Swiftboaters open their wallets once again, targeting Harry Reid and Robin Carnahan
American Crossroads has Harry Reid and Robin Carnahan in the crosshairs, and they're not afraid to shoot the big guns.
The announced goal of American Crossroads is to raise at least $52 million to help two to three dozen Senate and House candidates in key races in November. This afternoon, the group will begin airing two new television issue ads in Missouri and Nevada. Each ad is slated to run for three weeks and the combined buys total just over $2 million.
The ads, both focusing in part on this year’s big health care overhaul, are designed to defeat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada and Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan in Missouri. American Crossroads has already spent some $600,000 on ads in Nevada attacking Reid on different issues, one of which was criticized by independent analysts for using information that was outdated and inaccurate.
Attack ads on "issues" always get traction with some voters, and they're aiming at the soft underbelly of health care reform and unemployment to soften support for Reid.
The more concerning aspect of their campaign is a concentrated "get out the vote" effort aimed at conservative independent voters in their state. They will spare no expense, and are able to do it, mostly because of this:
The new fundraising total for American Crossroads includes monies hauled in by two separate units: the group’s original “527” arm, and its more recently launched 501(c)(4) affiliate, known as Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies or Crossroads GPS, Law said. The new totals reflect a dramatic rise from late June, when those units reported having raised a combined total of $9.8 million. Each arm of the group can legally accept unlimited donations from individuals and companies, but a 527 has to file monthly reports on its contributions with the IRS. The 501 (c)(4) provides donors anonymity and does not have to file any federal reports until early 2011.
The 501(c)(4) entity is a non-profit "civic organization", and the delay in reporting contributions means they can disguise the underlying donors and remain anonymous through next year. Even then, if they follow the same route that the Adam Smith Foundation and others have taken, they won't disclose the names of donors anyway, but will only disclose donation amounts.
The July filing for the 527 organization reports two $1 million dollar donations. Harold Simmons, funder and architect of the Swiftboat scheme that undermined John Kerry's bid for President, and Jerry Perenchio, Gray Davis supporter until he spent millions for Arnold Schwarzenegger to unseat him in the notorious California coup.
There are some common threads running through all of the major funding by Republicans for these "attack issue" ads. The largest donors are on the "Forbes 400" list, they're tied heavily and directly into the US Chamber of Commerce, and they're not afraid to spend heavily and play dirty.
Whatever one may think about Harry Reid, Sharron Angle's election to the Senate would be an unmitigated disaster, and in Missouri, Roy Blunt's election would perpetuate Abramoff corruption schemes for at least six more years.
hypocrites!! they (Dr laura) cry about the liberals (Media Matters) set up to destroy them but ride on the backs of these guys!!
Good piece and no surprise.
It'll get worse. You can bank on that.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Oh and btw,
FUCK HARRY REID.
robin carnahan... why does that name ring a bell?
ohh!!!
right, she is the democrat that doesn't want the bush tax cuts for the uber-wealthy to expire. "Now is not the time to be doing anything to raise taxes."
i am surprised the swifties are attacking her, seems like they might have an ally.
Conservative and not, all at the same time.
Voters would elect Sharon Angle? The woman is a moron, and totally unqualified for any public office.
Nevadans cannot be that stupid...........can they?
I know the thought of it happening is more than difficult to imagine. She's more like a character in a bad tv comedy than a political person. I almost feel like if they want to elect her they deserve what they get but the rest of us don't.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
where the angry mob will elect anyone that they believe thinks like them. That is - white, uber-christian, uber-patriotic, keep your hands off what is mine. They see things changing around them at hyper speed and they want to gather their forces, pull in the drawbridge, and man the ramparts.
I wonder if this money would slow down if they dont get to keep their tax cuts? Probably not.
Or deduct it from their taxes.
it's all about winning for them. They hate liberals. They hate government. That's what drives them, not tax cuts.
I agree, Karoli. This is about nothing except the hate and fear of the left. They have been told the left is going to ruin their lives without realizing the left is responsible for many of the things they treasure in their lives.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
It's all about POWER.
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
come on defending reid.
the man is spineless.
if there is a perfect example of ineffective leadership it would be reid.
if we looked up spineless leader there would be a pic of reid.
that man could have 80 votes and not pass anything.
a leader he is not but then the white house has shown little if any leadership and pretty much lost his base.
this election with reid and whats her name is a vote for the least effective person.
she is a nut case and reid is spineless take your pick NE.
I would take a weak person over a certifiably crazy person any day.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
sink their boat swiftly.
We never had 60. And changing the rules is a bad idea. Yeah it might give short term gratification but, it also put deceptiCons 10 votes closer to a majority. Think! And get your ass out there and vote. Make the blue dogs irrelevant.
Take care of your state.
Robin Carnahan, that evil Obama hugger...
Did you know that "She has accepted ONE million dollars from special interests!!!!!!" And Blunt approved this message. What gall!
All I keep thinking is, when does Blunt tell us how many millions of dollars HE has received from special interests over the years, beginning with his family's lobbying jobs. Robin's one million pales by comparison.
Blunt ran ads attacking Carnahan during HIS primary because he KNEW he was going to win his primary.
I live in Kansas, near the border, and we have been subjected to this nonsense for months and, heaven help us, it is only August.
Our fine Senator Brownback who is running for Governor is so confident we haven't seen an ad from him yet. He has actually been touring the state though, a rarity. He apparently has a plan for the state. Haven't found out what it is yet. Probably not good.
corporate persons, citizens united, etc.
slightly off-topic, but found something about corporate personhood while researching 14th amendment.
"Citizens of the United States within the meaning of this Amendment must be natural and not artificial persons; a corporate body is not a citizen of the United States."
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constituti...
go to footnote 14, click and it takes you to the passage.
the vice president was in stl today, robin wasn't with him and he never mentioned her name.
what god wants, god gets! god help us all.
I wonder if the most difficult part of the response to such efforts will be the get-out-the-vote part. For example, Reid caved on the Muslim community center (it is not a mosque!). I can understand the political efficacy of that. I'd vote for him anyway. But contributing to his campaign? working the phones, the streets, and the transportation to get out the vote? My reason would be in it, but not my heart.
Those Rob Portman ads are coming from the same cesspool. Hey didn't that supreme court asshat say that The President was off base with his Citizens United comment?
Citizens united my aunt fanny. And folks, it's only August.
Harry seldom misses an opportunity to expose his soft yellow underbelly. Shows what little Republicans have if they can't defeat him.
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