Republicans Look for Edge On Environmental Issues

GOP ATTACK ADS

Republicans Look for Edge On Environmental Issues

The Republican National Committee began running ads over the weekend that question Sen. Barack Obama's commitment to energy reform, the first major ad buy by either party in the presidential race.

"Record gas prices, a climate in crisis," says the ad's narrator. "John McCain says solve it now." The spot then details McCain's "balanced" plan on energy and notes that the senator from Arizona is "pushing his own party to face climate change."

Obama, it accuses, says nothing but no when it comes to addressing the energy problems the country is facing. "He just says no to lower gas taxes . . . no to nuclear . . . no to more production," says the narrator before concluding: "No new solutions. Barack Obama: Just the party line."

The ads are running in four key battleground states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio. They were produced by a newly formed independent-expenditure arm of the RNC run by Brad Todd, a GOP media consultant.

The advertising effort is an attempt to exploit a rare -- and significant -- financial edge for Republicans. At the end of May, the RNC had $53.5 million in the bank while the Democratic National Committee had just $3.9 million.

With Obama opting out of public financing for the general election and his team taking over the DNC, that financial gap won't exist for long, so Republicans are exploiting it as quickly as they can.

The initial Obama response? A stunned skepticism. "What we need to solve our energy crisis is an honest debate about the choices before us, not more attack ads that mislead voters about the facts," said Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan.

-- Chris Cillizza

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