.org" No where in there does it state that Obama had anything to do with this ad, nor does it say he endorses it. So before you go blaming Obama for this maybe you should get your facts straight.
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by gastrawn June 17, 2008 2:24 PM PDT
To me this is just a representation of the kind of people who aren''t willing to sacrifice for our country. That''s what it says to me about the people who created it, paid for it, support it, etc.
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by javalation June 17, 2008 2:29 PM PDT
Young children will be affected by the Republican/Bush/McCain borrow and spend war and economy, unless drastic actions are taken to change course. Not only would they be required to go fight the Republican wars, but they''ll be required to pay the bills that are piling up.

The part of the campaign that Obama runs may want to rise above the mud, but someone needs to sling as much as the Republicans or the cons might win, and that would be a tragedy for our country.
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by gkc99 June 17, 2008 2:30 PM PDT
"What kind of scum would put a baby in an ad to SCARE the public into a vote!
Looks like Obama''''s kind of CHANGE is pure scum! "--Posted by RowdyWicca



Uhhh--Lyndon B. Johnson? And he was from YOUR state, Bushitter!
Reply to this comment
by gkc99 June 17, 2008 2:32 PM PDT
"So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? " She looks at her child and says "Because if you were, you can%u2019t have him."


So many Americans'' families came here to avoid having their children be cannon fodder for Frederick the Great, Bismarck, etc. etc.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Fascist Party, previously theRepublican party, has brought the Fredericks and the Bismarcks here to rule us.

It''s time to take America back from the Fascists.
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by realitysux2 June 17, 2008 3:05 PM PDT
The idea that if people are against the war they are against America is just ludacris. Does anyone really think that as long as there is American military in the middle east there will be freedom there? If by freedom you mean free to do what we say or we will bomb you then yes. Freedom means free to do what "they" want to do. That may very well mean that it isn''t anything that American polititians see fit. What will our polititians do then? Find some other unfounded reason to bomb them again. We have said that they should have the same rights that we do, at the same time saying that people that we have detained do not have those rights, allowing tactics that would never be allowed on an American in a US jail. So do our polititians believe they should have the same rights we do or not? Again we must remember our polititians work for us and are suppose to be our unified voice. Is this really how non polititians feel? All evidence points to the contrary.
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by grammawhamma June 17, 2008 3:33 PM PDT
Is Obama aware of the fact that every single one of our troops enlisted?
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by gmcc78 June 17, 2008 3:42 PM PDT
Maybe when Alex grows up he will love his country and want to serve it. Perhaps he will realize there is a wonderful feeling serving a cause greater than his self interests.

This add insults every service man and woman.
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by bnap3 June 17, 2008 4:23 PM PDT
MoveOn%u2019s ad is emotional yes. Strikes a cord in a healthy thoughtful way. Not your typical emotionless cold logic republican ad. John McCain however often displays strong emotion, comes out as extreme frustrated pent-up rage vented upon who ever happens to be present. Imagine him answering the phone at 3am after lack of performance in the arms of ?
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by bnap3 June 17, 2008 4:24 PM PDT
MoveOn%u2019s ad is emotional yes. Strikes a cord in a healthy thoughtful way. Not your typical emotionless cold logic republican ad. John McCain however often displays strong emotion, comes out as extreme frustrated pent-up rage vented upon who ever happens to be present. Imagine him answering the phone at 3am after lack of performance in the arms of ?
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by realitysux2 June 17, 2008 5:03 PM PDT
This add does not insult our service men and women at all...it insults the people running the war.....very different! Maybe Alex does want to serve "this" country. That means supporting the majority opinion in this country, which means not supporting the war in the middle east. I value everyone''s opinion, but in this country the majority rules...or at least it''s suppose to. Most of the people do not at all support this war and haven''t for a very long time. So are they really serviong this country, I think not....they are serving the polititians and military leaders. Obviously at this point that has very little in common with the majority opinion in the U.S.
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by grammawhamma June 17, 2008 5:11 PM PDT
Isn''t it odd that the military families I know who served or had family members who served in Iraq and Afganistan are voting for McCain. It''s those keyboard warriors who oppose the war the loudest.
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by realitysux2 June 17, 2008 5:17 PM PDT
I have served and have many family members who have served in many wars. Noone I know is supporting any of the Bush cronies for anything, including McCain!
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by anappleadae June 17, 2008 5:48 PM PDT
There remains plenty of time for Obama''s 457 crowd to whack away at McCain. The Republican 457s are keeping their powder dry till they see the whites of their eyes, and then they will reveal Obama in a way no other political organization can. Should prove to be very entertaining.
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by anappleadae June 17, 2008 5:50 PM PDT
gkc99

"It''s time to take America back from the Fascists."

Spoken like a nateral Communist.
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by mattcat25 June 18, 2008 10:28 AM PDT
American Boys and Girls are being shipped home in pine boxes (that Bush will not allow to be photographed) every day. Not to mention the many that have lost limbs, or suffered brain damage. The Republican War Mongers don%u2019t care about our troops they want perpetual war along with perpetual business related to war.

Iraq is costing the American People $12 Billion Dollars per month, but for each and every life lost the cost in insurmountable.

A vote for McCain (war monger) is a vote for never ending war.
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