CINCINNATI (TDB) -- To help Rob Portman, Karl Rove is borrowing liberally from Barack Obama. That's a nice way of saying he seems to be have sticky fingers. A Rove-inspired spot that's popped up on Ohio television this week is almost identical to an ad that the Obama campaign used against Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. The copycat version pushes Republcian Rob Portman for a U.S. Senate seat and is funded by American Crossroads, a group put together by Rove that has collected millions in cash from wealthy conservatives. Some $400,000 was donated by American Financial, the company controlled by Carl Lindner's family in Cincinnati. Ohio Daily posted both versions of the ad today and notes that the Rovian copy shows that Republicans lack creativity. They have resorted to larceny to sell their candidates: "The Republicans aren't just the party of no. They're the party of no new ideas."
The Columbus Dispatch's Jonathan Riskind also has noticed. He says Rove's ad backing Portman "is a high form of flattery". Read on for Riskind's take:
"Analysis: If the astute Ohio political junkie has a sense of deja vu when watching this ad, there's a good reason. It's a near copy of an ad, imagery wise, that Democrat Barack Obama ran against Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. The same use of car rear and side view mirrors, of road and highway signs, you name it. Here is a link to that Obama ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2ki8xEj9c
"On the other hand, political plagiarism is indeed a high form of flattery. Obviously, the American Crossroads folks think the Obama ad was effective, so they are employing the same imagery in an attempt to make Ohio voters think Democrat Lee Fisher in the Senate would be a step backwards for Ohio voters. Ironically, Obama continues to use the car metaphor today from the White House, arguing that voting for Republicans in the mid-term election is like putting a car in 'R' when a vote for Democrats is a vote for continuing to operate in 'D.'
And this link shows where Rove's American Crossroads group has raised its money.
The Columbus Dispatch's Jonathan Riskind also has noticed. He says Rove's ad backing Portman "is a high form of flattery". Read on for Riskind's take:
"Analysis: If the astute Ohio political junkie has a sense of deja vu when watching this ad, there's a good reason. It's a near copy of an ad, imagery wise, that Democrat Barack Obama ran against Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. The same use of car rear and side view mirrors, of road and highway signs, you name it. Here is a link to that Obama ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2ki8xEj9c
"On the other hand, political plagiarism is indeed a high form of flattery. Obviously, the American Crossroads folks think the Obama ad was effective, so they are employing the same imagery in an attempt to make Ohio voters think Democrat Lee Fisher in the Senate would be a step backwards for Ohio voters. Ironically, Obama continues to use the car metaphor today from the White House, arguing that voting for Republicans in the mid-term election is like putting a car in 'R' when a vote for Democrats is a vote for continuing to operate in 'D.'
And this link shows where Rove's American Crossroads group has raised its money.
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