Trust In Small Business, Not Obama

It's sort of like a reverse coattails effect. A pro-business political action committee is running ads boosting vulnerable Republican senators by contrasting them with Obama. In fact, the spots seem more like anti-Obama ads than ads supporting pro-business Republicans, as they are billed by the Trust in Small Business PAC.

The cookie-cutter ads start out saying "Barack Obama's endless promises guarantee a huge expansion of federal programs, paid for with tax increases on the back of small business." Gloomy images of shuttered shops give way to a vibrant businesses and triumpant music as the ad says, "Vote for a proven friend of small business."

Those proven friends are Sens. John Sununu (NH), Elizabeth Dole (NC), Mitch McConnell (KY), Roger Wicker (MS), Saxby Chambliss (GA) and Louisiana Senate challenger John Kennedy. You can watch all of the ads here, or the Wicker one below.

The PAC, which aired ads in 2006 Senate races, is run by Mari Rusch, who used to be national finance director for the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB is also running ads in close Senate races.

The Obama-is-bad-so-Republican-is-good message may have some traction in states like Louisiana and Mississippi, rated "Solid GOP" for McCain by NPR's Ken Rudin. But maybe not so much in New Hampshire, which is "Leaning Democrat" for Obama.

-- Will Evans

11:17 PM ET | 10-28-2008 | permalink

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