Tonight, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will debate in PA ahead of next week’s primary. Given the recent ad wars between the candidates–over Bittergate and campaign money from oil companies–the debate might provide some hilarious prime-time nastiness. Bring the popcorn! The Bittergate ads generated the most buzz. After Obama’s “elitist” remarks about PA voters, Hillary released an ad attacking him, and Obama, of course, quickly responded. Who won? Townhall’s Mary Katharine Ham analyzed the ads and concluded that Hillary is “determined to keep battering” Obama, while Obama serves up “bland and standard Obama fare, but it’s nice. He remains the nice guy and she remains the bully.” The Swamp’s Frank James notes that Hillary’s ad was “falling flat” with voters: “After being shown the ad, not many people shifted their views. When asked before and after seeing the ad who they would vote for if the election were held today, Obama’s support went to 44 percent to 45 percent, pre versus post. Meanwhile, Clinton’s support went from 43 percent to 44 percent, pre versus post.” But both ads had a few mistakes. Josh Drobnyk at the Morning Call reported that “At least one of her supporters featured in the spot hammering Obama for his small town comments isn’t registered to vote in Pennsylvania.” He’s in fact registered to vote in New Jersey. And Hot Air’s Allahpundit comments on the audience booing Hillary in Obama’s ad: “The left’s been singing his praises the last few days for ‘counterpunching’ when he’s in a tight spot, a trait that appeals to the fightin’ nutroots in someone they like and which would be cited as a failure to accept responsibility in someone they don’t, like McCain or even Hillary Clinton. Naturally left unmentioned here is the allegation that it was Obama’s own supporters who were booing her.” According to TPM, “In most of Pennsylvania’s markets, the only TV ad Hillary is running right now is a negative one — the spot hitting Obama over his ‘small town’ comments.” Can this strategy work? Bloggers disagree. Politico‘s Ben Smith says, “This is the kind of pounding Obama’s critics used to say he’d never faced, and would never survive.” But Swampland’s Joe Klein says that “with a spate of recent polls showing Obama holding close to Clinton in Pa, it may be that this Republican-style ‘values’ attack just doesn’t work with Democrats.” Either way, there is one person that the ad wars help: John McCain. Mary Katharine Ham notes that Obama’s nice-guy ads will look “wimpy” compared to McCain. Joe Sudbay at AMERICAblog says, “This should make all the Clinton staffers, consultants and supporters very, very proud. They can’t win the nomination, but they are willing to participate in the effort to destroy the Democratic nominee.” And at Contentions, Jennifer Rubin puts it best: “McCain doesn’t need his own money for an ad budget right now: he’s got Hillary’s.”
