Much like previous attack ads from the McCain camp (such as this pitiful effort), the above spot makes no mention of his planned policy towards the region or even his recent political trip to Mexico and Colombia. Furthermore, it’s doubtful that today’s ad will significantly reverse his lack of support (according to recent polls) with much of the Latino electorate or in the Americas.
In my view, the ad should’ve emphasized McCain’s plans for Latin America while targeting Obama’s lack of visiting the region. (The latter was mentioned by the McCain camp before and after Obama’s trip to Europe and the Middle East). McCain has an advantage by touting his visit to South America, one that his rival needs to counter. As one columnist noted today (in a view that I concur with):
Voters have a right to know what Obama's views are on Plan Colombia, as well as on other important issues, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico, U.S. policy toward President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and U.S. response to the resistance many Latin American governments have to neoliberal economic policies imposed from Washington…
Sen. John McCain has already gone to Mexico and Colombia, and Obama cannot risk looking indifferent to the roots of tens of millions of Latinos living in the United States.
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Huffington Post, Reuters, The Olympian, Politics on the Hudson, boston.com
2 comments:
”In my view, the ad should’ve emphasized McCain’s plans for Latin America while targeting Obama’s lack of visiting the region.”
Erwin,
Sorry, but I’ll have to disagree with you on this one. Maybe I have not been paying attention, but after Obama’s speech at the Cuban American National Foundation Luncheon in Miami (on may 23rd), what else have he say or done to convince Hispanic voters that his approach to Latin American relations will be different?
We already know that McCain went to Colombia and Mexico; we know his record on immigration (which almost cost him the nomination). So in a 30 seconds commercial, made with the express purpose of telling potential voters that Obama may no be so different from previous American politicians when it comes to Latin America, adding a few lines about McCain’s plans would have been distracting (IMHO).
The ad is very effective promoting the narrative that when it comes to Obama’s foreign policies, Latin America is not an afterthought… it basically does not exist. I for one am inclined to believe that until proven wrong.
I’m not going to defend the Latin Americas policies of either Obama or McCain since I disagree with elements of both. Yet they really need to emphasize policies rather than resort to mudslinging as McCain did in the embedded ad.
And yes it is possible to create an effective 30-second sport that can go both ways:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPPLSHKH0h4
(Unfortunately, some attack ads in previous elections (e.g. LBJ “Daisy”, Willie Horton) have proven to be successful; thus, my disdain for negative attack ads appears to be refuted by that).
As I implied in the post, “McCain has an advantage by touting his visit to South America,” as he has done in the past. Certainly one of Obama’s greatest faults regarding LatAm is that he has yet to visit the region as a candidate. Yet to be as nit-picky as the McCain camp is over Obama’s lack of mentioning LatAm states in his Berlin speech does nothing to prove that McCain is the better candidate. (The CANF speech which you mentioned would be a more substantive target).
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