In the wake of Citizens United, ad spending has been ridiculously lopsided during this election cycle.
In Senate races, Republican-leaning interest groups outspent Democratic-leaning ones on television $10.9 million to $1.3 million, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 8, according to Campaign Media Analysis Group, a company that tracks political advertising.
In the House, Republican-leaning groups outspent Democratic-leaning ones, $3.1 million to $1.5 million.
Right in the middle of all of this spending is American Crossroads, the Karl Rove organization created post-Citizens United to collect big donations from big money donors for the sole purpose of defeating candidates with ugly, negative, expensive commercials. Of course, they love to play the innocent game...
“The groups that perfected this were on the Democratic side,” said Steven Law, president and chief executive of American Crossroads, a Republican-oriented advocacy group, and its sister organization, Crossroads GPS. Crossroads GPS has been the biggest third-party player on television by far since early August.
Well, progressives aren't sitting still for it, and I'm glad to see it. That "wanted poster" image is the real deal. It offers a $100,000 reward for:
"information leading to the arrest and conviction of Karl Rove or any principal of American Crossroads for money laundering, election rigging, or felony campaign finance violations."
The campaign is being conducted by American Crossroads Watch, an offshoot of Velvet Revolution, which promotes issues key to many progressives activists and represents the political will of dozens of organizations and unions nation-wide.
Their first wide target is none other than Carly Fiorina:
In trying to warn candidates away from accepting the support of Rove's group, American Crossroads Watch also launched an Internet ad targeting former executive Carly Fiorina, now a California Republican Party nominee to the U.S. Senate. A list of "targets" was posted on the Crossroads Watch Web site and supporters were urged to contact the candidates and emphasize their opposition to Rove's "laundered" money and "dirty tricks.
[oldembed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/AEU9RUtwWVc" width="400" height="241" resize="1" fid="21"]
Oh, and you can sign the letters of complaint to the DOJ and Congress when you visit their site, too.
Them's fightin' words. It's good to see. More, please.
