Spreading Misinformation in Spanish

In the first half of this political game, McCain has been attempting to use misleading and even completely false ads to gain an edge on the Obama. Now, in the second half and the home stretch, it seems both campaigns are upping their distortions.

Personally, I find it pathetic that the American audience has become so dependent on 30 second soundbites that such misnformation can be given over the airwaves. But that's for another post.

First, take a gander at the following Spanish speaking Obama ad:



For those who speak Spanish, the jest of it is linking Limbaugh with McCain, and claiming Limbaugh said that Mexicans were "stupid and unqualified" and need to "[s]hut up, or get out". Though I disagree with Limbaugh's claims that his quotes were taken out of context and that Obama is attempting to create racial antagonism, I do disagree with the Obama ad misleading viewers into thinking McCain associates with the political drek known as Limbaugh. They are not friends, and probably never will be.

I do think the Obama ad would have done a better job informing undecided voters that it was a Republican-ran coalition that filibustered an immigrant amnesty bill. The very same Republican-led coalition that now supports McCain's campaign, despite the fact that it was McCain's bipartisan legislation they opposed. The very same Republican coalition that McCain has hired to run his campaign and to operate the transition between his campaign and his potential transfer to the presidential office. Isthe new thing to do is to repackage the same-old politics as "reform" and "prosperity"? It seems so in the style of McCain.

And with that aside, we discuss the hilarious misinformation in the following McCain ad:



The legislation had poison pills? Doesn't seem so to me. The list constructed seem like reasonable plans. How does testing the waters with a new program before making it a permanent mainstay a poison pill? The truth of the matter is, though, it wasn't the "11th hour" amendments that did the imigration bill in. In the words of McCain himself, "I just think the opposition to it was very strong.”

But all of this is a moot point. The ad is misleading because it may make viewers think John McCain supports immigration reform still. He doesn't. When asked back in Janurary:

Q: At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?

McCain: No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. So to say that that would come to the floor of the Senate, it won't.

Maybe that's another thing a better Obama ad should point out? The fact that an ad criticizing Obama on immigration reform is coming from a candidate who has no interest in doing immigration reform. Nice.