Obama/Britney/Paris Ad Has 'Misleading' Info In It

Remember that Paris/Britney/Obama ad released by the McCain campaign yesterday? Well, this may come as a shock to some of you, but according to FactCheck.org, it contained some misleading information. The non-partisan fact-checking Website from University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Public Policy went right to work, and released an analysis of the ad late yesterday. Specifically, the report takes issue with the ad's claim that Sen. Barack Obama "says he'll raise taxes on electricity." The McCain campaign sent out a fact sheet to reporters that cited a quote from a Feb. 19 interview with Carlos Guerra of the San Antonio Express-News as the sole source for the claim. The problem? The quote was taken completely out of context, and Obama didn't say he wants to raise taxes on electricity. From FactCheck.org:

Obama does in fact say, "What we ought to tax is dirty energy, like coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas." But that quote is out of context. Obama and Guerra are discussing possible ways to fund education. Here's the pertinent passage, in full:

Guerra: Have you considered other funding sources, say taxing emerging energy forms, for example, say a penny per kilowatt hour on wind energy?

Obama: Well, that’s clean energy, and we want to drive down the cost of that, not raise it. We need to give them subsidies so they can start developing that. What we ought to tax is dirty energy, like coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas.

But I think that the real way to fund education is for local communities to step up and say this is important to us. There are no shortcuts. When people say they want to fund education with lotteries, or do this or do that, what they are saying is that this isn’t a top priority. It should be a top priority and people should be saying, we get what we pay for.

As we read Obama's response, he is rejecting a tax on wind energy, saying that taxing "dirty energy" is a better option, and then he is rejecting both notions by saying "the real way" is for local communities to "step up" and pay for education with "no shortcuts." Obama's phrasing does leave room for interpretation, but to our ears this is a feeble peg on which to hang a claim that Obama wants to "raise taxes on electricity."

We asked the McCain campaign if it had any other information on which to base this "taxes on electricity" claim, and we received no response. We looked, but could find no example of Obama making mention of a tax on electricity or any other reference to a "dirty energy" tax. In any case, no such policy proposals are currently part of his public platform.

It's comforting to know that the McCain campaign press office doesn't call FactCheck.org back either. I have called several times seeking more information or the source of a quote cited by the Arizona senator, only to be told someone will get back to me, which they invariably don't.

The report goes on to note that a cap-and-trade system for reducing carbon emissions, which both candidates support, would raise the cost of electricity. Finally, the analysis took a look at Sen. John McCain's choice of celebrities:

In a conference call with reporters, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said the ad features Ms. Hilton and Ms. Spears because, on the listing of "three biggest international celebrities in the world," they rank second and third. We'll leave it to you to judge how up-to-date the McCain campaign's celebrity meter is. But we will note that, in a lucky coincidence, Spears and Hilton also topped an AP poll for "worst celebrity role model." That connection appears to be deliberate. When asked whether the campaign intended to imply that Obama is as "frivolous and irresponsible" as Spears or Hilton, Rogers replied, "I think that's exactly what we've been saying."

That's a hell of a charge. Last I checked, neither of Obama's daughters have ever been removed from his custody, and he has never been arrested for driving while intoxicated. I'm curious how exactly Rogers would define "frivolous and irresponsible." However, a comment yesterday by McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds was revealing:

"Like most celebrities, he reacts to fair criticism with a mix of fussiness and hysteria."

With his word choice, Bounds paints Obama as a preening -- and arguably effeminate -- prima donna. Both of Tucker's descriptive words are coded derogatory comments long directed at women. The attack is on Obama's masculinity as much as it is on his substance. The real message here: McCain is the "real man" who will defend us from terrorism and "win" the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- not Obama, that egocentric wussy who is beloved by Europeans.

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