McCain-Palin 2008

"Education"
30-second ad run in key states announced Sept. 9, 2008.


 
 

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[Music] Male Announcer: Education Week says Obama "hasn't made a significant mark on education."

That he's "elusive" on accountability.

A "staunch defender of the existing public school monopoly."

Obama's one accomplishment?

Legislation to teach "comprehensive sex education" to kindergartners.

Learning about sex before learning to read?

Barack Obama.

Wrong on education.  Wrong for your family.

McCain: I'm John McCain and I approved this message.


 
 
Notes: According to the campaign press release, "The ad highlights Barack Obama's lack of accomplishment on education save for voting to teach 'comprehensive sex education' to kindergartners."

The Obama campaign responded thusly...

"It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited  political attack against a father of two young girls – a position that his friend Mitt Romney also holds.  Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn’t define what honor was.  Now we know why," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.


FactCheck.org's summary noted...

A McCain-Palin campaign ad claims Obama's "one accomplishment" in the area of education was "legislation to teach 'comprehensive sex education' to kindergarteners." But the claim is simply false, and it dates back to Alan Keyes' failed race against Obama for an open Senate seat in 2004.

Obama, contrary to the ad's insinuation, does not support explicit sex education for kindergarteners. And the bill, which would have allowed only "age appropriate" material and a no-questions-asked opt-out policy for parents, was not his accomplishment to claim in any case, since he was not even a cosponsor – and the bill never left the state Senate.

In addition, the ad quotes unflattering assessments of the Illinois senator's record on education but leaves out sometimes equally harsh criticism directed at McCain in the same forums.