Barack Obama Under Fire for Very Negative Radio Ads on McCain on Abortion

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 30, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Barack Obama Under Fire for Very Negative Radio Ads on McCain on Abortion

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 30
, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Barack Obama is coming under fire for a nasty, negative set of radio ads attacking presidential candidate John McCain. The radio ad barrage, which focuses on abortion and stem cell research, is so negative and so inaccurate that even some of Obama’s own supporters are questioning it.

LifeNews.com has extensively profiled the radio ads Obama’s campaign has aired over the last month in battleground states.

The ads begin as early as the Republican nomination in St. Paul at the beginning of August.

The first Obama ad went after McCain on abortion with claims that women’s lives and health will be at risk should Roe be overturned. The ad didn’t mention that Obama supports unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason.

In addition, a misleading stem cell research ad bashed McCain and falsely accused him of voting against it — and it went so far that even mainstream media outlets called the Obama campaign on the carpet.

According to a Politico report Tuesday, which called the ads "scathing and inflammatory," the ads turned off even the most liberal voters of the Obama bastion of Boulder, Colorado.

Bret Saunders, who hosts the morning show at the adult rock station KBCO, told the web site he had to spend time answering questions from listeners who said they were irritated with the harshly negative Obama ads.

“There was a perception with some listeners that they’re hearing a lot of Obama ads on KBCO because KBCO is in the tank for Obama,” he said. “I told them that we have a legal obligation to sell political advertising to whoever wants to buy it.”

McCain aide Michael Goldfarb told Politico that “there are a lot of really alarming things voters don’t know about Barack Obama, the least of which is that he’s running patently false radio and TV ads across the country.”

The McCain camp has responded with its own ads but admitted the Obama campaign is drastically outspending McCain’s on the radio ads.

But Obama spokesman Bill Burton defended the ads from criticism.

“That sort of attack doesn’t mean much coming from one of the most negative and dishonest campaigns anyone can remember, but the assertion is ridiculous,” he claimed.

The pro-life movement has also gotten into the thick of the battle, but early ads have involved television campaigns in Ohio and New Mexico.

One ad features a late-term abortion survivor who takes Obama to task for his votes against a bill to care for survivors of such abortions when he was in the Illinois legislature.

The new group, BornAliveTruth.org is a joint effort between Gianna Jessen, who survived a saline abortion decades ago, and pro-life blogger Jill Stanek.

"I’m a survivor, as are many others…but if Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn’t be here," Jessen says in the ad.

"Four times, Barack Obama voted to oppose a law to protect babies left to die after a failed abortion. Senator Obama, please support born alive infant protections. I’m living proof these babies have a right to live," Jessen adds.

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