Much more effective than his recent offerings. And for a discrete reason: Rather than simply accusing John McCain of an ogreish opposition to equal pay, it takes a moment to sketch a plausible outline of his position. John McCain, like many Republicans you've heard of, is refusing to pursue social justice because he fears the burden on business. John McCain, like many Republicans you've heard of, waves away the injustice of it all by suggesting that it's really the fault of women who are insufficiently skilled. By presenting the outlines of the argument, Obama's attack ends up far more effective: It gives you -- at least superficially -- the tools to disagree with John McCain, rather than demanding that you simply agree with Barack Obama. But this ad raises another question: Why isn't the Obama campaign experimenting more with their advertising? Yesterday, Wall Street imploded. Why didn't they cut an ad featuring wrinkly, reassuring Warren Buffett, speaking soberly into a camera abut the "worst mess I've seen in my long years watching the markets," and arguing that Republicans, and John McCain, may be sincerely concerned, but they'd been ignoring calls for oversight for years, and a change in governance philosophy was desperately needed? Why bet everything on these black backgrounds with newspaper clips and dire voiceovers?
