The harbinger of new politics? Taking part in the same dishonest, sleazy campaigning that he accuses John McCain of? Say it ain’t so, Barry! Say. It. Ain’t. So.

A new Obama ad characterizes the “Bush-McCain privatization plan” as “cutting Social Security Benefits in half.” This is a falsehood sure to frighten seniors who rely on their Social Security checks. In truth, McCain does not propose to cut those checks at all.

Why is Obama doing this? Because he needs to carry Florida come November. Despite spending a ton of money in the Sunshine State and campaigning there several times, he remains several points behind McCain. None of his tactics (McCain is the same as Bush, I’m the harbinger of change, etc.) have worked thus far so he has to begin scaring grandpa. “McCain’s going to take away your Social Security!” he screams. Grandpa, afraid of losing the income he depends upon, gets scared. Fact checks, especially in regards to Obama’s false claims, never get the same attention as the misleading attacks, so the tactic can be extremely effective.

And that’s not Obama’s only misleading claim about McCain’s Social Security policy.

In Daytona Beach, Obama said that “if my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would’ve had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week.” He referred to “elderly women” at risk of poverty, and said families would be scrambling to support “grandmothers and grandfathers.”

That’s not true. The plan proposed by President Bush and supported by McCain in 2005 would not have allowed anyone born before 1950 to invest any part of their Social Security taxes in private accounts. All current retirees would be covered by the same benefits they are now.

Every current retiree would’ve continued to receive the same benefits that they were before. In addition, those young enough to participate would’ve only done so voluntarily. Obama’s simply lying.