Hillary Clinton attacks Todd Ricketts super PAC over Sanders ad

[ProudToBeLiberal]

The ESAFund ad accuses Sanders of begin for things Republicans may be against which appeal to many Democrats. The spot says Sanders wants to provide “free tuition” to college, “Medicare for all,” paid for by raising taxes on Wall Street and the “super-rich.” The tag line is “Bernie Sanders, too liberal for Iowa,” with the spot a summary of Sanders platform – a plus, not a minus among Democrats who may still be undecided in the close Sanders/Clinton contest.

At the Adel Family Fun Center, a bowling alley in this small town about 30 miles from Des Moines, Clinton took note of the Ricketts move – saying it was really an attempt to help, not hurt Sanders. About 300 people were at the event.

“And then just the other day, another billionaire, called Joe Ricketts puts up an ad to try to really muddy the waters to confuse Democrats about who has the toughest, most comprehensive plan,” Clinton said, referring to her Wall Street reform plans.

“I got to tell you. I do find this perversely flattering. But I also find it very instructive. Because if they weren’t afraid of me, they would be just sitting back just hoping I would get nominated. …They know me. They know I saw what I mean. I mean to do what I say.”

More at http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1283025/hillary-clinton-attacks-todd-ricketts-super-pac-sanders-ad

[Faux pas]

1. What? All he did was pull a

Claire McCaskill. Lol no pity felt here.

[thereismore]

2. I am so confused. Was that a pro-Bernie ad and is Hillary against it or for it? nt

[Gothmog]

6. It is pro-Bernie

This is the same trick that Claire McCaskill used to select Todd Akin as her opponent in 2012. McCaskill ran ads that called Akin conservative and that helped Akin get the GOP nomination. McCaskill had no trouble defeating Akin

[cali]

13. It is not pro-Bernie and it is nothing like the ads McCaskill ran

[Gothmog]

15. You are wrong-this identical to the ads used by McCaskill to get Todd Akin to be the GOP nominee

The fact that McCaskill use this type of ad to great effect is a warning.

[Gothmog]

16. Republicans Take Their Sanders Advocacy to the Next Level

This ad was designed to support Sanders just as McCaskill's ads against Todd Akin were designed to do http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-28/republicans-take-their-sanders-advocacy-to-the-next-level

Add Republican operatives to the list of strong Bernie Sanders supporters in the Democratic primary, along with progressive activists and young voters.

A super-PAC founded by Republican billionaire Joe Ricketts is making its first foray into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, spending $600,000 on a television ad in Iowa calling Sanders "too liberal," according to The New York Times.

The ad then spotlights two of the policies that have helped fuel his rise in the Democratic primary—his calls for "completely free" college education and more taxes on Wall Street and the "super-rich."

"It's exactly the same thing we did with Todd Akin," said Caitlin Legacki, who served as communications director to Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill's during her successful campaign in 2012. "They're clearly trying to use the exact same playbook."

Four years ago, McCaskill spent nearly $1 million in TV ads calling Akin "too conservative" in an effort to promote him, rather than his two opponents. He won the primary, then McCaskill trounced him on Election Day.

"More than anything that should be a concern for Democrats, because you don't make those kinds of investments in support of a candidate from another party unless you believe there's a good reason for it," Legacki added.

[Skwmom]

7. It is an anti-Bernie ad. Iowa is an open primary. Intended to turn off certain Democrats

Independents and Republicans.

[Gothmog]

11. It was a pro Bernie ad designed to help Sanders do better

The GOP has determined that it wants to face Sanders instead of Hillary. There is a pattern here

[ram2008]

18. They wanted to face Obama in 08 as well.

Woops.

[kenfrequed]

19. "When the gods want to punish us they grant our prayers"

The Republicans are pretty stupid if they think that Bernie is somehow easier to defeat.

[Jefferson23]

3. lol

[frylock]

4. wehhhh

[Gothmog]

5. Anti-Sanders attack ad isn’t quite what it seems to be

This so-called attack ad is really an ad designed to help Sanders. The fact that the Sanders supporters think that this is an attack ad and do not realize that the purpose of this ad is to help Sanders is amusing http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/anti-sanders-attack-ad-isnt-quite-what-it-seems-be

Republicans have made no secret of the fact that they’d prefer to run against Bernie Sanders in the general election. Whether or not their assumptions are correct is a separate question, but GOP officials, convinced that the senator would be easy to defeat, have gone out of their way to help Sanders in the Democratic race.....

At first blush, the move may seem encouraging to Sanders supporters. After all, if Republicans have gone from defending Sanders to attacking him, maybe it means GOP insiders are getting scared of the Vermont independent?

It’s a nice idea, but that’s not what’s going on here. In fact, far from an attack ad, this commercial, backed by a prominent Republican mega-donor, is the latest evidence of the GOP trying to help Sanders, not hurt him.

Indeed, in this case, it’s hardly even subtle. This commercial touts Sanders’ support for tuition-free college, single-payer health care, and higher taxes on the “super-rich.” It concludes that the senator is “too liberal,” which isn’t much of an insult in an ad directed towards liberal voters in Iowa.

In other words, we’re talking about a Republican mega-donor investing in a faux attack ad to help Sanders win because he sees Sanders as easy to beat in November.

It’s the mirror image of the tactic Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) used in the 2012 U.S. Senate race in Missouri, when she invested in ads intended to boost then-Rep. Todd Akin (R) in his primary race, with commercials touting his far-right positions and calling him “too conservative.” The point was to make Akin look better in the eyes of Missouri Republicans so he’d win the primary, making it easier for the incumbent Democrat to defeat him on Election Day.

This ad is just another example of the GOP trying to help Sanders become the nominee because the GOP knows that Sanders is the weaker candidate.

[Skwmom]

9. Iowa is an OPEN Primary. The ad is to turn off certain types of voters.

[Gothmog]

12. First, Iowa is a caucus state and not a primary

Second, this trick is a well established trick to try to motivate Sanders supports to vote for Sanders. The fact that you think that this is an attack ad is amusing to me

[Gothmog]

8. Rachel Maddow discussed this ad last night

[Skwmom]

10. She's either a moron or a sell out.

Q. As American was going down the tubes what were you doing?
A. Helping it right along.

[Gothmog]

14. Calling Maddow a moron is really sad but funny

Do you want to compare educational accomplishments with her?

[Skwmom]

17. I have met educated people dumb as a fence post and people that never went to college that are very

smart. Degrees are not indicative of intelligence. The lack of analytical ability in this country boggles the mind. I've often wondered if it had something to do with the fact that we waited so long to ban lead paint in this country.

Bush went to Harvard. Wow, what an intellect he turned out to be....

But let's agree she's smart. In that case she is a sell out that wants to keep her high paying job. She won't be the first, she won't be the last.

Note: I've showed that ad to more than one person and they all agreed, it's anti Bernie.

[Juicy_Bellows]

20. Plus a large sum. Perfect! Nt.

[Gothmog]

23. You are wrong again

Rachel Maddow is correct that the ad in question is an attempt by the GOP to help Sanders. The GOP knows that Sanders would be a weak general election candidate and the GOP fears Clinton. No republican fears Sanders.

[Skwmom]

24. This is like saying the sky is green, the sky is green, the sky is green.

But, no matter how many times this ridiculous comment is repeated, it does not make it true.

[Gothmog]

25. And yet numerous third party sources all agree that this was an ad to help Sanders

People who understand politics and saw this trick used by McCaskill all disagree with you.

[Skwmom]

26. These third party sources have a habit of spreading lies and distortions.

That ad hurts Sanders. Amazing how the Democrats and Republicans are using the same line of attack against Sanders. But of course, their goal is to defeat Bernie.

[Gothmog]

27. So everyone in the whole world is wrong but you?

The fact that you do not realize that this ad is helping Sanders amuses me

[kenfrequed]

21. Doesn't matter a whit

They are idiots if they think Bernie is easier to defeat.

They don't want to fight Bernie, they want to take on a weakened Hillary. They think South Carolina will still somehow decide the election and that they are getting a little punch in early.

Odd though that this Republican ad dovetails with the CNN coverage of Bernie wanting to raise taxes.

[Gothmog]

22. The fact that Rove and the GOP may be wrong does not change the fact that they are supporting sander

Rove is good at stealing elections and it would be dumb to let the GOP pull the same trick that McCaskill used on us