Conservative Attack Group Riling Democrats
Wash Times:
Democrats are trying to chase from the political playing field a new conservative group expected to spend tens of millions of dollars this year attacking liberal candidates.
Using accusations of links to gambling and “forced abortions,” the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is striving to make the group, Freedom’s Watch, too toxic for Republicans to stomach.
“House Republicans and Republican candidates need to decide whether they can afford to partner with Freedom’s Watch, a group that embodies the Republicans’ culture of corruption by consistently breaking the law and is bankrolled by money that is inconsistent with their values,” said Jennifer Crider, communications director for the DCCC.
Billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson is the principal financial backer for the group, which has taken a major role in attacking Democratic candidates in recent special congressional elections.
Faced with the group’s deep pockets, the DCCC has fired off mail and broadcast ads highlighting Mr. Adelson’s gambling interests and ties with China, which they argue is “a country notorious for forced abortions.” Democrats this week filed a third legal challenge to the group with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
“It’s been reported that Freedom’s Watch intends to spend up to $200 million this cycle against congressional Democrats, and that’s money coming from sources that believe very different things than the people in Louisiana, Mississippi and elsewhere across the country,” Miss Crider said.
Freedom’s Watch officials said they would not discuss the organization’s financial wherewithal, but disputed the reports of a budget upward of $200 million. Ed Patru, vice president for communications at Freedom’s Watch, said the effort to sully candidates by association is silly.
“‘Vote against candidate X because he has common values with philanthropist Y, who has business interests in China where, by the way, abortion is legal.’ What a dynamite argument,” Mr. Patru said, adding that the House’s top Democrat is also susceptible to guilt by association. “Given Nancy Pelosi’s relationship with Syria’s [President Bashar] Assad, we’re not surprised her campaign arm is going after one of Israel’s most prolific benefactors.”
“There are numerous degrees of separation between the issues in Mississippi and issues in Chinese provinces. We’re looking forward to getting linked to Kevin Bacon next week,” he said, referring to the parlor game of trying to link movie stars to the ubiquitous actor.
With House Republicans’ own committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), reeling from poor fundraising and an embezzlement scandal, the ads from Freedom’s Watch have filled a gap.
At stake is Democrats’ majority in the House, which they won in 2006 after 12 years in the minority.
Freedom’s Watch is organized under the Internal Revenue Service code, which frees it from certain fundraising limits and reporting requirements that apply to traditional political groups. In 2004, similar liberal groups far outspent conservative ones, though Democrats are still furious over one 527 group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which attacked presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry.
The stated goal of Freedom’s Watch is advancing conservative causes, and Mr. Patru said that includes defending Democrats when they share the same positions. He pointed to ads that the group ran last year defending Rep. Brian Baird, Washington Democrat, against attacks by liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org after Mr. Baird concluded that the surge of troops in Iraq had been a success.
After a staff shake-up earlier this year, Freedom’s Watch has become far more active in day-to-day politics, sending reporters several e-mails a day that attack Democratic leaders.
The group has taken a broader role in electoral politics: In recent months, Freedom’s Watch ran ads boosting Republican Bob Latta, who won a special election for an open congressional seat from Ohio; ran $560,000 in ads attacking Democrat Don Cazayoux, who won a congressional seat from Louisiana last weekend; and is airing an ad in Mississippi’s open congressional district, which holds a special election Tuesday.
To counterattack, the DCCC sent 20,000 pieces of mail in Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District to Republican and independent households tying the Republican candidate, Woody Jenkins, to Mr. Adelson.
“A casino mogul who made his money in Las Vegas uses it in a country that forces its citizens to have abortions and for Woody Jenkins,” reads one mailing.
In March, Mr. Adelson ranked 12th on Forbes’ list of wealthiest people in the world with a net worth of $26 billion. He runs several casinos, including two in Macao, a Chinese territory.
The DCCC has also filed complaints arguing that Freedom’s Watch and the NRCC coordinated their campaigns, which would violate federal laws, has charged that the group goes beyond the activities allowed by IRS code, and this week filed a complaint that Freedom’s Watch didn’t file the right forms from its ads in Louisiana.
Freedom’s Watch said the forms were filed, and the FEC has been slow to post them. Both Freedom’s Watch and the NRCC said the collaboration charge is wrong.
“If Democrats want to waste their time and resources on filing politically motivated complaints, then we hope they continue to do so. Their obsession with this conspiracy theory has gone from being ridiculous to the point of sheer lunacy,” said Ken Spain, the NRCC press secretary.
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Methinks the Dhimmis is spooked…
May 9th, 2008 at 10:00 amThe sorospuppet party, the party of moveon.org and media matters and A.C.O.R.N., the party of leftards and communist sympathizers and islamofascist appeasers, the party of slavery and segregation and Jim Crow, the party, because of it’s legacy of Tamany Hall and Daley’s machine literally defines corruption, doesn’t like being exposed to the light of day and voter scrutiny…so they try and silence the opposition.
Boo fuk’n hoo. Cry me a fuk’n river.
It’s interesting to note that the FEC basically has ceased to function because it does not have quorum. Why doesn’t it have a quorum? Because B. Hussein NObama has held up the appointment of Hans von Spakovsky. And why has B. Hussein NObama held up the appointment of Mr. von Spakovsky? Because Mr. von Spakovsky backs voter I.D. laws, which, the Supreme Court has just ruled constitutional.
So taking any complaints the the FEC essentially amounts to…pissing in the wind.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:18 amEd Patru’s comments are priceless. Do the demotwits really wanna start talking about funding sources? Abso-Soros-ly not.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:20 amBOO F’ING HOO…. Charles: I think the “NObama” would be a good slogan…
May 9th, 2008 at 10:21 amAwwwwww. Moveon, with its links to far left groups, convicted felon soros, and terrorism is OKey dokey but freedoms watch, a patriotic veterans group is forbidden. What a pack of hypocritical, corrupt, ball lickers.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:24 amI wonder how long it will take McLame and company to distance themselves from Freedom Watch and try to pressure them to stop the ads? McLame better wake the hell up or else
May 9th, 2008 at 10:50 amwe are going to end up with the SOCK MONKEY as prsident.
Well put! ..NObama
Dummocrats don’t like when they same tools they use, are used against them…..If it’s to be a mudslinging event I’ll warrant the mud that can be dragged up and hurled at the Dummo’s is quite a bit deeper, and has a foul odor about it as well. Go Freedom’s Watch!…let the fun begin!
May 9th, 2008 at 11:12 amThank you to Mr. Sheldon Adelson! now it’s time for Thunderdome!
May 9th, 2008 at 11:37 amIt’s about time that someone else played Soros’ game and raised the ante.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:49 pmHe could run some ads attacking the Dems as the reason oil and gas is so high because of them blocking our drilling. the ads could say if you want lower gas prices vote out the dems. Doesn’t cost money except the gas used to go vote, but vote them out, drilling gets approved, and gas prices come down. High gas prices are hurting a lot that have out of blind habit voted for the dems.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pmdemorats really think were going to buy into their bullshit and reject this group. Once again they justify the logo of their party
May 10th, 2008 at 12:24 am