New TV Ad Highlights How Out of Touch John McCain is With Wisconsinites On the Economy

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

New TV Ad Highlights How Out of Touch John McCain is With Wisconsinites On the Economy

Washington, DC- A new television ad set to begin airing nationally this week highlights how out of touch John McCain is with the financial challenges confronting average Wisconsinites. The ad, the first general election advertisement of the 2008 presidential election, shows the Republican nominee claiming we are "better off" after eight years of disastrous Bush Administration economic policies. The ad closes with the question all Americans must ask themselves as they choose our next president: "Do you feel better off?" The Democratic National Committee announced that the ad, entitled "Better Off?” will begin airing on cable networks nationally on Tuesday, April 22nd, including in Wisconsin.

Despite yet another poll released this week indicating that a majority of Americans think their economic situation has not improved in the last five years, Senator McCain used a major speech last week to claim that, "you could make an argument that there's been great progress economically". [Bloomberg Money & Politics, April 17, 2008, Pew Research Center survey, released 4/9/08] McCain's comments came despite the fact that 32,887 families were unable to pay their mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2007 in Wisconsin and that the unemployment rate in the state has gone up to 4.8% . [U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, 3/6/08; Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm]

In addition to airing on cable, the ad will be used at organizing events across Wisconsin as the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the DNC move their field efforts forward with a new Neighborhood Volunteer organizing tool.

"John McCain can't pretend to understand the tough times the American people are going through and at the same time claim we're better off than we were eight years ago," said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Joe Wineke. “Wisconsinites already know what four more years of the Bush Administration's disastrous policies would mean. McCain's plan to keep boosting deficits and corporate tax giveaways while ignoring the housing crisis and doing nothing for the middle class makes it clear that the Republican nominee is the wrong choice for Wisconsin’s future."

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