Ben Smith at Politico as an unreleased ad from the Obama campaign that is airing in Virginia, The ad isn't available at Obama's YouTube Channel, but somehow Politco has posted a copy of it:
Transcript after the jump ...
Here's the transcript for those without the ability to watch videos:
Today many women work to help support their families, but are paid just 77 cents to the dollar a man makes. It's one more thing John McCain doesn't get about our economy. He opposed a law to guarantee women equal pay for equal work calling it too great a burden on business. McCain explains away the wage gap saying women just need more education and training. A burden on business? How about the burden on our families?
Both campaigns are trying to win over women voters. And as the New York Times reports,
After the news programs, "Oprah" is the chief recipient of campaign advertisements this year, with Senator John McCain buying more commercial spots on the program in the last month than Senator Barack Obama — even though Ms. Winfrey herself is backing Mr. Obama.
Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want
I have to admit that last bit befuddles me. First there was that brouhaha over a rumor posted by The Drudge Report after the Republican National Convention, claiming that Oprah's staff was fighting over whether or not to invite Sarah Palin to appear on the show, which Oprah flatly denied in a statement, which I wrote a diary about at the time. The whole episode started off a firestorm over at Oprah's site, where people were leaving hateful comments on her site and vowing never to watch her show again, while others defended Oprah.
And then there's the fact, that Oprah has endorsed Barack Obama. Here's a clip of her doing just that on Larry King, with a clip of Oprah introducing Obama on her show saying "This is my Senator. My favorite Senator.":
The New York Times article goes on to point out that the nomination of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate, as escalated the fight for votes of women. Before the Palin choice was announce, Obama had been working to shore up the votes of women:
Now Obama campaign officials are stepping up their efforts, and both campaigns are recalibrating pitches to women to navigate cultural forces and policy positions that can give them an advantage.
In particular, they are competing for working-class white women, the group that could be especially pivotal in the states likely to decide the election.
(snip)
Though there is little question that Ms. Palin’s bursting onto the scene has put pressure on the Obama campaign, it is unclear how much difference she will make. Geraldine A. Ferraro created a small bounce in the polls when Walter F. Mondale chose her as his running mate in 1984, making her the first woman on a major party ticket. But in the end, the nation went in a landslide for President Ronald Reagan.
Both Sides Seeking to Be What Women Want
On Monday, the Obama has rolled out a plan to put shift the focus back on McCain, and away from Palin:
The plan included intense focus on McCain's opposition to equal pay legislation, which aides to Obama believe resonates beyond female voters; sending out prominent female surrogates to serve as political "ambassadors"; limiting focus on Gov. Sarah Palin in favor of McCain himself; and breaking through the media's propensity to focus on conflicts and gaffes.
(snip)
A Hill Democrat told the Huffington Post that female lawmakers will hold an event this week focusing on equal pay legislation. In addition, the Obama campaign on Monday rolled out the endorsements of "hundreds of national women leaders in fields ranging from business to women's rights, from astronauts to athletes, from former governors to cabinet secretaries." The list includes Stacey Snider, Chairman of DreamWorks, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Executive Vice President Emerita, AFL-CIO, and Olympic gold-medalist Dominique Dawes.
Speaking on the phone with many of these individuals, Obama implored them to start reaching out on their own to help recruit female support. "Don't wait for our call," he said. "I need you to talk to your colleagues get on the radio, write op-eds in the newspapers, talk about what is really at stake in this election."
Obama Lays Out Plans To Woo Women Voters: Forget Palin, Focus On Equal Pay