A conservative adman striving to regain his Willie Horton notoriety produces a death-penalty dud aimed at Obama.
Conservative activist Floyd G. Brown, who had a hand in the 1988 "Willie Horton" attack ad, is seeking funds to show a new spot accusing Obama of being "weak" on Chicago gang killers in 2001 and suggesting he'd be weak on terrorism, too. Brown bases the claim on Obama's vote against a bill to make gang killers automatically eligible for the death penalty.
We find that the ad misses the mark. The anti-gang activist who sponsored the death-penalty bill tells FactCheck.org that she doesn't consider Obama weak on crime despite his opposition to her proposal. Chicago state Rep. Susana Mendoza said the ad makes her "sick to my stomach" and "completely mischaracterizes Senator Obama's position against ruthless criminals."
The record shows that Obama, while not a cheerleader for the death penalty, has supported it for a number of crimes – including terrorism. He voted for an Illinois law in 2003 that includes the death penalty for convicted terrorists.
Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis, images and citations may be viewed at Factcheck.org.
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