Full Version: New Ads from Conservative Group
This afternoon while watching CNN news they had a story about a new ad from some Conservative Group, whose name escapes me, but they showed it, and its pathetic. Once again, since the right can't run on their record they are reduced to personal/character attacks on Kerry. In this one, they mention a supposedly $75 haircut that Kerry gets, they mention a $250 shirt he wears, they mention his two homes. At the end it goes something like-John Kerry, priceless...They call him a "liberal eliteist". The right just loves to label people anyway. Compared to Shrub, anyone is liberal.
But of course it's perfectly fine, puckman, for Moveon.org and a bunch of other such campaign finance loop hole organizations to spew the same venom at Bush, right? Where's your outrage over that, puck?
Oh! The hypocrisy!
Oh! The hypocrisy!
Yes, but equally compared to him, Kerry is a man of the people.
The elitist label is going to be a dangerous one for the Bush camp to slap on people. If you remember one of the major gaffes his father had in '92 was his wonderment at a grocery store scanner. Shrub's handlers seem much more able to keep him from coming off as the child of privilege and proseperity. Hopefully that will be an issue this time round.
The elitist label is going to be a dangerous one for the Bush camp to slap on people. If you remember one of the major gaffes his father had in '92 was his wonderment at a grocery store scanner. Shrub's handlers seem much more able to keep him from coming off as the child of privilege and proseperity. Hopefully that will be an issue this time round.
No one is going to recall W's daddy's ignorance about a grocery store scanner, as they shouldn't, because W and HW are two different people, and in retrospect, HW was to the manor/manner born and couldn't hide it. W fakes it all the time...when have liberal groups pointed this out in commercials? I haven't seen one yet!
I do like that Kerry pointed out W's fakeness down in Texas last week. I mean, this man wasn't born in Texas (he was born in the richest state in the US, Connecticut), he comes from several generations of politicians and elite business people (and is directly related to TWO U.S. presidents), he attended one of the most elite prep schools and two of the MOST elite universities in the US, like Kerry he was a member of the ultrasecretive and once-exclusionary Skull & Bones, he's not a real rancher, and on and on.
Is W running around in rags? Did he ever? Does he have to go without new clothes to pay hospital bills or for medicine or for food and lodging like millions of Americans? When Kerry was over fighting in Vietnam, was little Bushie working on a farm or toiling in a factory or doing something even vaguely working-class? Has he ever earned a dollar on his own without someone else's help, other than in politics (I mean as Governor of Texas, a position he which he actually was elected to)?
Now, if it's an issue of wealth, I do believe W's father was richer than Kerry's, since Kerry's was a diplomat his whole life, while W's was a (semi-successful) oilman. Kerry has married well twice and has rich relatives, but like Gore, he had far less money than W did growing up. And in terms of pedigree, both are descended from early Americans, as well as one of the greatest Holy Roman Emperors.
But then Kerry also is part Central European Jewish. I mean, come on!
I do like that Kerry pointed out W's fakeness down in Texas last week. I mean, this man wasn't born in Texas (he was born in the richest state in the US, Connecticut), he comes from several generations of politicians and elite business people (and is directly related to TWO U.S. presidents), he attended one of the most elite prep schools and two of the MOST elite universities in the US, like Kerry he was a member of the ultrasecretive and once-exclusionary Skull & Bones, he's not a real rancher, and on and on.
Is W running around in rags? Did he ever? Does he have to go without new clothes to pay hospital bills or for medicine or for food and lodging like millions of Americans? When Kerry was over fighting in Vietnam, was little Bushie working on a farm or toiling in a factory or doing something even vaguely working-class? Has he ever earned a dollar on his own without someone else's help, other than in politics (I mean as Governor of Texas, a position he which he actually was elected to)?
Now, if it's an issue of wealth, I do believe W's father was richer than Kerry's, since Kerry's was a diplomat his whole life, while W's was a (semi-successful) oilman. Kerry has married well twice and has rich relatives, but like Gore, he had far less money than W did growing up. And in terms of pedigree, both are descended from early Americans, as well as one of the greatest Holy Roman Emperors.
But then Kerry also is part Central European Jewish. I mean, come on!
QUOTE
fantomas:
No one is going to recall W's daddy's ignorance about a grocery store scanner, as they shouldn't, because W and HW are two different people, and in retrospect, HW was to the manor/manner born and couldn't hide it. W fakes it all the time...when have liberal groups pointed this out in commercials? I haven't seen one yet!
Sorry, not quite what I meant. I was merely making the point that if W goes about slapping the elitist label on Kerry, he's in danger of it boomeranging on him. And used the example of how his father got stung by the elitist bug in his own final campaign. Not trying to imply that the supermarket incident will or should have any bearing on the coming campaign.
No one is going to recall W's daddy's ignorance about a grocery store scanner, as they shouldn't, because W and HW are two different people, and in retrospect, HW was to the manor/manner born and couldn't hide it. W fakes it all the time...when have liberal groups pointed this out in commercials? I haven't seen one yet!
jqueer. I agree with you completely about the possibility of a boomerang.
The RNC is trying to lobby networks saying that MoveOn.org is making illegal ads and they should not be aired. The RNC...what a bunch of sonsofabitches.
CNN Story
CNN Story
Sounds like they can't take the heat eh Bobby?? To damn bad, the Lawyers for Moveon say there is absolutely nothing illegal about the ads, period. What a bunch of pathetic crybabies.
QUOTE
jqueer:
Yes, but equally compared to him, Kerry is a man of the people.
Isnt this the same man who ate his cheesesteak with lettuce tomato and mayo? Yeah, a real man of the people.
Yes, but equally compared to him, Kerry is a man of the people.
Even if the RNC ends is wrong about the illegality of MoveOn's funding, there's a bit of a threat here that goes beyond the issue of a possible violation of federal law.
Note the reminder in the letter from RNC that "As a broadcaster licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, you have a responsibility... ."
Which could well be read as: you take these ads and we'll remember that the next time your corporation needs something from the FCC. Chilling words. After all, the head of the FCC is appointed by the President, and it's clear what side Michael Powell (son of Colin) would take on this and other matters.
The RNC doesn't f**k around.
Note the reminder in the letter from RNC that "As a broadcaster licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, you have a responsibility... ."
Which could well be read as: you take these ads and we'll remember that the next time your corporation needs something from the FCC. Chilling words. After all, the head of the FCC is appointed by the President, and it's clear what side Michael Powell (son of Colin) would take on this and other matters.
The RNC doesn't f**k around.
QUOTE
At the end it goes something like-John Kerry, priceless
Some of the blogs I go to have been mocking this ad by pointing out that doing MasterCard parodies isn't exactly cutting edge these days, is it? It's only the first of many such smear attempts but that's fine, let Bush run on his record; he's toast if he does that.Kos has a has a pretty good analysis about how the GOP is behind the curve:
QUOTE
Fact is, this is a brutal time to be in GOoPer politics. The old tricks of the trade don't work anymore. Once upon a time, politicos preyed on the public's short attention span. Say one thing today, pretend you never said that tomorrow knowing no one would call you on it. (\"Imminent threat\", anyone?)
Bloggers like Bilmon started exposing the administration's blatant lies, and surprise! discovered that they had a hungry audience. It was thus inevitable that such blog-provided \"context\" started making it into news stories (the Billmon expose of the WMD quotes was hugely influential in driving down the administration's credibility on the issue). And Google makes political research as easy as typing in a phrase in a text box. No more hours of microfiche headaches at the public library.
The Bush Administration is now in a quandry, never before faced by a political campaign. EVERY WORD IT UTTERS can be instantly fact checked and vetted against previous administration proclamations. And the press, lazy as it is, doesn't even have to do the research. They simply have to read the blogs (and they certainly do). The party can pick the best bits of the day and mold them into spin and talking points. Their overstretched, overworked research departments now have reinforcements of major caliber.
For an administration and a party built on ignorance, short-term memory and outright lies (see post below), the harsh glare of this new medium must be excruciating. The Democratic Party is no longer 75 or 100 employees in Washington DC. We are all now adjunct DNCers (whether you like it or not!). When we fact-check Bush, develop new avenues of critique, bring attention to some lonely article in Bismarck, Montpelier, or Dallas (again, see post below), and spread the word about the latest GOP lies and/or outrages, we are helping the party do what it can't do on its own -- reclaim the nation from the ravages of the GOP wingnuts
*Snerk* \"Imminent threat\". Ah, the good ol' days.Bloggers like Bilmon started exposing the administration's blatant lies, and surprise! discovered that they had a hungry audience. It was thus inevitable that such blog-provided \"context\" started making it into news stories (the Billmon expose of the WMD quotes was hugely influential in driving down the administration's credibility on the issue). And Google makes political research as easy as typing in a phrase in a text box. No more hours of microfiche headaches at the public library.
The Bush Administration is now in a quandry, never before faced by a political campaign. EVERY WORD IT UTTERS can be instantly fact checked and vetted against previous administration proclamations. And the press, lazy as it is, doesn't even have to do the research. They simply have to read the blogs (and they certainly do). The party can pick the best bits of the day and mold them into spin and talking points. Their overstretched, overworked research departments now have reinforcements of major caliber.
For an administration and a party built on ignorance, short-term memory and outright lies (see post below), the harsh glare of this new medium must be excruciating. The Democratic Party is no longer 75 or 100 employees in Washington DC. We are all now adjunct DNCers (whether you like it or not!). When we fact-check Bush, develop new avenues of critique, bring attention to some lonely article in Bismarck, Montpelier, or Dallas (again, see post below), and spread the word about the latest GOP lies and/or outrages, we are helping the party do what it can't do on its own -- reclaim the nation from the ravages of the GOP wingnuts
QUOTE
Moveon.org and a bunch of other such campaign finance loop hole organizations
Liar. As mentioned above, MoveOn's lawyers have vetted their contributions and there's no litigation pending because of them. QUOTE
\"You have to sympathize with Gillespie. Our Voter Fund's TV ads are doing an effective job of telling the truth about George Bush's failed policies. If I were RNC chair, I too would want to change the subject. But he can't do that just by making things up,\" said Boyd.
MoveOn.org's lawyer, Joseph Sandler of the Washington, D.C. firm of Sandler, Reiff and Young also refuted Gillespie's ill-founded claims about violations of campaign finance laws.
\"Since there have been no contacts of any kind between the Kerry Campaign and our organization regarding any advertising undertaken by the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, it is absolutely clear under the FEC's regulations that the Voter Fund advertisements do not meet the definition of a 'coordinated communication' and are therefore entirely lawful. The MoveOn.org Voter Fund, which is registered with the IRS as a political organization under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, will be filing the required electioneering reports under the FEC's new regulations implementing McCain-Feingold. MoveOn Voter Fund is not a political committee
And the Rethugs bully tactics don't seem to be working: MoveOn.org's lawyer, Joseph Sandler of the Washington, D.C. firm of Sandler, Reiff and Young also refuted Gillespie's ill-founded claims about violations of campaign finance laws.
\"Since there have been no contacts of any kind between the Kerry Campaign and our organization regarding any advertising undertaken by the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, it is absolutely clear under the FEC's regulations that the Voter Fund advertisements do not meet the definition of a 'coordinated communication' and are therefore entirely lawful. The MoveOn.org Voter Fund, which is registered with the IRS as a political organization under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, will be filing the required electioneering reports under the FEC's new regulations implementing McCain-Feingold. MoveOn Voter Fund is not a political committee
QUOTE
As of Friday afternoon, no stations were known to have refused to run the ads based on the RNC's letter
[ March 09, 2004, 09:30 AM: Message edited by: Jim Allen ]
QUOTE
Jim Allen:
The facts speak for themselves, James. Such organizations are commonly called 527 organizations due to the loophole in the so-called campaign finance reform law recently enacted. Taking advantages of loopholes isn't always illegal, you know. Moveon.org et. al. are doing just this.QUOTE
Moveon.org and a bunch of other such campaign finance loop hole organizations
Liar. As mentioned above, MoveOn's lawyers have vetted their contributions and there's no litigation pending because of them. More info on 527 groups:
QUOTE
Public Citizen has lead the call for reform in the disclosure of electioneering activities by non-profit entities, aka Section 527 groups. These groups--popularly known as \"stealth PACs\"--have long been the evasion of choice for political organizations to affect candidate elections all the while concealing their sources of funds. Recently changes in the Internal Revenue Code, however, are opening up Section 527 financial activity to public inspection, even to the point of posting itemized contributions and expenditures on the IRS Web site. This 527 disclosure law, along with the new ban on the use of soft money by federal parties and candidates, appears to be turning 501© non-profit groups into the latest preferred vehicle for evading federal campaign finance laws.
QUOTE
MIB:
...since when have facts ever gotten in your way?
Ummm...careful there. People who live in glass houses...
...since when have facts ever gotten in your way?
Too funny, GJ. 
I've not done much research on 527 organizations, but I would like to know which side has more. Certainly the Republicans have a few. I've never met a politician who wouldn't take advantage of a loophole. Is the RNC insisting that television stations not air any of their commercials?
QUOTE
jqueer:
I've not done much research on 527 organizations, but I would like to know which side has more. Certainly the Republicans have a few. I've never met a politician who wouldn't take advantage of a loophole. Is the RNC insisting that television stations not air any of their commercials?
You obviously haven't researched much of anything...
I've not done much research on 527 organizations, but I would like to know which side has more. Certainly the Republicans have a few. I've never met a politician who wouldn't take advantage of a loophole. Is the RNC insisting that television stations not air any of their commercials?
Gator Jamie [cyber-hug]
William1865, thanks for the Snopes link.
William1865, thanks for the Snopes link.
QUOTE
William1865:
That's not the point, any more than the fact that Al Gore didn't say that he invented the internet. These are pernicious and persistent images of who the candidates are. Whether it actually happened or not, it contributed to the impression many Americans had in 92 that George the Elder was out of touch with the reality of Americans' lives at that time. George the younger called Kerry elitist. My point was that he, like his father, is equally vulnerable to the elitist tag, and I used a historical example to prove the point. The fact that George the Elder was actually not as stupid as he was made out to be only strengthens the point that in politics perception is more important than reality.QUOTE
jqueer:
I've not done much research on 527 organizations, but I would like to know which side has more. Certainly the Republicans have a few. I've never met a politician who wouldn't take advantage of a loophole. Is the RNC insisting that television stations not air any of their commercials?
You obviously haven't researched much of anything... I've not done much research on 527 organizations, but I would like to know which side has more. Certainly the Republicans have a few. I've never met a politician who wouldn't take advantage of a loophole. Is the RNC insisting that television stations not air any of their commercials?
And you didn't answer the question, who has more 527 organizations?
[ March 09, 2004, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: jqueer ]
QUOTE
jqueer:
And you didn't answer the question, who has more 527 organizations?
According to an NBC Nightly News report a couple weeks ago, they said there are more left-leaning ones than right-leaning ones. They did not give a number, but they indicated that Republicans were jumping on the bandwagon, albeit it quite late in the game.And you didn't answer the question, who has more 527 organizations?
The numbers may have changed in a couple weeks, but I doubt it.
what was the group running the ads during the Iowa caucuses
it's one of the more conservative Republican groups--can't remember the name right off hand
it's one of the more conservative Republican groups--can't remember the name right off hand
NBC News' Andrea Mitchell Wednesday reported that these 527 groups, mostly Democrats, have raised $105 million so far to run ads against Bush. McCain blasted these groups, demanding they be regulated and prevented from doing what they're doing.
Speaking of Andrea Mitchell, here's more on the Plame probe; she's one of the "liberal media" getting subpoenaed....
Salon: War Room--Plame Probe
(Daypass accessible after watching "Schindler's List" ad)
Salon: War Room--Plame Probe
(Daypass accessible after watching "Schindler's List" ad)
QUOTE
Plame probe update
There are so many interesting developments in the federal grand jury investigation into who outed CIA officer Valerie Plame, we can barely keep up. Here's a round-up of news on that front from the last few days:
Newsday reported on Saturday that \"a transcript subpoenaed in the CIA leak probe reveals the White House press operation began efforts to personally discredit former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV days before a columnist blew the cover of his CIA-officer wife.\"
That piece came one day after Newsday reported that \"the federal grand jury probing the [Plame] leak … has subpoenaed records of Air Force One telephone calls in the week before the officer's name was published in a column in July … Also sought in the wide-ranging document requests contained in three grand jury subpoenas to the Executive Office of President George W. Bush are records created in July by the White House Iraq Group, a little-known internal task force established in August 2002 to create a strategy to publicize the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. And the subpoenas asked for a transcript of a White House spokesman's press briefing in Nigeria, a list of those attending a birthday reception for a former president, and, casting a much wider net than previously reported, records of White House contacts with more than two dozen journalists and news media outlets.\"
The subpoena list includes: Robert Novak, \"Crossfire,\" \"Capital Gang\" and the Chicago Sun-Times; Knut Royce and Timothy M. Phelps, Newsday; Walter Pincus, Richard Leiby, Mike Allen, Dana Priest and Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post; Matthew Cooper, John Dickerson, Massimo Calabresi, Michael Duffy and James Carney, Time magazine; Evan Thomas, Newsweek; Andrea Mitchell, \"Meet the Press,\" NBC; Chris Matthews, \"Hardball,\" MSNBC; Tim Russert, Campbell Brown, NBC; Nicholas D. Kristof, David E. Sanger and Judith Miller, The New York Times; Greg Hitt and Paul Gigot, The Wall Street Journal; John Solomon, The Associated Press; and Jeff Gannon, Talon News.
On Friday, Josh Marshall pulled out an exchange from the White House press briefing in which spokesman Scott McClellan wrestles with a question on whether it's acceptable to the White House for staffers to plead the Fifth if questioned in the Plame case. Marshall's conclusion: \"I think we can infer pretty clearly that [McClellan's] boss is not willing to say that his aides shouldn't be taking the fifth when Patrick Fitzgerald's investigators come calling.
In U.S. News, Roger Simon wonders aloud what might happen to the Bush-Cheney ticket \"if, as some fear, the Plame affair gets uglier? … A grand jury is now investigating, and there has been at least one published report quoting an unnamed source saying some of the targets of the probe work or worked for Cheney. That's a long way from toppling a vice president, but those close to the White House say there is some nervousness there. So what if Cheney needed to be replaced for this or health or other reasons? Who would replace him? Certain names leap into play: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and--here's the long shot--National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.\"
-- Geraldine Sealey
[11:04 PST, March 8, 2004]
There are so many interesting developments in the federal grand jury investigation into who outed CIA officer Valerie Plame, we can barely keep up. Here's a round-up of news on that front from the last few days:
Newsday reported on Saturday that \"a transcript subpoenaed in the CIA leak probe reveals the White House press operation began efforts to personally discredit former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV days before a columnist blew the cover of his CIA-officer wife.\"
That piece came one day after Newsday reported that \"the federal grand jury probing the [Plame] leak … has subpoenaed records of Air Force One telephone calls in the week before the officer's name was published in a column in July … Also sought in the wide-ranging document requests contained in three grand jury subpoenas to the Executive Office of President George W. Bush are records created in July by the White House Iraq Group, a little-known internal task force established in August 2002 to create a strategy to publicize the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. And the subpoenas asked for a transcript of a White House spokesman's press briefing in Nigeria, a list of those attending a birthday reception for a former president, and, casting a much wider net than previously reported, records of White House contacts with more than two dozen journalists and news media outlets.\"
The subpoena list includes: Robert Novak, \"Crossfire,\" \"Capital Gang\" and the Chicago Sun-Times; Knut Royce and Timothy M. Phelps, Newsday; Walter Pincus, Richard Leiby, Mike Allen, Dana Priest and Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post; Matthew Cooper, John Dickerson, Massimo Calabresi, Michael Duffy and James Carney, Time magazine; Evan Thomas, Newsweek; Andrea Mitchell, \"Meet the Press,\" NBC; Chris Matthews, \"Hardball,\" MSNBC; Tim Russert, Campbell Brown, NBC; Nicholas D. Kristof, David E. Sanger and Judith Miller, The New York Times; Greg Hitt and Paul Gigot, The Wall Street Journal; John Solomon, The Associated Press; and Jeff Gannon, Talon News.
On Friday, Josh Marshall pulled out an exchange from the White House press briefing in which spokesman Scott McClellan wrestles with a question on whether it's acceptable to the White House for staffers to plead the Fifth if questioned in the Plame case. Marshall's conclusion: \"I think we can infer pretty clearly that [McClellan's] boss is not willing to say that his aides shouldn't be taking the fifth when Patrick Fitzgerald's investigators come calling.
In U.S. News, Roger Simon wonders aloud what might happen to the Bush-Cheney ticket \"if, as some fear, the Plame affair gets uglier? … A grand jury is now investigating, and there has been at least one published report quoting an unnamed source saying some of the targets of the probe work or worked for Cheney. That's a long way from toppling a vice president, but those close to the White House say there is some nervousness there. So what if Cheney needed to be replaced for this or health or other reasons? Who would replace him? Certain names leap into play: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and--here's the long shot--National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.\"
-- Geraldine Sealey
[11:04 PST, March 8, 2004]
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.