Clinton, Obama aim at different targets

Obama himself got in a criticism of former president Bill Clinton.

While saying he disagreed with ex-president Jimmy Carter’s meeting with leaders of the Hamas group in Syria last week, he added, “What I also strongly disagree with is a habit of American presidents, which is every president in their last year they finally decide we’re going to try to broker a peace deal. Bill Clinton did it, in his last year and he ran out of time.”

He likened Clinton to President Bush also starting a peace initiative late in his second term.

Obama on top in the TV ad war
Even with the rival candidates' hectic schedule of rallies across the state most Pennsylvania voters will not see Clinton or Obama in person.

For them, the message is delivered in the TV ad barrage. In the final weekend before the primary, Obama had the upper hand, at least in terms of the number of 30-second spots aired on local NBC Philadelphia affiliate, WCAU.

On Sunday’s 11 p.m. local new broadcast, Obama and his ally, the Service Employees International Union, aired four spots. Clinton had only two.

According to Federal Election Commission records, in the five days starting last Wednesday, the union and one of its locals have spent $1.2 million in TV ads, direct mail and other efforts for Obama.

“Now in the final hours, she’s launched the most misleading and negative ad of the campaign,” Obama’s first ad to air in the 11:00 hour said, referring to Clinton’s latest TV spot. “Eleventh-hour smears, paid for by lobbyist money.”

Video Courting the young Pennsylvania vote April 21: NBC's Andrea Mitchell talks with The Daily Pennsylvanian's David Lei and University of Pennsylvania Democrats' Lauren Burdette about Tuesday's primary and the young vote. MSNBC

WCAU viewers then got to see Clinton herself on the news broadcast saying, “It’s no wonder that my opponent has been so negative in these last few days of the campaign because I think you saw a big difference between us (in last week’s debate). It’s really a choice of leadership.”

Then another Obama ad came on to tout his endorsements by local newspapers: “'Obama can change the way business is done in Washington,’ says the Philadelphia Daily News.”

Clinton focuses on recession
A few minutes later one of Clinton’s ads aired — a gloomy one saying, “Now the economy is sliding into recession. Home values are plummeting. … America is desperate for economic leadership.”

Then on the TV screen appeared the now-familiar face of the ordinary working guy in the camouflage hunter’s cap and gray sweatshirt, filling his gas tank. Without spilling a drop, he looked out at the camera and said, “We need a president who will stand up to big oil.” This was the ubiquitous Service Employees International Union ad for Obama.

The sports and weather came on WCAU and then it was Clinton’s latest ad, “In the last ten years Obama has taken almost $2 million from lobbyists, corporations and PACs. The head of his New Hampshire campaign is a drug company lobbyist.”

A short break to wrap up the WCAU newscast and then at 11:29 pm it was time for a reprise of Obama’s “eleventh-hour smears” ad.

Come Monday morning, and the early news shows, the next Obama-Clinton TV ad barrage would begin all over again.

Picking the president: The candidates Click to visit that candidate's MSNBC page or click the XML symbol for an RSS feed. John McCain                Barack Obama

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