Labor, Film Co. Paint McCain as the ‘Real Elitist’

[Omaha Steve]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/labor-film-co-paint-mccain-as-the-real-elitist/?pagemode=print

August 18, 2008, 1:03 pm
Labor, Film Co. Paint McCain as the ‘Real Elitist’
By Steven Greenhouse

Updated The A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the Service Employees International Union have feuded plenty in recent years, but they have banded together to help distribute and publicize a new online video that characterizes Senator John McCain as elitist and out of touch.

The four-minute video, produced by Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films, is called “McCain’s Mansions: the Real Elitist” and showcases various McCain homes and condominiums in Arizona, California and Virginia, with one valued at $4.66 million.

While highlighting the wealth of Mr. McCain and his wife, Cindy – the video also includes a cable news clip poking fun at Mr. McCain’s $520 calfskin loafers made by Salvatore Ferragamo – the video also focuses on the tale of Eileen Gillis, described as a systems engineer and sales clerk whose house in Connecticut was foreclosed upon.

Mr. Greenwald’s company, Brave New Films, which has made films castigating Wal-Mart and Fox News, said that it planned, with the help of the A.F.L.-C.I.O and service employees, to distribute McCain’s Mansions to more than 500,000 voters. It offers the effort as a sort-of-chain Web video, imploring viewers and supporters to send it along to five friends.

(We have asked the McCain campaign for comment on the new video and its claims.)

Update: Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee responded: “Considering Barack Obama lives in a multi-million dollar house bought with the help of his buddy, Tony Rezko, who is now a convicted felon, it’s odd that Obama’s supporters would choose to make the candidates’ homes an issue.”

The video shows Mr. McCain praising 51 million homeowners for skipping vacations, taking a second job or managing their budgets to make their mortgage payments on time. But then the video shows Ms. Gillis saying that she and her husband took second jobs in retailing, but were still unable to avoid foreclosure. She said the choice came down to putting food on the table or paying their monthly mortgage. (Her first mortgage was from the troubled Countrywide lender, according to public records.)

FULL story at link.