Attack Ads on the Way

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

Source: Newsweek

A new series of TV commercials featuring sinister photos of Osama bin Laden may signal what's to come this fall: a wave of secretly financed political attack ads. The spots, by a group called Defense of Democracies, which was just created by former Republican National Committee spokesman Cliff May, target 15 House Democrats for their failure to support a White House-backed electronic-spying bill. May told NEWSWEEK he plans to spend $2 million on the ads, but declined to identify who is financing the effort, saying he set up the group as a tax-exempt nonprofit—known in the federal tax code as a "501(c)(4)"—thereby permitting it to engage in political advocacy without disclosing donors.

The ads spotlight what some experts say is a gaping loophole in the campaign-finance laws. On Dec. 26, 2007, the Federal Election Commission quietly issued new rules in the wake of a Supreme Court decision last June that give more latitude for 501(c)(4) groups to run political "electioneering" ads without disclosing contributors. That helped blow open the floodgates. In 2004, the chief conduit for such ads were so-called 527 groups, among them the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. But 527s had to identify donors. Now, said one GOP consultant who asked not to be identified talking strategy, "everybody is doing 501(c)(4)s because you don't have to disclose anything."

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/id/117848

[yourout]

1. I say go for it.............My guess is the majority of Americans have seen enough of this BS to....

say......It's BS.

[JerseygirlCT]

19. I do hope you're right. The ones already running are vile - and more to

the point, incorrect factually.

Wonder what the mission statement of this group looks like? What are they contributing to the public good here? Boy, talk about a giant loophole... Any reputable group discloses their donors. But this group doesn't need to be reputable, since their financing is apparently all set. (Telecoms?). Nice set up for them, crappy one for the American people, and frankly, for non-profits everywhere.

[Ian David]

2. We've already got The Repuke Anti-Hillary PAC "Citizens United Not Timid."

I hope this shit backfires on them.

[aasleka]

5. Is that for real?

what the hell is wrong with these people?

[Eric J in MN]

8. Yes, it's a real 527, and the founder, Roger Stone, gets interviewed on MSNBC

...by Tucker Carlson and quoted by Nedra Pickler in the AP.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200802250009

http://mediamatters.org/items/200802200009?f=s_search

[Ian David]

9. Yep. It's for real. From GOP strategist Roger Stone. n/t

[CountAllVotes]

10. Now that IS disgusting!

n/t

:dem:

[Ian David]

13. So far, neither Hillary nor Obama has stooped to the level of The GOP.

We MUST support the eventual nominee, no matter who it is now.

Whether it be Obama or Clinton or Mike Gravel (He's still running!)


(In the interest of full disclosure, I would NOT say that if Joe Biden was still in the race).

[liberal_rxstudent]

28. Oh whoa!!

I have never seen THAT before...now I am aware of the PAC known as C.U.N.T.!!! TOTALLY weird...I guess it took a few very special people ("creeps") to come up with that. This is the crap that makes me sick. I have not seen many dems being that creative...hmmm..:wtf:

[NC_Nurse]

3. .

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Ian David]

4. GOP: Barack Obama had a Black Baby! n/t

[babylonsister]

6. This group used to be bipartisan but went over to the dark side.

Maybe they're annoyed at this?



Dems Jump Ship from "Bi-Partisan" Group Targeting Dems
By Paul Kiel - February 27, 2008, 11:52AM


As we reported Monday, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies launched a national ad campaign lambasting House Democrats for not passing the Senate surveillance bill, which comes complete with retroactive immunity for the telecoms.

As of Friday, the group, which claims to be non-partisan, boasted a number of Democrats on their board of advisors. Those were: Donna Brazile, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY), Rep. Jim Marshall, and former Georgia governor Zell Miller. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), listed as a Democrat on the site, is one of five "distinguished advisors."

Since the group launched the ads, Brazile, Schumer, Engel and Marshall have all resigned from the group. Zell Miller, well, he spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Our call and email to Sen. Lieberman's spokesman were unreturned.

In her statement, Brazile said that no one from the group had consulted her about its activities "in years." And that the once "bi-partisan organization" had, "due to the influence of their funders... morphed into a radical right wing organization that is doing the dirty work for the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans."

TPM alum Spencer Ackerman, reporting on the resignations over at The Washington Independent this morning, cites Democratic sources as saying that Marshall was "appalled" by the ad.

more...

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/dems_jump_ship_from_bipartisan.php

[Eric J in MN]

7. It was a 5-4 Supreme Court decision,

"Wisconsin Right to Life vs. FEC" which opened the door to these soft-money ads.

We're probably going to need for the Supreme Court to change personnel to become 5-4 the other way (in favor of campaign finance regulations) before we can really address this.

In the meantime, we have to hope that our billionaires and their billionaires will cancel each other out.

[Laylagrande]

25. Attack ads should be banned n/t

[bluestateguy]

11. Ohhhh!!! Mommy Government!! Keep me safe!!!! Mommy, I'm scared of the mean ol' terrorissts!!!

Pathetic.

[trthnd4jstc]

12. Sen. Obama has negatives he must address honestly, and promptly.

I do not know if he will be able to handle the attack ads. I hope his campaign can. He has missed votes, made mistakes in voting in the Illinois House, and he has not been actively being a Senator for the State of Illinois. I like Sen. Obama, and I promise that there is no way I will vote for McCain. I hope that Sen. Obama will honestly address his negatives to the electorate. Honesty truely is the best policy. Lies simply stink.
Voting for Obama needs to be a choice that the electorate wants to make. Sen. Obama has control over how he will address the facts about his lack of voting in the Fed. and State Legislatures. I hope he does something about it. Other than this, I think all the Hateful stuff the Republicans are putting out will backfire on them. I do not think the electorate are going to buy into blatent spitefulness.

[noel adamson]

14. It will take massive spin, fear and smear to make anyon look worse than Republicans on defense...

...after the last 7 years. I think bring up Osama Bin Laden as a bogey man is especially prone to backfire considering that he is still on the loose and evidently more popular and more powerful than ever while the world's largest military is spinning it's wheels in the sand under the grossly inept leadership of the Bush Regime and the RNC.

[truthisfreedom]

16. Pictures of Osama bin Laden have slowly evolved into what appears to be a

harmless old man. His boogeyman-ness seems to have all but faded.

[truthisfreedom]

17. Pictures of Osama bin Laden have slowly evolved into what appears to be a

harmless old man. His boogeyman-ness seems to have all but faded.

[AndyTiedye]

21. Massive Spin, Fear, and Smear is Their Specialty

Look what they did to Kerry, a war hero with years of experience and as squeaky-clean as they come.

Of course, they cannot do it without the full cooperation of the Repiglickin' media.
It is all the free airtime they give them that really makes Swift Boating work.

[bhikkhu]

26. To most of the world OBL is evidently dead since 2002

Only here he still has his political uses and continues his ghostly reign...

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

30. exactly. and whats up with those phony videos that he "releases" every so often n/t

[Blue State Bandit]

15. This is exactly why Obama can not take public financing!

If he takes it, he will be assed out in weeks trying to fight off these 501c4's.

There are times when a word must be broken, and this is one of them times.

[creeksneakers2]

18. Let the GOP spend millions making the campaign about Iraq

"Freedom's Watch, a conservative 501(c)(4) whose board includes Las Vegas casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, is planning to spend up to $250 million attacking the eventual Democratic presidential nominee for being soft on Iraq."


CBS News/New York Times Poll. Feb. 20-24, 2008. N=1,266 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults).

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?"
Approve Disapprove Unsure

31 65 4

All Adults

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

23. Good point

[ladywnch]

20. all the more reason why Obama should NOT go with public funds

for the general election. He is going to have a HUGE war chest, McCain will have pennies and these 501s and 527 will be the bulk of his campaign. Obama will need his private funds to overcome these asshats.

While I would LOVE to see an all public funded election, until all these other loopholes are closed, it ain't gonna happen.

[AlinPA]

22. The KKK will be up an running full throat with RNC organization before the summer is here.

They will go all out.

[Bigmack]

24. Gosh and Golly...

I hope the Dems don't go "negative" on the Repubs.

It would be so.... unpleasant.

Turn the other cheek.

Sticks and Stones....

It would be awful to use Jon Stewart-type irony and sarcasm on the pompous Repubs.

:sarcasm: set to "Full Blast".

[liberal_rxstudent]

27. It really is quite amazing...

these type of ads spew lie after lie...and surprisingly, I've seen so many people actually recite the crap from them as if these were the absolute truth. I remember prior to the 2004 election, I was concerned about the swiftboat vets and all of the lies directed at Kerry. I was pretty young, and even I was not naive enough to believe that crap. I wish I could say that majority of people are smarter than these ads, but really...I don't think that I can. This is disturbing- to say the least. :(

[McCamy Taylor]

29. Are the telecoms trying to scare Congress into giving them immunity by threatening to fund attack

ads of a "nonprofit" variety against those that do not support immunity for them?

Is that the electronic spying bill they are talking about?

If it backfires, the telecoms can expect to get raked over the coals next Congressional session. I thought the usual practice was to buy goodwill.

[Political Heretic]

31. Obama can't take public financing in this climate.

I don't care if its labeled a flip-flop. It doesn't matter. McCain knows pushing him into agreeing to it is the only way he has a chance. Obama has to be able to fight this kind of stuff without both hands tied behind his back.