Muckraker: Grist on Politics

In a half-hour political infomercial aired on multiple TV networks Wednesday night, Democrat Barack Obama focused on several of the most pressing issues facing Americans today — including energy independence. The ad featured several regular folks discussing the problems they face, as well as political leaders from around the country talking about the candidate.

“We’ve been talking about the same problems in our country for decades,” Obama said at one point. One of the issues he’d start addressing as president, he said, is energy independence. He mentioned Seattle’s McKinstry Company, which makes buildings more energy efficient, as an example of a business that his new energy plan could support.

He talked up his plan to spend $15 billion a year over 10 years on renewable energy, and create 5 million clean energy jobs — “jobs that pay well and can never be outsourced,” he said. He also pledged to help retool automobile factories to create the next generation of more efficient vehicles, and to provide tax credits so more people can afford those cars.

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As he did in the presidential debates, Obama mentioned some not-so-new green energy sources: “I’ll tap natural gas reserves, use clean coal, expand domestic production of oil.”

After the pre-recorded portion of the Obama “show,” viewers were jumped to a live event in Florida, where Obama listed off issues at stake in this election. “In six days we can choose … renewable energy for our future,” he said.

Here’s the first 27 minutes of the Obama infomercial:

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