I never heard of any Republican candidate doing this:
"The Barack Obama campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign."
Really, this should make everyone angry, Democrat or Republican. I find this frightening.
UPDATE: Governor of MO issues statement condemning this. But why aren't these people fired right now? They are supposed to be upholding the law, not acting as Democrat KGB. Would that be a free speech issue? I don't think so.
And somebody, anybody, send me something showing Republican candidates doing this kind of thing.
Via Gateway Pundit.
UPDATE: Here is a story from the NYT about Obama's misleading ads.
7 comments:
WOW. That's scary.
Obama is desparate...and looking like a fascist. I never thought I'd use such a strong word for a U.S. political candidate.
Yes, that is unbelievable. That in part is why Im thinking we may lose some of our inalienable rights (such as free speech) if Obama gets elected. Its all about shutting up the right wing!
Well ... I wouldn't say it's KGB as much as it is responsible. That said, it's an advertisement. And advertisements are use to persuade people to do something. There are massive legal teams for brands (like Coke or Starbucks) that make sure all messaging and copy that is public-facing be accurate. "Free speech" is different than "free persuasion."
What would your thoughts be if Proctor & Gamble advertised a pill that gave you three wishes? Or if Nike advertised a shoe that promised an Olympic gold medal. That said, here's an interesting article about some ads that said McCain won the debate before it even happened:
http://tinyurl.com/4ajkz2
Glad you're here, Edward.
P&G pill that grants wishes? Outright lie. (Though, I dunno, don't some weight-loss product ads come close to this?)
McCain wins debate? Matter of opinion. Sort of like "choosy mothers choose Jif." :-) I guess I'd agree it's misleading because I don't think McCain won the debate. Guess McCain thought he did! And it shows clearly that it was paid for by the McCain campaign.
I doubt either campaign is pure in their truthfulness. For example, the McCain ad that came out after the debate, showing all the times Obama said "Sen. McCain is right." Anyone who is paying attention should be able to figure out what's going on there. But, it's not a lie.
I don't object to truth in advertising. I object to public employees working in an official capacity for one side. If they are so cranked up about misleading advertising, they should be looking at it from the Democrats as well as the Republicans. I guess we could say that they have no obligation to "help out" McCain because he didn't ask them to.
I've added a link in the original post to a NYT piece about Obama's misleading ads.
Anon, that's neither funny nor appropriate.
Post a Comment