Ad Roundup: McCain and Obama Zero In on Taxes

Barack Obama's and John McCain's campaigns released several ads this week focusing on taxes. McCain's ads claim Obama's tax plan will hurt families, while Obama says McCain won't help middle-class Americans. And a pro-Obama PAC released an ad geared toward Hispanic voters.

John McCain: "Maybe"
The McCain campaign released this television ad in response to Obama's attacks on McCain in Ohio, which the Republicans call "false" and "misleading." Obama's ad says that McCain is to blame for the loss of 8,000 jobs in Ohio, but McCain's campaign points to FactCheck.org, which said the figure cited in the ad was a "distortion of the record." In "Maybe," the ad argues that "Obama's taxes will hurt Ohio families" and spell "economic disaster" for everyone. In response to the ad, Obama Ohio Communications Director Isaac Baker released this statement: "John McCain would rather distort Sen. Obama's record than own up to his role in the deal that has put 8,200 Ohio jobs in jeopardy."

Democratic National Committee: "Five Million" (Web-Only)
This ad, released by the Democratic National Committee, draws on McCain's comment during the Saddleback Presidential Forum that he defines "rich" as people whose income is $5 million per year. In an attempt to show that McCain is out of touch with middle- and working-class Americans, the DNC uses his Saddleback statement and says his tax plan "would hand hundreds of thousands of dollars in new tax giveaways to millionaires." The ad also focuses on reports that McCain is still considering former Sen. Phil Gramm as a potential treasury secretary. The McCain campaign caught flak for Gramm's comment last month that Americans are "a nation of whiners" when it comes to the economy.

John McCain: "Taxman"
"Taxman" drives home the same point as "Maybe," asserting that Barack Obama's plan will lead to "economic disaster." It also touches on the celebrity theme again, opening with this statement: "Celebrity? Yes. Ready to lead? No."When Obama, "the taxman," cometh, the ad says, it will mean higher taxes and higher gas prices that "could break your family budget." In response, Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said in a statement, "This ad is just more of the same old false and discredited attacks that Senator McCain knows aren't true. Senator McCain will say or do anything to hide the truth: While Obama will cut taxes for the middle class, McCain will give a billion dollars in new tax breaks to America's eight largest corporations, while his plan provides no direct relief for more than 100 million American families."