After initially approving an Obama campaign advertisement for use at Florida gasoline stations on Gas Station TV, a network whose self-described mission is to "reach captive audiences via video at the gas station pump with targeted advertising," the advertising driven video service refused to show the ad.
According to an Obama campaign press release, the ad challenged John McCain's views on energy policy which have caused higher prices and offered Obama's alternative that would provide relief for consumers.
Just prior to being shown, however, Gas Station TV informed the Obama campaign that the ad would not be distributed by the video service because they felt it would be "damaging to oil companies." Subsequently, the company sought to cover its tracks by issuing a statement claiming that it does not run political ads.
The Obama campaign released e-mails exchanged with the company that showed the company had approved the use of the political ad, however. "Please note that GSTV has approved the spot,” one e-mail from the Gas Station TV representative stated. And in a separate email, “the GSTV owners have signed off on this.”
“Once again, the oil companies and their friends are standing with Senator McCain, the candidate for president who is proposing to offer them a $4 billion tax cut,” said Obama’s Florida Communications Director Mark Bubriski.
“It looks like Gas Station TV doesn’t want the American people to know about Senator Obama’s plan to offer working families a $1,000 energy rebate that would be funded by a tax on oil company profits," Bubriski added. "The oil companies have taken sides in this race, and they are standing with John McCain, because they know he’s been in Washington for 26 years and can be counted on to pursue for another four years of the Bush energy policy that’s made them billions of dollars.”
Though having been in Washington nearly 30 years, John McCain has made no substantive energy policy or environmental proposal that has challenged the dominance of Big Oil.
Instead, he has consistently prioritized the profits for the oil companies over the needs of working families. He voted against improved gas mileage standards, blocked or opposed renewable energy alternatives, and has refused to join a bipartisan effort to remove huge tax breaks for big oil companies like ExxonMobil.
