GOP Ad Likens Obama's Presidency to Train Wreck; Calls for Change in Direction
The Republican National Committee's latest attack ad uses speeding vehicles to describe the Barack Obama presidency as a wreck.
As the ad opens, the viewer sees wheels slowly begin to turn. Then suddenly everything kicks into high gear. Cars, trains, rollercoasters and motorcycles are all moving full throttle and veering in a frenzied matter. The vehicles make left turn after left turn, speeding past stop signs, red lights, and noisy train crossing signals until it happens. The trains careen uncontrollably off the tracks; vans crash and explode on the roadways; and a car slams off a dock and nose-dives into the water below.
What a wreck, right? That's exactly what Republicans thinks of this administration.
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The words spoken in the background are also compelling.
"He promised to change direction; $800 billion in stimulus, trillions for government health care, 2 million jobs gone. Left turn after left turn, America is heading the wrong way fast: Six million foreclosures, $14 trillion in debt, $500 billion in higher taxes and the worst long term unemployment in generations. Don't let Obama drive us into disaster. Change direction."
The strong message in this ad is just one step in the aggressive war the GOP plans to wage on Obama's record.
Republican presidential candidates gave the American public a taste of this strategy during the first televised debate of the election season last month. During the CNN debate, candidates avoided attacking each other and focused their talking points exclusively on the Obama administration's policies.
The new commercial, set to air nationally on cable television this month, makes it clear that candidates will only intensify that focus as the campaign wears on.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said the organization "intends to challenge Barack Obama in every state on his failed economic leadership right up until Election Day."
The economy is obviously a weakness for the president. The unemployment rate is currently at 9.2 percent, the highest rate since December 2010.
Since World War II, no U.S. president, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, has won re-election with a jobless rate above six percent.
Despite this and Obama's 46 percent approval rating, Democratic National Committee Communications Director Brad Woodhouse said Republicans are trying to "mislead voters about the state of the economy."
He says Obama is trying to fix a financial mess that was left behind by George W. Bush.
"While the President continues to fight to clean up an economic mess that was years in the making, Republicans would rather run negative ads than offer positive ideas," Woodhouse said in a statement.
Republican leaders House Speaker Rep. John Boehner, House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell met this week with the president and Democratic leaders to negotiate a deal to on the national budget and the Debt ceiling.
Republicans have met with the president many times to decide a national budget proposal. House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan also proposed a plan cutting trillions of dollars in federal spending. He met with Democrats Thursday to discuss the plan.
