If You Can't Join 'Em, Part 2

Back in early August (nearly a lifetime, it seems, in candidate-years), I wrote about Accountable America, the latest effort by one-time MoveOn organizer Tom Matzzie.

Big-money people on the Left were worried that none of their independent groups seemed to be getting traction, and new Swift Boat-style groups on the Right might swamp them -- and Barack Obama too. Matzzie's solution: Send letters to conservative high-rollers, warning them not to get tangled up with aggressive, fly-by-night organizations that might cross the legal lines.

That August post was titled "If You Can't Join 'Em, Beat 'Em?"

And now someone on the Right has started doing essentially the same thing.

It's Howard Rich, a libertarian real estate investor from Manhattan who's best known among politicos for bankrolling state initiatives. Now he's sent letters to, by his count, several thousand big liberal donors, warning them that he's watching. The key sentences:

As a donor to one or more of these organizations and efforts, you have been able to engage in these activities without notice, operating in relative obscurity. I am writing to inform you that this will no longer be the case.

Rich told me he's looking at groups that push the legal limits, because as a donor, "if you're supporting a group that's into some illegal activity, that, you know, might not be good for you."

As for Matzzie at Accountable America, he's thoughtfully posted both the letter and a two-page legal memorandum that Rich sends with it. He says he looks forward to citing the legal memo from a conservative law firm.

(Just to keep Accountable accountable, we checked into Matzzie's fellow board members. They are Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America's Future and a founder of the lefties' annual Take Back America conference, and Zach Exley, former tech guru for MoveOn.org and John Kerry's 2004 campaign. The group was incorporated by the AFL-CIO's campaign-law attorney.)

There is a serious issue here: Whether Matzzie and Rich both are trying to chill free speech. They say no, of course; they just want everyone to play by the rules. But they and many donors are mindful of 2005, when the Federal Election Commission went after Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, MoveOn and some other groups. The commission sent subpoenas to donors, and donors didn't like it.

Rich is one of the lower-profile moneymen in American politics. He's launched this donor-surveillance campaign in his role as chairman of Americans for Limited Government. He's also on the board of Club For Growth. But if his name rings any sort of bell with you, it's probably because he financed much of the term limits movement in the 1990s. This cycle, he's focused on property-rights ballot initiatives in California and several other states.

And watchdogging all those limousine liberals with their checkbooks.

-- Peter Overby

10:14 PM ET | 09-30-2008 | permalink

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September Saw Smorgasbord Of Attack Ads

New ads and new groups burst onto TV screens in September. Independent groups bought about $23 million worth of election-oriented airtime during the month, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group. Let's take a look back...

T. Boone Pickens has been burning a hole in his pocket, if not the ozone. After he bought more than $5 million worth of airtime in September for his campaign advocating wind power and natural gas, we wondered whether Boone would go dark -- he was hit with big financial losses at his day job. Now the wondering is over. Boone spent nearly another million dollars on advertising on the day of the presidential debate last week to propel viewers to his plan.

Boone, a longtime Republican mega-donor, recently said something we never though we'd hear him say: "Whether you're supporting the Democrat or the Republican, I don't care."

Most of the other groups buying airtime tend to care a lot more.

On the left, the Service Employees International Union is the top spender in the presidential race, with $1.3 million in airtime attacking McCain on the economy.

On the right, the prize goes to newcomer Rightchange.com, which spent nearly $900,000 on an obtuse anti-Obama ad and just announced a new one. The 527 is run by Republican state legislators in North Carolina and a pharmaceutical executive who provides the funding.

The runner-up on the right is Vets For Freedom, which spent close to $600,000 on ads critical of Obama in September. The latest of the group's increasingly hard-hitting ads accuses Obama of having "skipped" 45 percent of Senate votes while managing "to show up to vote against emergency funding for our troops." As usual for VFF, the ad is worded to be about legislation -- a Senate resolution praising the surge -- rather than about the White House race. Still, the ad makes several points that mirror a McCain campaign attack ad, which was deconstructed by Factcheck.org. Vets For Freedom plans a $2.2 million national buy -- starting with heavy emphasis on California, a state that has been considered a sure bet for Obama.

You don't always need to spend a lot to get a lot of attention. Both MoveOn.org and Born Alive Truth got a big bang this month for few bucks. But Brave New Films is probably the best example. The political film company created a ruckus with an ad focusing on McCain's skin cancer. The ad was so hot it was rejected by CNN, bashed by Fox and dropped after a debut on MSNBC. Airtime cost: $5,000. Attention: priceless.

Check out Senate ads after the jump...

Continue reading "September Saw Smorgasbord Of Attack Ads" »

9:55 PM ET | 09-30-2008 | permalink

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Unions Unleash The Troops For Obama

The nation's most powerful labor unions are ratcheting up their efforts to elect Barack Obama with massive voter outreach campaigns.

The AFL-CIO labor federation announced a new assault on John McCain today, saying it will blanket battleground states with mail, phone calls and personal visits to sway swing voters in the Democratic direction.

A mailer (below) hammering McCain on his health care plan is going out to union voters in Colorado, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida. The slogan on the back of the mailer says, "John McCain Isn't For Us."

Another million flyers will be distributed at workplaces. Volunteers aim to make more than 150,000 phone calls and visit homes throughout the Midwest.

Separately, the Service Employees International Union reported spending $500,000 on Sunday to canvass voters in support of Obama. Both SEIU and the AFL-CIO have said this year's efforts will be their largest voter mobilization campaigns ever.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports today on union payments in recent years to political firms and nonprofits with personal connections to the union's leadership. We tracked SEIU's current web of political influence and money here.

-- Will Evans

4:05 PM ET | 09-30-2008 | permalink

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Enough With The Bungee-Jumping. Let's Attack.

It was just two weeks ago that RightChange.com from North Carolina ran this cryptic ad: Ordinary Joe stops traffic on bridge, delivers tax rant over bullhorn, then falls over the side... to be saved by the Bungee Cord of Magical Realism.

RightChange's real message was at its website: It says Barack Obama's tax plans are bad for Americans. And now the group has put message on the air, and in a much harsher -- and more slippery -- delivery than what appears online. A hasty viewing of the ad gives the impression that in an Obama administration, small businesses would pay tax rates of 62 percent.

RightChange presents this as a nationwide ad buy. We'll see later how much money they commit to it. The group intends to sidestep restrictions on campaign-season ads by telling viewers to call Obama's Senate office if they're unhappy with his presidential campaign.

-- Peter Overby

11:22 AM ET | 09-30-2008 | permalink

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McCain, GOP Senators Challenged On Pay Equity For Women

It's been nearly three years since Samuel Alito was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, but now the liberal advocacy group People for the American Way is citing his record as a reason women should vote against John McCain for president.

The warnings come in radio ads just launched, highlighting the equal-pay case of Lilly Ledbetter. Alito wrote the majority opinion last year, when the high court rejected her complaint that she'd been paid less than her male co-workers at a Goodyear tire plant. The majority opinion said she hadn't filed the case in time.

The radio ad says, "Tell John McCain we need judges who will protect fair pay for women -- and won't play politics with our paychecks."

Democrats have rallied to Ledbetter's cause. Barack Obama has taken it up. Ledbetter spoke at the Democratic National Convention and recently testified at a Senate hearing.

People for the American Way has similar ads targeting five GOP senators who face tough challenges: Susan Collins of Maine, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, Ted Stevens of Alaska, Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Sununu of New Hampshire. Listen to those ads here.

More on People for the American Way after the jump...

Continue reading "McCain, GOP Senators Challenged On Pay Equity For Women" »

11:12 AM ET | 09-30-2008 | permalink

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Anti-Estate Tax Group Pounds Louisiana Democrat

A group that has fought against the estate tax for years just launched its first TV ad of the election season, against the only endangered Democratic Senate incumbent, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

The American Family Business Institute, blames Landrieu for opposing oil exploration and supporting the estate tax, which conservatives call the "death tax." The ad says, "We're ready to get to work, ready to hire, ready to explore, ready to drill. But Mary Landrieu stands in the way." (A Chamber of Commerce ad, incidentally, has recently praised Landrieu's record on energy exploration.)

Formed in 1994, the institute's sole aim is the death of the estate tax. In the past, it received $500,000 from Raymond Harbert, heir to a construction fortune who runs an Alabama-based investment firm. Harbert served as the institute's "funding chairman," but apparently is no longer with the group. Portfolio magazine currently profiles Habert as a leader of a "shareholder assault" on the New York Times Company.

More information after the jump...

Continue reading "Anti-Estate Tax Group Pounds Louisiana Democrat" »

6:19 PM ET | 09-29-2008 | permalink

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Anti-Abortion Group Targets Democratic Senate Hopefuls

Enter the conservative values voters. The Susan B. Anthony List has rolled out more radio ads targeting Democratic candidates for Senate in battleground states. The ads run on Christian radio, telling listeners that the Democrats -- in that catchphrase of the social right -- don't "share our values."

An ad lambasting Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), running for Senate in one of the hottest races in the country, features a mother and daughter getting coffee:

Daughter: I'll have a large, no-foam, triple, skim latte. Mom?
Mother: (chuckles) I don't even know how to order here. (sighs) I feel sick anyway.
Daugher: (impatiently) What now?
Mom: It's that Mark Udall fellow...Do you know he voted to allow partial birth abortions six times?
Daughter: Abortion in the ninth month? That will make you sick.

The mother and daughter also show up for coffee in North Carolina, where the mother is sick about Kay Hagan, who's challenging Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole. That race is surprisingly tight right now.

The List also has new ads against Senate candidates Bruce Lunsford in Kentucky and Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, plus incumbent Mary Landrieu (D-LA). Listen to them here.

The Susan B. Anthony List exists to promote anti-abortion Republican women candidates. It was formed after the 1992 elections, when EMILY's List helped to elect a large contingent of pro-choice Democratic women to Congress. It stumbled and reorganized in 1997 as 501(c)(4) advocacy group with attached political action committee.

The leadership is thick with political connections and experience. Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president, formerly worked as staff director for the Congressional Pro-life Caucus. The executive committee is chaired by Cesar Conda, a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, and Barbara Comstock, a well-known political consultant whom the Washington Post once called a "one-woman wrecking crew targeting Democratic leaders" when she worked for the Republican National Committee. The committee includes the wives of several GOP lawmakers and consultants.

-- Will Evans

3:51 PM ET | 09-29-2008 | permalink

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Welcome To Our New 'Hood

NPR's new social media software goes online today. You can guess what that means: changes in how you comment and how we respond. It's part of the infrastructure of our new on-line community.

Some of the big differences:

- Before you comment, you'll have to register and create a public profile. That's the downside.

- Your comments will go up immediately, not sit around waiting someone here to hit "publish."

- You can comment on broadcast and web-based stories, not just blog posts. You can also recommend stories.

- Your comments may turn up on the NPR home page or as highlights on a story page.

- You can link with NPR staff and other users through their public profiles (including me, as soon as I get time to create my own profile).

NPR's Web guru, Dick Meyer, has written a column about the changes. And if you want to plunge into the NPR social scene, you can go straight to the faqs or the registration page.

Will and I hope these changes spur, not restrain, the conversation.

Thanks.

-- Peter Overby

10:53 AM ET | 09-29-2008 | permalink

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Clarion Responds, As New Details Emerge About "Radical Islam" DVD

We had a story on the air this morning about the mass distribution of an inflamatory DVD on radical Islam, which critics say is intended to help John McCain's presidential bid. The video documentary was blasted out by the Clarion Fund, an obscure New York-based charity.

Clarion wouldn't return our phone calls before the story aired. But today it hired a PR firm, which quickly issued this statement in response to our story:

The Clarion Fund has one goal: educate the public about the threat of Islamic terrorism. Obsession is the film opponents of free speech don't want you to see. Terrorist attacks don't distinguish between political parties- they kill everyone. America needs to know the truth about the threat without censorship.

Clarion's new voice is Hank Sheinkopf, a long-time Democratic consultant in New York, who worked on President Clinton's re-election campaign. The choice of a Democratic flak is a smart move, since critics have said Clarion is covertly trying to help elect Republican McCain. That kind of active political work would violate its 501(c)(3) charity exemption.

As we reported, one of the promoters of the DVD is Joe Wierzbicki, who is active in two anti-Obama political action committees.

One group, Move America Forward, recently produced an ad we already showcased. The other, Our Country Deserves Better PAC, just put up a Web video contending that Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin has more executive experience than Barack Obama. "All Barack Obama has ever run," it says, "has been his mouth." The video, which runs over 3 minutes, goes into a blooper reel of Obama's gaffes, tongue-tied moments and controversial comments.

More after the jump...

Continue reading "Clarion Responds, As New Details Emerge About "Radical Islam" DVD" »

7:42 PM ET | 09-26-2008 | permalink

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Freedom's Watch Skewers Dem With His Own Words

It was only last April that a New York Times headline said of Freedom's Watch, "Great Expectations for a Conservative Group Seem All but Dashed." But the group seems like it's on a roll these days.

True, it's not active in the presidential race as was originally expected. But it's advertising in several House and Senate races. This month alone, it spent about $600,000 this month bashing the Democratic Senate candidates in Oregon and Colorado. We've already looked at the new ad in Colorado. Now here's the latest by Freedom's Watch in Oregon.

The ad showcases a clip of Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley saying, "I advocate for tax hikes every night in living rooms across Oregon." This soundbite is so sweet, the ad runs it three times in 30 seconds. Merkley's opponent, Republican incumbent Gordon Smith had already used it in an attack ad of his own.

But when Smith's ad went up, a reporter for the Oregonian called it a "pretty clever case of selective editing," because Merkley was actually talking about closing tax loopholes on corporations and the wealthy.

Ah, details.

-- Will Evans

12:00 PM ET | 09-26-2008 | permalink

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One Not-So-Simple Question For McCain And Obama

A campaign co-founded by U2's Bono, and backed with Gates and Google money, wants Barack Obama and John McCain to answer one question: "What will you do about global poverty and disease?"

It's a question with many parts, obviously. The ONE Campaign wants to stop the spread of malaria and AIDS, and to improve access to education and safe drinking water around the world. So it needs to make the American people care and persuade the next president to act. Right now the campaign's starting small, with that question and a petition.

Roughly 100,000 people signed the petition, which demands that the question be asked at tomorrow's presidential debate. And, perhaps in case that doesn't work (apparently only two questions about extreme poverty have been asked at debates since 1960), ONE is asking the question itself with a TV ad running on cable and continuing through the last presidential debate in mid-October.

Maybe the middle of a financial meltdown isn't the best time to ask people to contemplate malaria. But ONE has been planning -- and financing -- this campaign for a long time.

Google gave ONE $3 million this year "to ensure global health and development issues, specifically the need to conquer malaria, are prominently represented in 2008 U.S. presidential election campaigns." The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated $22 million last year, according to the Foundation Center.

Also last year, ONE appointed a Gates Foundation exec as its new CEO. And it merged with Bono's organization DATA, which stands for Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa. DATA are the same folks who brought us (PRODUCT) RED -- they really like capitalized letters -- which is the brand that raises money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

John McCain might have a leg up on answering ONE's question, since he talked it over yesterday with Bono.

-- Will Evans

6:01 PM ET | 09-25-2008 | permalink

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MoveOn Hits McCain When He's Gone Silent

John McCain may have suspended his campaign so he can help save the economy, but that hasn't stopped MoveOn.org from blaming the mess on him and his allies.

In terms of production values, the ad is a bit rough around the edges. It plays on McCain's fondness for the phrase "my friends," bringing in campaign manager Rick Davis, former senator Phil Gramm and, of course, President Bush.

The ad comes from MoveOn's political action committee, which means it's financed with small, reportable contributions. The group says it's spending $100,000 to put it on national cable.

-- Peter Overby

5:42 PM ET | 09-25-2008 | permalink

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The Politics Of Skin Cancer

It's not the economy, stupid. It's not even national security. It's... skin cancer.

That's the issue that two liberal political action committees want to put on the presidential campaign agenda.

Brave New PAC and Democracy For America -- the duo that brought us McCain's fellow POW who doesn't think McCain is fit to serve -- have a new ad on MSNBC focusing on the candidate's medical condition.

In May, McCain's campaign let some reporters peruse his medical records for three hours, and the campaign presented doctors who pronounced him healthy and his melanoma unlikely to return. This ad questions all of that. It shows photos of McCain with scars and bandages on his face, accompanied by ominous background music and the text: "John McCain is 72 years old and had cancer 4 times."

Two doctors appear to question McCain's ability to serve as president -- or even survive -- IF the skin cancer comes back strong.

The ad is part of a broader campaign to get McCain to release his medical records to the public. Brave New Films, the 501(c)(4) affiliated with Brave New PAC, boasts a petition including 2,500 doctors saying the records should be released more broadly.

More after the jump...

Continue reading "The Politics Of Skin Cancer" »

3:18 PM ET | 09-25-2008 | permalink

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Trash-Talking The Colorado Senate Contenders

It's a tough choice for Colorado's Senate seat. There's Democrat Mark Udall, who won't protect us against terrorists. And then there's Republican Bob Schaffer, who doesn't care if sweatshop workers are forced to have abortions. Must be true, right? It said so on TV...

Two harsh new ads are out in the red-hot Senate race, one from casino-magnate-funded Freedom's Watch hitting Udall and the other from union-funded Patriot Majority taking on Schaffer.

The Freedom's Watch ad starts with scenes of gun-toting crowds and flag-burning in the Mideast: "Radical Islamic terrorists. They hate us, and want us to die. We have to be strong, and ready. But Mark Udall? He voted no on the Patriot Act; no to funding body armor; no to strenthening border security." Just to make things clear, the ad throws in images of the leaders of Iran and North Korea, plus Osama bin Laden, whom the ad places in crosshairs.

The ad comes on the heels of a mass mailing of DVDs by another group, warning of radical Islam. Though the DVDs didn't mention candidates, the issue is clearly just one step away from an attack ad.

Check out Patriot Majority's anti-Schaffer ad after the jump...

Continue reading "Trash-Talking The Colorado Senate Contenders" »

2:00 PM ET | 09-25-2008 | permalink

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With Pickens Facing Losses, Will Wind Campaign Deflate?

This wasn't part of the Pickens Plan.

T. Boone Pickens, the Texas billionaire who is bankrolling a massive media campaign for alternative energy, has taken a huge hit to his investments, according to the Wall Street Journal. "It's my toughest run in 10 years," said Pickens, whose funds have lost $1 billion this year, including $270 million in personal losses.

If that means he'll tone down his wind energy ad campaign, it could be oddly welcome news to Republicans. Though Pickens is a longtime Republican donor who helped fund the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads against John Kerry in 2004, this year he's only been getting in the way. His latest ad essentially counters the "Drill Here, Drill Now" message trumpeted by McCain and Newt Gingrich and used by conservative groups like the American Future Fund to criticize Democrats.

The ad (below) says, "The big debate in Washington now is whether or not to drill. I say, 'Drill, drill, drill.' But the debate misses the point. Either way, we'll still be dependent on foreign oil."

Pickens spent roughly $6 million on three weeks of air time for the ad, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group. But the "Pickens Plan" ads dropped off the air on Sept. 15. Could it be that pesky $1 billion loss? Stay tuned.

-- Will Evans

6:06 PM ET | 09-24-2008 | permalink

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Political Pizza

Sometimes, even pizza can be partisan.

In its campaign against Rep. Steve Pearce, the Republican candidate for Senate in New Mexico, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund filed a new government disclosure this week:

Expenditure Description: pizza for canvassers
Date Expended = 09/18/2008
In OPPOSITION to Steve Pearce

The cost for the Pizza Party? $119.12.

So let's see...at Mario's Pizza and Ristorante, which is where the canvassers ate, that'll get you roughly three "giant" pizzas (16 slices each) and one large (8 slices). If each person ate three slices, our calculations show that could feed about 15 canvassers and three supervisors. Steve Pearce better watch out.

-- Will Evans

5:01 PM ET | 09-24-2008 | permalink

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Targeting -- And Maybe Influencing -- Hispanic Voters

A new Spanish-language radio ad recalls Latino icons Roberto Clemente, Selena and Cesar Chavez, then gives a call to action: "This year, it is up to you to decide if we stay where we are or if we continue to move forward...Move foward and vote."

So whom would Selena choose -- Barack Obama or John McCain? The group running the ad campaign, New Policy Institute, is officially nonpartisan and isn't mentioning candidates. But there's little doubt what its motives are.

The Institute is run by Simon Rosenberg, who worked on the presidential campaigns of Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton, as well as at the Democratic National Committee. Rosenberg also founded the New Politics Institute, a liberal think tank, and the New Democrat Network (now simply NDN), an advocacy organization partially funded by unions.

The radio ad is running in Colorado -- and soon in other states, according to the institute. If Coloradans don't want to hear it, they shouldn't listen to Spanish-language radio: the campaign is supposed to be "saturation-level."

This campaign is a project of the Tides Center, a California organization that sponsors a multitude of progressive advocacy programs. Tides is run by Drummond Pike, who co-founded the liberal phone company Working Assets and sits on the board of the Democracy Alliance along with other high-net-worth Democrats.

But what if the radio ads turn out pro-McCain Latino voters? Clearly, the organizers don't worry about that. As NDN's Andres Ramirez wrote in June, "It is clear that McCain has been unable to differentiate and/or distinguish himself from the Latino community's negative view of the GOP. If these trends continue, this will make the five heavily Hispanic states of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida much more Democratic - a shift that, alone, could give Barack Obama the presidency."

-- Will Evans

2:46 AM ET | 09-24-2008 | permalink

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Defenders Of Wildlife, Not Republicans

Nobody's accusing Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) of shooting wolves from planes, but Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund doesn't like him anyway.

The group has a new TV ad out implying that Pearce, who is running for Senate, has some non-wildlife-related ethical problems to explain. The ad, which tries to cram in much more than the usual 30-second blitz of buzz words, says that Pearce chaired a 2003 hearing involving an energy company which, at the same time, was negotiating to buy Pearce's company. The ad suggests that the company bought Pearce's firm at an inflated price. It says, "New Mexico Deserves Answers."

The ad cites a story by Roll Call, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill. But the paper found "no evidence that Pearce has taken any legislative action to specifically benefit" the energy company.

Meanwhile, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) just can't catch a break. More after the jump...

Continue reading "Defenders Of Wildlife, Not Republicans" »

6:32 PM ET | 09-23-2008 | permalink

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Who Is Behind The "Radical Islam" DVD?

The blogosphere is alive with the sound of buzz -- all about an inflammatory DVD on radical Islam being distributed to millions of households at the peak of election season.

Critics are calling the DVD, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," anti-Muslim hate, or politicking, or both. It doesn't mention or even obliquely allude to the presidential candidates. It couldn't, since it was made in 2006. But as whisper campaigns dog Obama with rumors that he's a secret Muslim, the DVD showed up as an insert in some 70 newspapers, with an emphasis in swing states.

The obvious question: Who is behind it?

And the answer: The DVD is distributed by the Clarion Fund, a nonprofit set up by the film's producer, Rabbi Raphael Shore. But not much is known about the group. It's a 501(c)(3) charity, which means it can't engage in partisan politics.
It did apparently have material on its Web site supporting John McCain, but then took it down.

Clarion has connections to Aish HaTorah, a strongly pro-Israel Jewish educational organization promoting Jewish identity and pride. Aish HaTorah has offices in Israel and the U.S.

Clarion's corporate filings in Delaware list the same address as Aish HaTorah New York. Clarion's two directors in 2006 were Shore and Jacob Fetman, who served as Aish's CFO. In 2007, the organization listed its directors as Shore, Henry Harris and Rebecca Kabat. Rabbi Harris is educational director at Aish HaTorah NY and Kabat has also worked for Aish.

Shore himself has worked for Aish HaTora. He told the Washington Times in 1992 that he "went to Israel 10 years ago to try to 'rescue' his twin brother, Ephraim, from Aish HaTorah," because he though it was a "big hoax." Instead, Shore became convinced and joined the organization's management. (Their other brother, David, created Fox's TV show "House.")

Aish's Ephraim Shore has also been president of the organization HonestReporting.com, which, according to Aish's Web site, helped to produce and promote Raphael Shore's film.

But don't ask where the Clarion Fund gets its funding. It's not telling. And with its 501(c)(3) status, it doesn't have to.

-- Will Evans

4:43 PM ET | 09-23-2008 | permalink

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Liberal Groups Outspend Conservatives in Presidential Airtime Battle

The ideal independent-ad buy has two elements: a big splash in press coverage, which is free, and just a few bucks expended buying airtime.

The anti-abortion organization Born Alive Truth pulled that off last week. It got as much press as any group for an ad attacking Obama. But since the ad debuted Sept. 16, the group only spent about $69,000 to air it, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group.

Rightchange.com put out an ad implicitly critical of Obama at the same time. It laid out $420,000 for airtime, but the ad's weirdness -- a bungee-jumping middle-aged guy spouting a dense tax policy message -- just wasn't sexy enough to get much press.

Vets for Freedom also committed $263,000 last week in anti-Obama airtime.

But conservative groups were outspent in the past week, mostly by unions.

The Service Employees International Union alone spent $650,000 to run an ad blasting McCain on the economy.

Moveon.org had the same media success as Born Alive Truth, generating a ton of press before it even started airing its anti-McCain ad., but spending just $82,000 since Sept. 18. Add in relatively small ad buys by Defenders of Wildlife, Planned Parenthood and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the score from the last week, according to CMAG estimates, is:

Liberals = $862,000
Conservatives = $752,000

But the NRA is coming to the rescue.

-- Will Evans

3:02 PM ET | 09-23-2008 | permalink

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Unions Can't Stop Giving To Democratic Operative

Unfortunately for Sen John Sununu (R-NH), Democratic operative Craig Varoga seems to have a never-ending pot of union money to run attack ads against the incumbent.

Varoga oversees a complex network of 527 organizations including Patriot Majority, which has extended its ad buy tying Sununu to President Bush and "Big Oil." Varoga already picked up millions in union money this year.

Now he reports this September bounty:

NRA Aims Ad Campaign At Obama, Biden

The National Rifle Association has launched an aggressive multi-media campaign against Obama, saying he "would be the most anti-gun president in American history."

The campaign, tuned to reach voters in swing states, includes an arsenal of TV, radio and print ads, all available on this website featuring a not-so-flattering photo of Obama.

One TV ad slips in a subtle not-one-of-us message, as a Virginia hunter says, "Now I learn that Barack Obama supports a huge new tax on my guns and ammo...Where is this guy from? He's probably never been hunting a day in his life."

Another features a veteran of the war in Iraq saying, "I served my country on the battlefield to protect our freedoms. There's no way I'm voting for a president who will take them away."

By the way, Factcheck.org says the NRA distorts Obama's positions.

More after the jump...

Continue reading "NRA Aims Ad Campaign At Obama, Biden" »

12:04 AM ET | 09-23-2008 | permalink

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New Group Tied To Oil Industry Runs Ads Promoting Drilling, Attacking Democrat

A new advocacy organization with strong ties to the oil industry is funding pro-drilling radio ads, including one criticizing the energy votes of Colorado Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall.

The recently formed American Energy Alliance is run by Thomas Pyle, a former aide to Republican Tom DeLay who recently lobbied for the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association and Koch Industries.

The group supports free-market energy policies, including increased offshore oil drilling. Its ad says, "Gas prices are hurting Colorado families. But Congressman Mark Udall has voted 34 times against additional energy exploration and production." The ad cost nearly $200,000 according to the group's government filing.

The Alliance also has a new radio ad praising Mississippi's Republican senators, and previously ran ads against Udall and his cousin, Democratic New Mexico Senate candidate Tom Udall.

American Energy Alliance is an offshoot of the Institute for Energy Research, also run by Pyle, who served as a policy analyst for Delay when he was House majority whip. A 501(c)(3) organization, the Institute received $95,000 from ExxonMobil in 2007 and $65,000 the year before. ExxonMobil is no longer a funder, according to the organization. The Institute is also running radio ads promoting drilling.

The Institute has also received money from the Brown Foundation, which was started by the founders of the construction and energy company Brown & Root; the Searle Freedom Trust, funded by the late conservative philanthropist Daniel Searle; and the Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation, which is run by executives of Koch Industries, an oil industry giant.

Wayne Gable, who lobbied for Koch Industries along with Pyle, is on the board of both the Institute and the Alliance. Koch is also behind the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, which has run pro-drilling ads in Senate races.

Several staff members of the Insitute, including Pyle and American Energy Alliance board member Lisa Wallace, previously worked for former Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), who ran the House Committee on Resources and was an arch enemy of environmentalists.

-- Will Evans

6:21 PM ET | 09-22-2008 | permalink

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Abortion Issue Pops Up In Senate Races Too

Abortion is already getting plenty of play in the presidential race. One group is injecting the issue in key Senate races, too.

Susan B. Anthony's List, the anti-EMILY's List, is running radio ads on Christian stations criticizing Democrats for their views on abortion. The group was founded in 1992 and aims to promote pro-life women in politics -- or, as these ads make clear, criticize pro-choice women in politics.

One ad, shown below, criticizes Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for supporting Roe v. Wade. "With millions of unborn lives at stake," it says, "tell Mary Landrieu it's time to vote to protect unborn children, for a change."

Other ads link North Carolina Senate candidate Kay Hagan and Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken to "radical pro-abortion groups" who want to "overturn the ban on gruesome partial birth abortions." Listen to the Hagan ad here and the Franken ad here.

Yet another ad blasts New Hampshire Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen for being "a former board member of a pro-abortion group" that wants to "'force you to pay for abortions with your tax dollars." Listen here.

Susan B. Anthony List is a 501(c)(4) with an affiliated political action committee. It has plans for get-out-the-vote efforts in presidential battleground states. And the group really likes Sarah Palin.

-- Will Evans

3:00 PM ET | 09-20-2008 | permalink

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Culture War Ads Coming Your Way

Even earlier in the cycle than we expected, independent groups are increasingly fighting the presidential race on issues of faith and abortion.

We've had Born Alive Truth attacking Obama and Catholics United attacking McCain.

Now we have a new nonprofit group affiliated with the New York chapter of NARAL Pro-Choice America running anti-McCain ads; the Knights of Columbus criticizing Democrat VP candidate Joe Biden; and a new radio ad burnishing Obama's Christian credentials. It's the cultural battleground of the battleground states, so expect more.

The new group, with the curious name Winning Message Action Fund, shares leadership and an address with NARAL Pro-Choice New York. Its ad quotes McCain saying he opposes Roe v. Wade, then says, "We have questions, John McCain: Will you stand by if states put women in jail? If women are forced back into back alleys?"

The ad is running in Philadelphia through a service that allows ordinary donors to buy air time for as little as $50. The group also has a website that headlines: "If abortion is made illegal the woman having one will be a criminal. How much time should she do?" (Usually, the answer in anti-abortion legislation is no time at all; the doctors are prosecuted and the woman is considered a victim.)

The organization was incorporated this year by board members of New York's NARAL. It was formed as the advocacy arm of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, an affiliate of NARAL NY. Kelli Conlin is the president of all three groups.

More ads and analysis after the jump...

Continue reading "Culture War Ads Coming Your Way" »

6:03 PM ET | 09-19-2008 | permalink

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MoveOn Matches Obama's Message On McCain

When MoveOn.org put up its new anti-McCain video on YouTube a couple days ago, it issued a plea to members: "We can only get it on the air if enough of us chip in. Can you donate?"

I guess they could.

After a bunch of press that likely helped with the fundraising appeal, the ad is now up and running. It mocks McCain's habitual use of the phrase "my friends" in speeches, saying that the friends he's really referring to are the lobbyists connected to his campaign. "So when it comes to gas prices," the ad says, "John McCain won't be taking care of you. He'll be taking care of 'my friends.'"

The ad dovetails beautifully with the Obama campaign's recent push to highlight McCain's ties to lobbyists. Of course, MoveOn and Obama can't legally coordinate, but maybe Democratic minds think alike?

On the other end of the spectrum, a new conservative group called Move America Forward Freedom PAC is trying to raise money to get its own anti-Obama YouTube ad on the air. More after the jump...

Continue reading "MoveOn Matches Obama's Message On McCain" »

3:42 PM ET | 09-19-2008 | permalink

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Pharma Pumps Big Money Into Ad Campaign

The ads by America's Agenda: Health Care for Kids may seem like fuzzy thank-you notes to members of Congress for supporting the State Children's Health Insurance Program. But no one spends this kind of money just to say thanks.

The industry association Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has dropped $11.3 million into the ad campaign, according to a new filing by the group. That pays for a lot, including ads supporting senators running for reelection including Gordon Smith (R-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Max Baucus (D-MT), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Jack Reed (D-RI), as well as Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), who is running for Senate. There are even more ads praising senators not up for reelection and members of the House.

The legislators benefiting from the complimentary ads were chosen because they voted for a bill expanding the children's insurance program (which was vetoed by President Bush) but are under pressure to abandon that support, according to a spokeswoman for America's Agenda.

"We felt these were the ones that needed to be told to continue to support SCHIP," said Nicole Korkolis. "It's a call to action."

The organization is a business-labor coalition, so it's a bit novel that some ads praise Republicans that unions are opposing and others support Democrats that pro-business groups hope to oust. For example, one of the America's Agenda's board members is the head of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. That union helps fund American Rights At Work, a pro-labor group running ads against Republicans Smith and Collins, among others.

Korkolis, though, says this has nothing to do with elections. "It's a coincidence that it's during the election cycle," she says. "We're not trying to support candidates in their races."

Can't hurt though, less than seven weeks before Election Day.

-- Will Evans

7:22 PM ET | 09-18-2008 | permalink

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Union Mailer Landing In Key States

Hoping to swing voters where the swing matters most, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO is dropping 270,000 anti-McCain mailers into Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan.

To get the sense of the demographic it's targeting, just read the mailer:

"I voted for George W. Bush because he promised to change Washington. I'm not falling for the same old line from John McCain." -- Gary Lanahan, School Bus Driver, Vietnam Veteran, U.S. Marine Corps, Purple Heart

The brochure ends with a bold-lettered mantra: "No third term. No McCain." It's put out by Working America, an AFL-CIO organization for non-union members. AFL-CIO rank and file have already got some other mailers.

-- Will Evans

6:27 PM ET | 09-18-2008 | permalink

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Pro-Drilling Group Goes After Republican

Sometimes, even in the hyper-partisan landscape of attack ads, principles can trump party.

The American Future Fund believes in drilling (here and now). And though Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss is a Republican, and though he is up for reelection, AFF won't let him stand in the way. In what appears to be its first effort against a Republican candidate, the group is running a radio ad targeting Chambliss and Georgia's other senator for supporting the "Gang of 10" compromise with Democrats over energy legislation.

Chambliss has already taken a lot of heat from Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives for playing nice with the other side. Chambliss probably needn't worry, though -- the Cook Political Report rates the race "solid Republican."

The AFF ad says the bipartisan compromise plan will impose energy taxes, discouraging oil exploration and costing jobs. The group is running similar ads against Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee (neither is up for reelection), as well as one against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

-- Will Evans

3:11 PM ET | 09-18-2008 | permalink

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U.S. Chamber Hammers Mark Udall Yet Again

Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) is the lucky recipient of a third and more-hard-hitting-than-ever attack ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

This one portrays Udall as a friend of Iran and Venezuela for his votes against U.S. oil exploration. (Udall now supports some new drilling, but that just gets him tarred by his opponent as "U-Turn Udall," which this ad echoes.) The ad concludes, "Every time he's blocked American energy production, he's made the tyrants and sheiks happy. But we've paid the price."

The Chamber of Commerce certainly has paid a price.

It has spent more than $3 million on ads in Senate races since late August, mostly helping Republicans and hurting Democrats. The exception is in Louisiana, where the Chamber spent all of $66,000 supporting Senate Democrat Mary Landrieu. In contrast, the Chamber had already spent $450,000 against Udall before this ad came out, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group.

-- Will Evans

3:09 PM ET | 09-18-2008 | permalink

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Union Casts McCain As Guardian Of Wal-Mart Profits

Just as John McCain tries to make his case to the working-class families of swing states like Michigan, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union has unleashed a new ad casting him as the champion of corporate giveaways.

The ad targets McCain's plan for corporate tax breaks, saying Wal-Mart will net $1.5 billion. It concludes "More Bush-style corporate tax breaks. That's John McCain's solution for America's economy. But isn't that part of the problem?"

The ad will air in Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It's part of the union's WakeUpWalMart.com campaign.

UFCW, which claims 1.3 million members, also helps fund Patriot Majority, which is going after Republicans in congressional races. In 2007, the union gave $70,000 to American Rights At Work, which is currently running ads against vulnerable Republican senators.

Also in 2007, the union gave $275,000 to America's Agenda: Health Care for All, which has a spin-off praising Democrats and Republicans in ads around the country.

-- Will Evans

1:20 PM ET | 09-18-2008 | permalink

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Religion, Politics Mix In Two Ad Campaigns

Update 09/17/08: Read Catholics United's latest tax return here.

Two political religious groups have launched dueling ad campaigns, one attacking Obama and the other McCain.

The Republican Jewish Coalition -- which recently sparked quite a brouhaha with anti-Obama polls -- is running ads in Jewish newspapers that say, "Concerned about Barack Obama? You should be." Oddly, a spokeswoman wouldn't say which newspapers. The most recent ad calls Obama's views on Israel "dangerous." The RJC has ties to many Republican leaders; at the 2004 convention it held a lavish reception honoring Tom DeLay (R-TX), then the House majority leader. One RJC board member is Washington lobbyist Wayne Berman, who's also a national finance committee co-chair for McCain.

Meanwhile, an advocacy group called Catholics United plans to run TV ads, starting Sept. 19, saying that McCain isn't truly pro-life. The ads, targeted to Catholic neighborhoods in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, faults McCain for voting against expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program and for supporting the Iraq war. It features a self-described pro-life mother saying, "Sen. McCain, when will you start defending all human life, without exception?"

More information on both groups, after the jump...

Continue reading "Religion, Politics Mix In Two Ad Campaigns" »

4:59 PM ET | 09-17-2008 | permalink

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Spanish-Language Ads Bash Obama, Support McCain

UPDATE 09/17/08: Read transcripts of the Americas Majority ads here.

A Kansas Republican activist known for controversial ads targeting minority groups is producing numerous Spanish-language radio and TV advertisements criticizing Obama and supporting McCain.

Richard Nadler runs Americas Majority, a 501c4 organization that produced several radio ads for broadcast next week in Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky and Ohio. The group also has TV ads scheduled to run in Wisconsin.

The ads criticize Obama for his votes on Latin American free trade agreements, his opposition to school vouchers, and his position on corporate taxes. One ad, accusing Obama of "playing games" with immigration reform, says in Spanish, "Call Senator Obama. Tell him that we need comprehensive immigration reform now -- not delays that endanger millions of Latinos."

On the flip side, Nadler is also behind PLR PAC, a political action committee founded this year to "promote support for Republican candidates among Latino voters." The PAC's Spanish-language ads boost McCain by positioning him as the Republican who stood up to real "enemies" like anti-illegal immigration crusader Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO).

Nadler won't say where Americas Majority gets its funding, but records show it received $280,000 from Americas Pac in 2006. Nadler founded Americas Pac, a 527 organization, and now serves as its treasurer; it received $100,000 in 2008 from Wisconsin businessman Terry Kohler, who formerly served on the Republican National Committee and has been a financial backer of the Club for Growth. In 2006, Americas Pac received $900,000 from Woodland Group LLC, which has been tied to the late insurance executive and conservative donor-activist J. Patrick Rooney.

More after the jump...

Continue reading "Spanish-Language Ads Bash Obama, Support McCain" »

10:47 AM ET | 09-17-2008 | permalink

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Vets For Freedom Keeps After Obama -- But It's Not Political

Vets For Freedom has a new ad in what's become a series, playing up Barack Obama's opposition to the Iraq surge strategy. A consultant to VFF says it's a national cable buy of $400,000.

The ad contrasts Obama's assessments of the surge with those of Gen. David Petraeus. But then it seems to pull its punch. Instead of a closing line like "Barack Obama: Wrong On The Surge, Wrong On Iraq" (hang around campaigns long enough and you can learn to write this way too), the ad tells viewers to tell Obama to support Senate Resolution 636.

Huh?

Legislative and tax intricacies after the jump....

Continue reading "Vets For Freedom Keeps After Obama -- But It's Not Political" »

10:36 AM ET | 09-17-2008 | permalink

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U.S. Chamber Piles On In Union Issue

When it comes to the union secret ballot issue, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants a piece of the action, too.

There are already two groups targeting Democrats with ads saying they will restrict workers' rights by taking away secret ballots in union elections.

Now comes the Chamber, with an ad taking on the Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall in Colorado. He supports the pro-union bill. The ad shows people on the street calling the measure "outrageous," "an invasion of our privacy," and "against our rights and liberties."

But don't worry, Mark. They're probably not all Colorado voters, since the same faces show up in an identical ad against Minnesota Democrat Al Franken.

Parenthetically, the Chamber has issues with Udall's cousin too. It has an ad criticizing the energy votes of Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM), who is also running for Senate.

And one other thing: Recognize that serious voice in the background? It's the same one starring in ads by the American Future Fund and American Issues Project. Who is that guy?

-- Will Evans

2:56 PM ET | 09-16-2008 | permalink

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Conservatives Work Tax Angle in NH

Conservative groups are betting they can bring down New Hampshire Democratic Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen by making her name synonymous with taxes.

There was the Chamber of Commerce ad calling the former governor a "taxing machine." Then came the Americans for Job Security ad -- all about taxes.

And now Club for Growth has an ad running this message: "As governor, Shaheen enacted the first statewide property tax, proposed the first-ever sales tax, said she would sign the first state income tax."

Talk about staying on message.

-- Will Evans

2:33 PM ET | 09-16-2008 | permalink

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Attacking Ted Stevens -- Minus The Indictment

Is Ted Stevens still under federal indictment in a corruption investigation? He is, but you wouldn't know it from the TV ads by groups trying to defeat him this election.

First there was Campaign Money Watch's ad, which accused Stevens of "pay-to-play politics," but sidestepped the indictment. Now, a new ad by Alaska Conservation Voters for Clean Government tells us, "It's time for a new Alaska senator," without mentioning the $250,000 worth of gifts and favors that Stevens allegedly failed to disclose from an oil services company.

In the ad, done in "man-on-the-street" style, a guy with a microphone asks Alaskans, "So what do you think about Ted Stevens?" Mic guy tells them Stevens voted to give tax breaks to oil companies. Again, no mention of the seven felony counts.

The group is a federal PAC connected to Alaska's chapter of the League of Conservation Voters.

Here's what Alaska Conservation Voters political director Caitlin Higgins says about the indictment: "It's certainly an important issue. But the issue that's most important to us is making sure that we have a secure energy future."

Stevens' trial is due to start next Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

-- Will Evans

2:26 PM ET | 09-16-2008 | permalink

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Anti-Abortion Group Targets Obama

A new Illinois-based 527 organization called Born Alive Truth has launched a TV ad attacking Obama on the issue of abortion.

The ad features Gianna Jessen, who was born after a failed abortion and who says, "If Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn't be here." It goes on to criticize Obama for votes he made in the Illinois legislature. Here's the FactCheck.org analysis of the issue.

The 527, formed this year, is led by an Illinois anti-abortion activist, Jill Stanek, who gave congressional testimony in favor of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which President Bush signed in 2002. Also on the group's board is Dennis Cortes, a managing director at the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Cortes heads a small, family-run nonprofit called Current Links in Education, which develops educational materials on American government and the constitution. A third board member is Hadley Arkes, an Amherst College professor known for his work on the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act.

When Bush signed the Act, he thanked Arkes, Stanek and Jessen by name.

The group's public relations firm has worked for the Republican National Committee and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

The ad will run in Ohio and New Mexico. Read more information on the group, after the jump...

Continue reading "Anti-Abortion Group Targets Obama" »

9:50 AM ET | 09-16-2008 | permalink

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Man Jumps From Bridge -- Doesn't Like Obama's Tax Plan

Well, this ad gets points for originality. A guy with a megaphone starts ranting:"Change -- yeah politicians promise change." He's on top of a bridge and gets so worked up that he stands precariously on the edge of it, saying, "Politicians are playing us for fools...and we're supposed to fall for it again?"

Then he falls, screaming, to the depths below...until the Bungee Cord Of Truth catches him and he says, dangling, "Change? Before you fall for it, get the facts."

If you didn't know that was an ad against Obama, you will find out soon enough if you go to RightChange.com, promoted at the end of the ad. There you will find "10 Things You Need to Know About Senator Obama's Tax Proposals." (None of them is good.)

The Web site cites the nonpartisan source FactCheck.org to attest to Obama's "willingness to raise taxes" -- which might be amusing to FactCheck, since the cite is taken out of context from a report on how McCain distorts Obama's positions. Other FactCheck.org reports contradict some RightChange.com assertions.

Anyway...RightChange.com is a 527 group formed in North Carolina this year after changing its name from Real Debate.org. Its president is Fred Eshelman, CEO of a pharmaceutical research firm. The Associated Press reports that Eshelman also bankrolls the group. Eshelman certainly can handle it -- he once gave $20 million to a university pharmacy program.

Other board members include two North Carolina Republican state legislators, Fletcher Hartsell and Jeffrey Barnhart.

-- Will Evans

9:40 AM ET | 09-16-2008 | permalink

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Union-Pharmaceutical Coalition Praises Democrats

Update 9/16/08: Here's a new twist on this campaign. America's Agenda also has cookie-cutter ads up supporting the Republican incumbent senators in Oregon and Maine. Union-funded groups have run ads to help Democrats beat those incumbents, but here you have unions joining in a coalition to help the Republicans. We're perplexed.

A new advocacy group, run by union leaders and the pharmaceutical industry, is running ads praising Democrats in hot Senate races for supporting a children's health insurance program.

The group, America's Agenda: Health Care for Kids, gives a boost to Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), the only endangered Democrat incumbent in the Senate, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), who is running for Senate. The ads praise all three for voting to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which passed Congress but was vetoed by President Bush.

America's Agenda: Health Care for Kids is a nonprofit organization incorporated in August, dedicated to reauthorizing SCHIP. (It's a spin-off of America's Agenda: Health Care for All.) Its president is Doug Dority, who used to lead the United Food and Commercial Workers union. John Flynn, president of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, is on the board.

A bit more odd is that an executive from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is also on the board -- and that the group so far is entirely funded by a multi-million dollar contribution from PhRMA. The prescription drug industry certainly supports SCHIP, but it isn't really known for helping elect Democrats.

The strange-bedfellows coalition is reminiscent of Divided We Fail, an advocacy campaign run by business associations, a union and AARP. But this ad campaign looks a lot more oriented toward helping specific candidates.

It's one thing to support incumbents like Landrieu and Lautenberg. But why drop into a hotly contested Senate race like Colorado's? Let us know if you figure it out.

-- Will Evans

6:19 PM ET | 09-15-2008 | permalink

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SEIU, Planned Parenthood Come To Obama's Aid

The McCain-Palin ticket advances. Obama-Biden starts slipping. Enter Obama's outside helpers...

Helper #1:

The Service Employees International Union, an incredibly politically connected and active union, announced a $2 million ad buy in swing states against McCain.

The ad hammers McCain on the economy, using a quote of him saying "I know a lot less about economics." Then it shows Obama touting his plan to cut taxes for middle class families.

The ad is clearly meant to counter the fact that, according to polls, many people who would get tax breaks under Obama's plan tend to believe he will raise their taxes. It will run in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Mexico, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Helper #2:

Planned Parenthood Action Fund took it upon itself to defend Obama against a recent McCain attack ad claiming that the Democrat's only education-related accomplishment was a bill to teach sex education to kindergardners. The McCain ad was debunked by FactCheck.org.

Planned Parenthood's response ad points out that the sex education bill aimed to help kids avoid molestation by teaching them about inappropriate touching. The ad then poses the question: Is McCain "just another politician who will say anything to get elected?" (It's rhetorical.)

A spokesperson for the group says the ad (below) is running in Pittsburgh and Denver -- and will keep running as long as the McCain ad is on the air.

-- Will Evans

4:38 PM ET | 09-15-2008 | permalink

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AK Senator Accused Of "Pay-To-Play Politics"

Campaign Money Watch launched a new TV ad tracking the money behind embattled Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)...so let's take a look at the money behind Campaign Money Watch.

The ad says Stevens, who is under federal indictment as he runs for an eighth six-year term, received money from "insurance, health and drug interests" and then cast votes that left consumers with higher prescription drug prices. The ad concludes, "Isn't it time we stopped pay-to-play politics in Washington?"

Campaign Money Watch is a project of the liberal group Public Campaign Action Fund, which has public financing for congressional campaigns as its long-range goal. For this ad, the group received $300,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which continues to be one of the most politically active unions this election. And it got $50,000 from the defunct liberal group Campaign to Defend America, which was supposed to be a vehicle for anti-McCain advertising.

As for individual contributions, the group got $150,000 from John Hunting of Grand Rapids, MI, who also cuts big checks to America Votes, the League of Conservation Voters and Majority Action.

Campaign Money Watch also recieved $125,000 from David Bonderman of Texas Pacific Group, who is a big donor to Defenders of Wildlife.

-- Will Evans

4:34 PM ET | 09-15-2008 | permalink

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Controversial Pro-Business Group Targets Dems

Americans for Job Security -- a pro-business advocacy organization with a long record of running election-season ads without disclosing donors -- is targeting Democratic Senate candidates in three key races with negative radio messages.

One ad blames Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for rampant "pork-barrel spending," and accuses her of trading an earmark for campaign contributions. Another says that Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken's economic plan "reads like a bad joke." Yet another warns that New Hampshire Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen is all about taxes, taxes, taxes.

The ads cost nearly $300,000 in all, according to recent filings. Listen to them here.

The organization's president, Stephen DeMaura, is no stranger to New Hampshire politics. Until recently, he was executive director of the NH Republican Party.

And the group itself is no stranger to complaints. Last year, the liberal group Public Citizen called on the Internal Revenue Service to revoke AJS's tax status. And a previous anti-Shaheen ad drew a formal complaint by the NH Democratic Party to the Federal Election Commission.

AJS started in the 1990s with funding from the American Insurance Association and the American Forest and Paper Association, but neither we nor anyone else (besides the group) know where it's gotten money recently.

-- Will Evans

10:23 AM ET | 09-15-2008 | permalink

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Out-Of-State Donors Fund Attack On CO Democrat

There are many donors funding the Club for Growth's recent ad against Democratic Colorado Senate candidate Mark Udall. But most of them have at least one thing in common: they're not from Colorado.

Of 19 donors contributing $517,000 for the ad, only two donors (representing a grand total of $10,000) come from Colorado, according to new filings by the Club.

The biggest donors are John Templeton of Bryn Mawr, PA. ($200,000); John Bryan of Lake Oswego, OR ($100,000); Jerry Hayden of Barrington, IL ($100,000); and Craig Johnson of Indianapolis, IN ($50,000).

Templeton has also helped bankroll the conservative group Let Freedom Ring and recently gave $100,000 to the Republican State Leadership Committee. Bryan is a reliable donor to Club For Growth. Hayden gave $10,000 last year to Newt Gingrich's 527, American Solutions for Winning the Future.

-- Will Evans and Peter Overby

6:33 PM ET | 09-12-2008 | permalink

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Anti-McCain Group Revs Up

UPDATE 9/15/08: Here's the message trimmed down to the 30-second ad.

Brave New Films says its ad featuring one of John McCain's fellow POWs was delayed but is about to hit the air, running Sunday through Tuesday.

The ad was first announced Sept. 2. A spokesman said the ad buy was pushed back, first to avoid being drowned out by Palinmania at the Republican convention, and then to show respect for the 9/11 anniversary.

In the video, former POW Phillip Butler recounts the time that he and McCain spent at the Naval Academy and then, years later, in North Vietnamese prison camps.

Brave New Films, a 501c4, and its political action committee, Brave New PAC, will follow up that ad while it's still on the air, according to director Robert Greenwald, who founded the groups. The first follow-up will look at McCain's medical records, he said, with more videos and ads examining what Greenwald calls the "Real McCain."

-- Peter Overby

5:59 PM ET | 09-12-2008 | permalink

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Defenders of Wildlife Targets Palin

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund jumps out in front of other liberal groups in releasing an ad attacking Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin. It seems to be the start of much more to come, now that Obama has reportedly softened his stand against liberal 527s and advocacy groups, and donors on the Left grow more anxious about Obama's polling numbers.

The ad says Palin "actively promotes the brutal and unethical aerial hunting of wolves and other wildlife." Showing video of a hunter in an airplane, and a wolf staggering in a circle of red-stained snow, the ad asks: "Do we really want a vice president who champions such savagery?"

In case you were wondering what the group really thinks, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket today.

--Will Evans

5:59 PM ET | 09-12-2008 | permalink

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Group Recycles 'Drill Here, Drill Now' Slogan

The American Future Fund's new ad may not mention the Republican presidential nominee by name, but it sure echoes a McCain refrain.

The ad, which is scheduled to run on national cable for a week, promotes oil drilling as the solution to high gas prices. Set to ominous background music, it ends with this message: "Explore for energy. Right here. Right now."

That's pretty similar to McCain's new slogan: "We're going to drill here and we're going to drill now!"

But McCain can't claim credit for the catchy phrase -- he stole it from Newt Gingrich and his 527 group, American Solutions for Winning the Future. American Solutions got funding this year from Peabody Energy ($250,000) and conservative mega-donors Sheldon Adelson ($1.5 million), Carl Lindner ($400,000), and Harlan Crow ($250,000).

Gingrich, incidentally, just announced a new song for the movement, entitled "Drill Here Drill Now."

So there you go. From an outside group (American Solutions) to a presidential candidate to an outside group (American Future Fund), a rallying cry is born.

-- Will Evans

11:17 AM ET | 09-11-2008 | permalink

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Ad Making Fun Of Democrat Takes One-Day Break

Freedom's Watch has been ridiculing Colorado Senate candidate Mark Udall's past support for a Department of Peace, but today it gives the Democratic congressman a day off.

It's in honor of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

But back to the ridicule...

This new ad from Freedom's Watch features a middle-aged hippie wearing a tie-dye shirt and what looks like a long-haired wig showing off the unofficial Department of Peace, which is...a Volkswagen bus packed with some suspicious smoke. The faux hippie tells us that Udall wanted to spend billions on a Department of Peace. The fine print cites congressional votes five and seven years old.

Udall says he doesn't support the idea anymore; not sure what will happen to the van.

Here's the ad:

Meanwhile, or a more-somber-but-still-military note, VoteVets put up a new online ad yesterday charging that McCain intends to reinstate the draft. (In the two clips in the ad, he doesn't give a flat "No" but also doesn't come close to saying "Yes" either.) No hippies in that ad.

-- Will Evans

9:54 AM ET | 09-11-2008 | permalink

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Club For Growth Uses Eminent Domain To Assail Dem

The anti-tax, small-government organization Club for Growth has a message for Coloradans: You could lose your home if you elect Democrat Mark Udall to the Senate.

The Club is using the threat of eminent domain -- the government's power to take over private property under some circumstances -- to clobber Udall in a new ad. After recounting the cases of an elderly man who lost his house and a family business that was forced to close, the ad says, "Liberal Mark Udall votes to make it easier for government to take private property."

The last ad Club for Growth unleashed on Udall was bankrolled by Swift Boat Veterans For Truth patron Bob Perry. Did he scrounge up a few more hundred thousand dollars for this one? We'll let you know when we find out.

-- Will Evans

3:49 PM ET | 09-10-2008 | permalink

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Freedom's Watch Swats OR Democrat

While Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) gets battered by a liberal outside group, his Democratic opponent, Jeff Merkley, gets similar treatment from a conservative outside group.

In a new ad, Freedom's Watch accuses Merkley of being just downright mean. The ad asks, "Who could have ever opposed" compassionate homecare assistance to seniors? You guessed it: "Jeff Merkley did."

Both Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) vigorously denied the accusation. But they can't get rid of the ad.

-- Will Evans

3:43 PM ET | 09-10-2008 | permalink

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New Ad Ties OR Senator To Bush

The battle continues over whether Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) is closer to Obama or Bush.

Smith, for his part, would like voters in his Democratic-leaning state to believe he's buddies with Obama.

But Majority Action, the union-funded 527 organization, has fired back with another ad tying Smith to President Bush. Smith "voted to authorize George Bush's war in Iraq" and "voted for billions to fund Bush's reckless war," the ad says. But lest you think this is a campaign ad intended to hurt Smith in November, the end of the ad urges us to "tell Gordon Smith to support Senate Bill 3125" -- whatever that is. (Here's an earlier Majority Action attack on Smith, from June.)

-- Will Evans

3:39 PM ET | 09-10-2008 | permalink

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Labor-Funded Group Targets Republican Senators

It's going to take more than this to tilt the see-saw.

As we noted last week, American Rights At Work launched an ad campaign to promote labor-backed legislation by showing workers coming together to outweigh a corporate "fat cat" on a see-saw. It was the union-funded organization's push back against business-funded campaigns to defeat the legislation and some Democratic Senate candidates to boot.

But over the last week, American Rights At Work spent only $235,000 on ads in five key states. That's less than half what the other side -- represented by the Employee Freedom Action Committee -- spent last week ($563,000). And Employee Freedom has been beating the drum for a month longer.

Like the opposition, the ads by American Rights At Work target Senate candidates -- in this case the incumbent Republicans in Oregon, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Maine and Alaska. Each ad urges the public to scold the senators for "siding with wealthy CEOs over working families."

-- Will Evans

6:40 PM ET | 09- 9-2008 | permalink

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Christian Right Leader Backs McCain On The Air

Evangelical leader James Dobson sure took his time, but has finally come around to supporting John McCain. And last week, he put a bit of money behind his new position.

Dobson's Christian conservative advocacy group, Focus on the Family Action, reported spending $40,000 on a radio broadcast supporting McCain. That's a far cry from Dobson's message earlier this year, when he said he wouldn't vote for McCain. That was a big deal because Dobson and other religious right leaders mobilized evangelicals to vote for President Bush in 2000 and 2004.

Why the change of heart? Credit McCain's VP pick, Sarah Palin. On his recent broadcast, Dobson called Palin "a deeply committed Christian" and said, "If I went into the polling booth today, I would pull the lever for John McCain." With Dobson's influence, that means a lot more than just one vote.

-- Will Evans

6:33 PM ET | 09- 9-2008 | permalink

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Big Union Money Behind New Hampshire Ad

UPDATE: It keeps coming. Patriot Majority Midwest just reported receiving $2.18 million from AFSCME. Also disclosed: $650,000 worth of ads against Republican candidates for Congress.

The beauty of 527 organizations is that they can raise unlimited amounts of cash in huge chunks. Let longtime Democratic operative Craig Varoga demonstrate how....

Varoga's group, Patriot Majority, just filed new disclosures showing that its recent ad attacking Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) was funded by some big names with big money.

In July and August, the 527 received $1.2 million from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; $500,000 from the Change to Win labor federation (which is spearheaded by the Service Employees International Union); and $125,000 from the United Food and Commercial Workers union, according to the filings.

That's more than enough for the $700,000 anti-Sununu ad buy. Who's next on the target list?

-- Will Evans

6:17 PM ET | 09- 9-2008 | permalink

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Ad Ties Obama, Jailed Mayor

Here's another entry in the "Obama's Friends" series of attack ads. This one comes from Freedom's Defense Fund, a conservative political action committee. It seeks to tar Obama for his past praise of outgoing Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who pleaded guilty last week to two felonies and is headed to jail.

The ad shows a mug shot of Kilpatrick and a list of charges against him, along with audio of Obama saying "I'm grateful to call him a friend and a colleague and I'm looking forward to a lengthy collaboration." At the end, the on-screen text says, "You should know who Barack Obama's friends are." The Obama quote is from a May 2007 speech; more recently, Obama has shunned Kilpatrick and called for his resignation.

Freedom's Defense Fund is running the ad this week in the Detroit suburb of Macomb County, MI, with hopes to expand the ad buy. The group seems particularly focused on African-American politicians. One part of its Web site says, "Does the thought of Senators Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton scare you? At the Freedom's Defense Fund, we think it should."

The PAC has raised and spent more than $400,000 in the first half of this year. Its treasurer is Scott B. Mackenzie, who served in the Reagan Administration. Jerome Corsi, author of the attack book "The Obama Nation," is a paid consultant.

-- Will Evans

6:12 PM ET | 09- 8-2008 | permalink

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After The Conventions: Ads, Ads And More Ads

With today's burst of negative messaging from independent groups, you'd think John McCain ended his big speech last night by crying, "Let the fall campaign begin!" and firing off a starter pistol.

As usual, the Left leads the charge. Among today's debuts:

A new voice in New Hampshire -- Patriot Majority -- targets Republican Sen. John Sununu in his tight race with Democratic former governor Jeanne Shaheen.

Patriot Majority is part of a network which -- as dissected by esteemed colleague Will Evans -- includes Patriot Majority West and Patriot Majority New Mexico, both active in that state's Senate race; and Patriot Majority Midwest, formerly known as the Oklahoma Freedom Fund. The man behind the curtain is Craig Varoga, who ran presidential campaigns for former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, and has created more than his share of independent liberal groups.

Change To Win, a labor coalition headed by the Service Employees International Union, offers up a web ad, "Real McCain of Genius." If you're a fan of beer ads, it might look familiar. (We leave the originals for you to find on YouTube.) Technically speaking, the ad comes from the Change to Win Committee for the American Dream, a Sec. 527 group connected to the coalition.

And the League of Conservation Voters, a veteran player in TV politics, takes this second swipe at Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer in Colorado.

The Senate seat is open, Colorado's a swing state, and both Schaffer, a former congressman, and Democrat Mark Udall, a current congressman, are getting a full dose of criticism from outside groups.

-- Peter Overby

3:12 PM ET | 09- 5-2008 | permalink

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Minnesotan Gives Senator A Talking-To

The Alliance for a Better Minnesota really doesn't think a "better Minnesota" includes incumbent senator Norm Coleman (R). The group launched a new ad featuring a Minnesotan, Grace Elliott of Brooklyn Center, giving Coleman a talking-to:

"You and I don't need a TV ad to tell us how much the oil companies are squeezing us --
though maybe Norm Coleman does," she says, before blaming him for giving tax breaks to oil companies. "Maybe Norm has spent too much time in Washington."

It's the same kind of ordinary-person-speaking-earnestly-to-the-camera ad that MoveOn.org has used against McCain.

-- Will Evans

3:02 PM ET | 09- 5-2008 | permalink

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Palin's Record On Earmarks

My esteemed co-blogger has had a couple of broadcast pieces, on Tuesday's ATC and today's Morning Edition, examining Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's complicated record on earmarks. We have some extra goodies on Palin's record here.

Gov. Palin and running mate John McCain have trumpeted her opposition to earmarks like the infamous Alaskan "bridge to nowhere," which became a rallying call against congressional pork projects. But when she was running for governor in 2006, Palin told voters she supported projects like the bridge. Here's a clip of Palin at an Alaska Conservation Voters candidate forum saying, "I do support the infrastructure projects that are on tap here in the state of Alaska that our congressional delegations worked hard for."

At another candidate forum, Palin had kind words for Rep. Don Young (R-AK) and his renowned ability to bring home the federal bacon.

"And our congressional delegation, God bless 'em. They do a great job for us," she said at the forum hosted by the Alaska Professional Design Council. "Representative Don Young, especially God bless him, with transportation -- Alaska did so well under the very basic provisions of the transportation act that he wrote just a couple of years ago. We had a nice bump there. We're very, very fortunate to receive the largesse that Don Young was able to put together for Alaska."

Now, it was Young who plopped the "bridge to nowhere" in federal legislation to begin with. But even that kind of influence doesn't help him these days. Not too many people are trying to cozy up with Young now that he's in trouble -- and clearly Palin has changed her mind about him.

What kind of trouble? The 18-term Alaska congressman is under federal investigation in a corruption scandal that has already nailed several state lawmakers and produced an indictment of Alaska's other earmark champion, Sen. Ted Stevens (R).

It's not even clear whether Young survived his primary election last week. His main opponent was Sean Parnell, Palin's lieutenant governor. The free-market Club For Growth ran ads attacking his free and easy use of federal tax money for earmarks. He seemed so vulnerable that Democrats actually spent money to help him because they thought he'd be weaker than Parnell in the general election. Palin, no longer feeling so rosy about Young's "largesse" for Alaska, backed Parnell.

-- Will Evans

11:05 AM ET | 09- 4-2008 | permalink

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Pushing Back On Anti-Union Ads

Remember all those ads lambasting Democrats for wanting to get rid of secret ballots in union elections? Well, here comes the pro-labor response...

The union-funded group American Rights At Work launched a national TV ad campaign this week trumpeting the Employee Free Choice Act, which supporters say will help workers join unions without corporate harassment. Detractors say it will make it harder for workers to stand up to unions.

Unlike the opposition's ads -- which skewer Democratic Senate candidates for squelching workers' rights -- the opening ad of this campaign (below) doesn't mention any candidates. But expect more pointed ads on the horizon.

American Rights At Work plans upcoming ads in -- what do you know? -- Senate battleground states: Oregon, Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Maine. According to the group, "The state-based ads will focus on educating the public on the positions of political leaders, and urging the public to call them to express their support for the legislation in the Senate." It's the perfect recipe for campaign-related ads.

-- Will Evans

8:11 PM ET | 09- 3-2008 | permalink

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Chamber Of Commerce Finds Affection For Democrat

Earlier, we wrote about how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was cranking up its ad campaign in Senate races, but hadn't launched any ads supporting Democrats yet. Well, over the weekend, the Chamber spread the love around.

The trade association is running not one but two ads boosting Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), the only Senate Democrat who has to worry much about her seat. One commends Landrieu's record on health care in much the same way other Chamber ads praise Republicans on the issue.

The other ad lauds Landrieu for supporting increased oil exploration, thereby creating jobs and "energy security." Again, an issue where conservative groups usually praise Republicans and attack Democrats.

But the Chamber doesn't have the same kind feelings toward the Democratic Senate candidate one state over. In Mississippi, the Chamber's ad blames former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove for losing 51,000 jobs during his tenure. (In a nice bit of symmetry, Musgrove's campaign website claims he created 52,000 new jobs.) In any case, after saying Musgrove represents "fewer jobs...higher taxes...reckless spending," the ad urges: "Tell him to start protecting Mississippi jobs."

It's a typical ending for a campaign-related ad by an outside group, designed to show that the ad is about a legislative issue rather than an election. The lawyers like it like that. It usually works when the candidate is a legislator or governor or something, but it's not clear how Musgrove -- unless he actually gets this job -- could "start protecting Mississippi jobs."

-- Will Evans

11:43 AM ET | 09- 3-2008 | permalink

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Liberal Group Sends A Snide "Thank You" To Republicans

A liberal group called Campaign for America's Future has a new ad designed, it seems, mainly to annoy the delegates to the Republican National Convention.

The ad starts with the words, "To the conservatives gathered in St. Paul: Thanks for the memories..." It goes on to show images of a submerged New Orleans, a gas pump with its dials spinning, a home-foreclosure sign and President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" banner. Get it?

Here's the thing, though. The ad, according to the group, is airing this week "in 365,000 hotel rooms across the country." So, either hotel guests are a key swing voter demographic we haven't heard about yet, or Campaign for America's Future decided the best way to spend its money was to pester Republican delegates trying to catch a break from the speeches in the solace of their hotel rooms.

Campaign for America's Future is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, so it's hard to know who funds it, but the Service Employees International Union gave the group $50,000 in 2007 and the AFL-CIO gave $67,500 from 2006-07.

-- Will Evans

5:46 PM ET | 09- 2-2008 | permalink

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A Swift Boat Ad Against McCain?

UPDATE: Well, that was quick. Leighton Woodhouse, communications director for Brave New Films, called us to "really, really, really strongly object" to our comparison of their new video to the Swift Boat attacks of 2004. Beyond the "superficial similarity" that both efforts dealt with the candidates' war service, Woodhouse says they differ in these ways:

Says Woodhouse, "(Butler's) charges are completely within the bounds of reasonable discourse."

This is certainly the closest thing we've seen to a Swift Boat attack this election, at least in substance: A liberal film company has released an online video of a Vietnam veteran who was a prisoner of war with John McCain; vet criticizes candidate as unfit for the presidency.

Just as Democrat John Kerry stood to benefit from his record as a Vietnam War hero, McCain's campaign has vigorously promoted his service as a veteran and POW. And just as the conservative group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacked Kerry's war record in 2004, this somber four-minute video by Brave New Films seeks to turn McCain's POW experience against him.

In it, McCain's Naval Academy classmate and fellow POW Phillip Butler says, "I think I can say with authority that the prisoner of war experience is not a good prerequisite for President of the United States." Butler says that former POWs die earlier and "suffer lots of residual things."

Butler goes further to critcize McCain personally, remembering him as hot-tempered and saying, "John McCain is not somebody that I would like to see with his finger near the red button."

In other ways, though, the organization that produced this video is quite unlike 2004's Swift Boat group.

Continue reading "A Swift Boat Ad Against McCain?" »

5:12 PM ET | 09- 2-2008 | permalink

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Vets For Freedom Keeps Heat On Obama

Just a week after its last ad, Vets for Freedom has a new one pummeling Obama for refusing "to acknowledge the success of the surge." That would be the troop surge in Iraq, which is Vets for Freedom's main issue.

Though the group is still careful to make the ad about a legislative issue -- a pro-surge Senate resolution -- its ads have become increasingly hard-hitting and increasingly about Obama. In July, one of its ads mimicked Obama's slogan, "Change we can believe in," but didn't mention the candidate by name. Then came an ad blaming "some in Washington" who opposed the surge, showing on-screen quotes by Obama and other senators. The most recent ad, in contrast, criticizes Obama strongly and directly.

-- Will Evans

4:29 PM ET | 09- 2-2008 | permalink

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Liberal 527 Ties Republican Senators To Bush

The liberal 527 Majority Action has a new ad criticizing Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) for siding with President Bush "92 % of the time." The ad is nearly identical to one the group ran in June against Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) -- except Majority Action calculated that Smith voted with Bush only 85 percent of the time. (Smith, in his own ads, likes to show how he partners with Obama.)

Both ads also ding the senators for voting for oil industry tax breaks and against increased fuel mileage standards. Watch the Oregon ad, which was back on the air last week, below.

-- Will Evans

12:42 PM ET | 09- 2-2008 | permalink

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