The McCain campaign thinks Bill Ayers is a legitimate topic of discussion. The Obama campaign thinks this is much to do about nothing. So is Bill Ayers fair game? As Sarah Palin would say, “You betcha.”
Voters don’t just base their vote on the issues of the day. They also judge character and the fact that Barack Obama associated with Bill Ayers can be a factor in how some may view Obama. Associations with people DO matter. If The Brody File hung out with David Duke of KKK fame, would you view me differently? Enough said.
The real question is this: just how chummy are Obama and Ayers? The McCain campaign wants to portray them as Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street or Starsky and Hutch. We don’t really know how deep their friendship is but it is fair to ask Obama the following question: “Why would you associate with a man known for domestic terrorism?”
It seems that a fuller explanation is needed. Having said that, Obama is sitting on a lead in the polls with just a couple weeks to go. The Ayers story doesn’t seem to be hurting Obama all that much. That may change if McCain confronts Obama about it at the debate but at this point why should Obama give it more attention? That could only make things worse for his campaign.
The Obama campaign is out with a radio ad to combat the Ayers attacks. Listen here.
They also released a video from campaign manager David Plouffe talking about McCain’s negative ads. Watch it here.
The McCain campaign released a statement in reaction to the video. Read it here.