GOP ad has Dem leaders in Midwest boiling mad

A new advertisement released by an arm of the Republican National Committee has Democratic leaders crying foul

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is not happy with a new GOP ad running on television stations in the state. Granholm joined Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, and Pennsylvania Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz Monday afternoon on a conference call with reporters that was sponsored by the Obama campaign, and they slammed both the ad and Republican presumptive nominee John McCain.

The ad, which claims McCain has a comprehensive plan to address the energy crisis facing the United States, began running in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin over the weekend, in what has been described as a $3 million ad buy from a new branch of the Republican National Committee, while the Democratic National Committee is struggling to raise funds. (This is in contrast to Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, a separate operation, which holds a substantial lead in fundraising over McCain’s campaign.)

Continued -During the call, Granholm said the three Democratic surrogates were responding to the ad to prevent Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, from being “swiftboated.”

The ad says,

“John McCain says solve it now. With a balanced plan – alternative energy, conservation, suspending the gas tax, AND more production here at home. He’s pushing his own party to face climate change.

“But Barack Obama? For conservation, but he just says no to lower gas taxes. No to nuclear. No to more production. No new solutions. Barack Obama: Just the party line.”

“When you look at the substance associated with these two campaigns,” said Granholm, “Sen. McCain has five principles he will be looking at, but Sen. Obama has 12 pages … of detailed plans….[Obama's plan would] save a half a trillion gallons of gas and produce three times the oil savings. McCain’s will only grow our addiction to oil more.”

Granholm also ripped into McCain’s plan for a one-time $300 million investment in batteries for electric cars.

“The $300 million promise is a gimmick,” she said. “We need an ongoing investment. A $150 billion investment from Obama is there in his plans. He wants to create a new industry.”

“You get real synergy when you rely on things the way Sen. Obama wants to,” said Brown. “We see advances across the spectrum.”

Asked if any of the Democrats would support slant drilling in the Great Lakes, all three were clear in their opposition, with Brown taking a clear lead.

“I think it is a bad idea,” Brown said. “When you talk about offshore drilling, it’s years away from having any impact on prices. If it does have an impact it would be a few pennies. We would take the environmental risk in our Great Lakes, yet the price break is shared internationally. Ultimately, it’s not going to solve our energy problems in this country.”

The Pennsylvania congresswoman, Schwartz, joined with the Ohio senator in taking aim at off-shore drilling.

“Erie, Pennsylvania, would be very upset to see the Great Lakes used for drilling,” said Schwartz. “We do take seriously the potential environmental impact and recognize it is a short-term, almost gimmick. To suggest if we start drilling now you will see a change in price at the pump tomorrow– it’s misleading and untrue.”

The surrogates also said McCain should demand the ad be pulled, even though it was funded though the RNC. Asked about that, they all said McCain promised to run a clean, positive campaign, and that this attack ad was certainly neither. Asked if Obama should be held accountable for second-party ads run to support his candidacy, it was pointed out Obama has already called for 527 groups to show their support of him by donating their money directly to him, not to the groups. He has also told them not to run ads.

And while the ad claims Obama is opposed to nuclear power, his campaign and surrogates said he wants to find a comprehensive solution to the radioactive waste that nuclear energy produces, before pursuing more investments and development of nuclear plants.