# Discussion of a pro-Obama ad: its tone, content, and implications **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 8, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871 "2012-08-08T15:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/1 "2012-08-08T15:50:32Z")
[A blog discussion](http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/priorities-usa-mitt-romney-killed-a-lady/) of a liberal super PAC ad that draws a connection between a blue collar worker’s wife’s death by cancer and Bain business dealings. Most of the commenters on this particular blog tend to be liberal, but many think that this ad goes a little beyond the pale, even for them. One commenter in particular (who’s conservative, so the rating on this particular post surprises me; it’s usually far negative because of the general tone of the commenters mentioned above) opines: [quote=Tsar Nicholas] Now, that all said, let’s address the elephant in the room: This nearly is an unfathomable indication of panic and desperation on the part of Team Obama. That would be the case if they were running this ad during the last week in October. The fact it’s being run in August, the dead of summer, speaks volumes about what’s actually going on with this contest. You don’t need a ouija board to know what the internal (not for public consumption) polling is saying about this election. This sort of ad is the ultimate tea leaf. This, I felt, was an interesting assertion, so I quote it here. What do you think of both this ad and _this style_ of ad in general? Is it fair game? Does it show “unfathomable” panic? (And for that matter, is there often a huge gap between public and internal polling, especially for the worse for the party taking it?) ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/2 "2012-08-08T16:01:17Z")
It does seem desperate for Obama’s campaign to sink so low. Romney was almost finished being governor of MA when this woman died. It’s so removed from reality that it really takes away any high ground Obama had over Romney’s unfair ads. ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/3 "2012-08-08T16:02:59Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > It does seem desperate for Obama’s campaign to sink so low. Romney was almost finished being governor of MA when this woman died. It’s so removed from reality that it really takes away any high ground Obama had over Romney’s unfair ads. PRIORITIES USA ACTION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT. PAID FOR BY PRIORITIES USA ACTION AND **NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE.** You were saying? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/4 "2012-08-08T16:13:20Z")
> [@babygoat666](#): > > PRIORITIES USA ACTION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT. PAID FOR BY PRIORITIES USA ACTION AND **NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE.** > > You were saying? Yeah, this isn’t the Obama campaign, so I don’t see how it shows anything about them being desperate or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/5 "2012-08-08T16:15:38Z")
I think that, fairly or not, most viewers don’t make such fine distinctions about who the ad is from. Plus, isn’t the guy heading up that PAC someone who left the Obama admin to run it? It’s his main one, right? I’ll go do some googling… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/6 "2012-08-08T16:17:35Z")
It seems a bit naive to think that Super PAC’s actually do operate completely independently of the official campaigns. That said, early definition of an opponent, preventing him from establishing his own preferred narrative, is simply good campaign strategy. Going negative _too late_ is desperate, but this is right on time, when people are starting to wonder who Romney really is. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/7 "2012-08-08T16:17:37Z")
Given all the crap from both sides, I don’t have a problem with the ad (unless the guy’s wife is still alive? That would be a new level of cheap shot.). I also don’t see it as a sign of desperation (unless you think Mitt’s camp is completely desperate to pull all those statements out of context?) My favorite ad so far claims that Mitt Romney is a serial killer ( [The Colbert Report - TV Series | Comedy Central US](http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/405930/january-15-2012/colbert-super-pac-ad---attack-in-b-minor-for-strings) ). I’d like to see this one run all over the place, 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/8 "2012-08-08T16:17:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Priorities USA Action is an independent expenditure PAC that supports the re-election of Barack Obama.[1] Despite Obama’s opposition to such “Super PACs”, Priorities USA Action was founded by former Obama campaign officials Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney in order to collect and spend money from wealthy donors, including corporations and unions.[2] As per FEC rules established in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the group is legally prohibited from coordinating with the candidate or his campaign. [[Priorities USA Action - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priorities_USA_Action)](from Wikipedia) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/9 "2012-08-08T16:17:58Z")
I’m sure from the laid-off worker’s point of view, it’s an honest portrayal of the facts. He had a job with benefits, Bain came in and torched his steel plant. After that, some bad breaks find them without insurance and his wife dies. If I was him, I’d blame Bain for the whole sequence of events, too. This is not Obama talking, this is someone who’s been on the receiving end of Romney’s axe. It’s effective, which is why the GOP is in a tizzy. The Obama campaign has clean hands on this one. By the grace of Citizens United, he gets the presumption of innocence. Frankly, I’m thrilled that some Democratic-leaning super PACs have taken the gloves off. ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/10 "2012-08-08T16:24:45Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > [[Priorities USA Action - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priorities_USA_Action)](from Wikipedia) “the group is legally prohibited from coordinating with the candidate or his campaign.” Thank you for proving my point. This ad doesn’t reflect on Obama’s campaign at all. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/11 "2012-08-08T16:26:00Z")
[quote=“Leaper, post:1, topic:630871”] [A blog discussion](http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/priorities-usa-mitt-romney-killed-a-lady/) of a liberal super PAC ad that draws a connection between a blue collar worker’s wife’s death by cancer and Bain business dealings. Most of the commenters on this particular blog tend to be liberal, but many think that this ad goes a little beyond the pale, even for them. One commenter in particular (who’s conservative, so the rating on this particular post surprises me; it’s usually far negative because of the general tone of the commenters mentioned above) opines: > [@Tsar Nicholas](#): > > Now, that all said, let’s address the elephant in the room: This nearly is an unfathomable indication of panic and desperation on the part of Team Obama. That would be the case if they were running this ad during the last week in October. The fact it’s being run in August, the dead of summer, speaks volumes about what’s actually going on with this contest. You don’t need a ouija board to know what the internal (not for public consumption) polling is saying about this election. This sort of ad is the ultimate tea leaf. > > This, I felt, was an interesting assertion, so I quote it here. > > What do you think of both this ad and _this style_ of ad in general? Is it fair game? Does it show “unfathomable” panic? (And for that matter, is there often a huge gap between public and internal polling, especially for the worse for the party taking it?) First of all, to state the obvious, this ad wasn’t produced by Team Obama, so it can’t be a sign of desperation by Team Obama. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/12 "2012-08-08T16:27:57Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I think that, fairly or not, most viewers don’t make such fine distinctions about who the ad is from. Maybe, but this the comment about “desperation” isn’t about the viewers, it’s about the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/13 "2012-08-08T16:28:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’m sure from the laid-off worker’s point of view, it’s an honest portrayal of the facts. He had a job with benefits, Bain came in and torched his steel plant. After that, some bad breaks find them without insurance and his wife dies. If I was him, I’d blame Bain for the whole sequence of events, too. This is not Obama talking, this is someone who’s been on the receiving end of Romney’s axe. Really? Romney used to run Bain, which owned this steel plant where this man was laid off. Then, six years later, when Romney has another job the man’s wife gets sick, doesn’t tell anyone about it until it’s too late and then dies. Romney has something to do with this in the same way a butterfly in North America causes an Asian Tsunami. Why didn’t the guy get another job? Why didn’t his wife get one? Why didn’t she let someone know she was sick? > [@](#): > > It’s effective, which is why the GOP is in a tizzy. People are in a “tizzy” because it’s so outrageous and silly. The republicans I’ve seen talking about it are simply shocked at how over the top it is. If anything, I’m one Romney supporter who hopes they play this ad often. It makes them look desperate and foolish. It might get some applause from the base, but no moderates are going to be won over by it. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/14 "2012-08-08T16:31:30Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Really? > > Romney used to run Bain, which owned this steel plant where this man was laid off. Then, six years later, when Romney has another job the man’s wife gets sick, doesn’t tell anyone about it until it’s too late and then dies. > > Romney has something to do with this in the same way a butterfly in North America causes an Asian Tsunami. > > Why didn’t the guy get another job? Why didn’t his wife get one? Why didn’t she let someone know she was sick? > > People are in a “tizzy” because it’s so outrageous and silly. The republicans I’ve seen talking about it are simply shocked at how over the top it is. If anything, I’m one Romney supporter who hopes they play this ad often. It makes them look desperate and foolish. It might get some applause from the base, but no moderates are going to be won over by it. It’s a stretch, yes, but if you’ve ever been laid off and/or had a sick family member without insurance after losing your job, it doesn’t seem outrageous or silly. People will think about their own experiences, or fears, when seeing this example. They will think about how Obama passed health care legislation, and Romney wants to repeal it. They will think about how Obama bailed out GM, while Romney said it should go bankrupt. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/15 "2012-08-08T16:32:13Z")
> [@babygoat666](#): > > “the group is legally prohibited from coordinating with the candidate or his campaign.” > > Thank you for proving my point. This ad doesn’t reflect on Obama’s campaign at all. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/16 "2012-08-08T16:33:34Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Really? > > Romney used to run Bain, which owned this steel plant where this man was laid off. Then, six years later, when Romney has another job the man’s wife gets sick, doesn’t tell anyone about it until it’s too late and then dies. > > Romney has something to do with this in the same way a butterfly in North America causes an Asian Tsunami. > > **Why didn’t the guy get another job?** Why didn’t his wife get one? Why didn’t she let someone know she was sick? > > People are in a “tizzy” because it’s so outrageous and silly. The republicans I’ve seen talking about it are simply shocked at how over the top it is. If anything, I’m one Romney supporter who hopes they play this ad often. It makes them look desperate and foolish. It might get some applause from the base, but no moderates are going to be won over by it. So you haven’t even seen the ad? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/17 "2012-08-08T16:33:55Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Why didn’t the guy get another job? Why didn’t his wife get one? You might be astounded to learn that jobs weren’t plentiful at the time. His wife had a job but lost it due to an injury. Again, this is not Obama’s ad. Your party gave us Citizens United, this is what you get. Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/18 "2012-08-08T16:39:26Z")
> [@babygoat666](#): > > So you haven’t even seen the ad? He had five years to get a real job that had insurance for his family. Watching a CNN story on it, it’s not even accurate that the wife didn’t have insurance. It turns out this part is a fabrication. She only had insurance from her job, which she lost because of an injury. She wasn’t even ever on his insurance which was lost five years before she died. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PMkmxJ3P9Tw/hqdefault.jpg "CNN: Obama Super PAC Ad "Not Accurate"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMkmxJ3P9Tw) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/19 "2012-08-08T16:39:29Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Bain came in and torched his steel plant. That’s not correct, either. The linked article does a good job of explaining what actually happened: > [@](#): > > The truth about the GST Steel matter, of course, is that the company was close to death by the time Bain stepped in and was given a few more years of life at the best. If Bain had not come in when they did, the this guy would’ve lost his job years earlier than he did. However, thanks largely to foreign competition, though, they weren’t able to turn the company around sufficiently. That’s no surprise. Dozens of American steel companies didn’t survive the onslaught of foreign competition. Like it or not, that’s how capitalism works and it isn’t Bain’s fault, and especially not Mitt Romney’s , that an already weak company ended up dying. I don’t know why you keep perpetuating the myth that Bain purposely destroyed viable businesses. ---
**Author:** ![babygoat666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@babygoat666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/babygoat666)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871/20 "2012-08-08T16:40:30Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > :rolleyes: Are you saying that the Obama campaign is illegally coordinating with the Super PAC, or that they appear desperate because some viewers might not notice that the Obama campaign wasn’t even involved in this ad? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-a-pro-obama-ad-its-tone-content-and-implications/630871.md?page=2)