Democrats and some Republicans are criticizing Republican presidential nominee John McCain and the Republican National Committee for what some say are misleading calls made throughout Wisconsin.
After a week of receiving automatic phone calls from the McCain campaign linking Democratic nominee Barack Obama to William Ayers, a professor at the University of Chicago-Illinois and founder of domestic terrorist group the Weathermen, politicians as well as citizens are calling for McCain to put a stop to the messages.
The calls linked Obama to Ayers, stating that “[Obama] worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge’s home and killed Americans.”
According to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, the calls are spreading hate-filled and disgusting messages about Obama.
“I think the calls are sleazy and dishonest, and it’s clear [the McCain campaign is] trying to spread these messages around underground,” said Alec Loftus, Democratic Party of Wisconsin communications director.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin, however, believes that there is no reason to discontinue the calls, and they stand by the message.
“The message raises a valid question about who Obama associates himself with, and I don’t think there is anything inaccurate about the call,” said Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Ayers was associated with bombings of public buildings in the 1960s, but he was never actually convicted. During the last presidential debate, held Wednesday, McCain alluded to the Obama’s connection with Ayres, with Obama stating that Ayers is in no way involved in his campaign.
According to Loftus, even Republicans such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell and other Republicans are seeking an end to these calls.
The McCain campaign said the goal of the call was to raise questions about Obama’s association and give the American people the facts, according to Kukowski.
“The more information voters have about Obama the better, and right now he continues to be a relatively unknown candidate, and voters need this information to make a decision,” said Kukowski.
