Obama's people are responding to a newly-released ad from the McCain campaign.
The advertisement in question is called " Pump ," in which Senator John McCain makes the claim that Senator Barack Obama is responsible for rising gas prices at the pump. Governor Jim Doyle calls the ad false and negative.
"When I first saw this ad I thought it was just almost comical as the picture of Barack Obama comes up and Senator McCain says he's to blame for the rising gas prices. It's just so absurd on its face."
Aside from political insiders, who really cares? UW Madison Political scientist Charles Franklin says voters actually do pay attention to the TV ads, but not a lot. He says political ads have a greater impact when they touch on an issue the voter is already leaning toward.
Regarding the energy issue, Franklin says the overall perception is that we need to do more to open up new sources of oil. "So in the McCain ad attacking Obama for high gas prices, it's not so much that voters would believe that Obama's personally responsible for the high gas prices, but it plays on this perception that we may have gone too far in protecting the environment as opposed to developing new energy sources."
The best advice is to do your research before election day, and get ready for four more months of campaign bickering.