Union Power -- More Than Meets The Eye

Organized labor is in the mail, on the airwaves and on the streets for Obama and other Democratic candidates. And there's even more union activity underneath the surface. Besides their own ads and massive get-out-the-vote campaigns, which we detail below, unions are bankrolling the attack ads of several other advocacy organizations.

Here are some new disclosures:

Parting Shots From The Left

It's the final push, folks, and they're pushing hard. Here's a wave of liberal ads hoping to unseat Senate Republicans -- and a video representation of Republican fear.

People for the American Way rolls out TV ads criticizing Republican senators for supporting "judges who hurt our families." The ads say that Susan Collins of Maine, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina "stood with George Bush and helped put his extreme nominees on our nation's highest court." Here's the one about Collins, who is the group's focus:

Patriot Majority continues to batter Republican incumbents and continues to receive giant bundles of union cash. Recent ads include one accusing Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) of siding with "corporate interests and one faulting Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) for supporting free trade agreements.

Another takes on Dole, saying, "They know us as Tar Heels for standing our ground. But when Elizabeth Dole votes with George Bush 92 percent of the time, the ground starts to crumble." The ground-crumbling metaphor is aided by a visual in the ad.

Patriot Majority reported getting $1.5 million from AFSCME this month, as well as $125,000 from the Teamsters and $25,000 from Patricia Bauman, who is president of the liberal Bauman Foundation and board member of Catalist, a data-mining firm that works for Democrats.

It's enough to drive Freedom's Watch crazy. The conservative group has been one of biggest players running ads to stem the onslaught of Democratic Senate candidates.(Here's a recent one taking on Jeff Merkley, who's challenging Smith in Oregon.) In a video to be e-mailed to the Freedom's Watch rank and file tomorrow, you can feel the fear of the nightmare scenario: a filibuster-proof Democratic majority.

The dark and ominous video takes aim at Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, calling his "reckless policies" the cause of current economic woes. It warns that the DSCC is "spending nearly $100 million on a smear campaign funded by special interests." It continues, "A filibuster-proof Senate means unchecked power to pass their tax increases, their pork-barrel spending, and no ability to block activist judicial nominees." And the capper: "Too much power in one party's hand is too risky for America."

The irony of the last line -- since it was merely two years ago that voters ended six years of one-party GOP rule by giving congressional majorities to the Democrats -- is only surpassed by the sense of frustration, just days before the eleciton.

After the jump, even more liberal Senate ads -- silly and serious.

Continue reading "Parting Shots From The Left" »

3:19 PM ET | 10-29-2008 | permalink

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Electioneering By Hypnosis In Oregon

The Democrats have figured it out. The key to defeating Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) is hynosis. How else to explain these similarly transfixing anti-Smith ads from two liberal groups?

The Service Employees International Union offers a spinning kaleidoscope of money, symbolizing the "deep dark hole" of the economy. Add ominous music, show Smith's face; then bring back the kaleidoscope, cue the feel-good chords and show Smith's competition, Democrat Jeff Merkley. In Youtube format, you can watch again and again!

If that didn't work, try this: 30 seconds of water spiraling down the drain, countesy of Patriot Majority, a union-funded 527 trying to defeat Smith because he's "draining the middle class." Then the words on the screen dissolve into water and spiral down too....woah. For the full effect, we suggest playing both ads at the same time.

Did it work on you? If not, more ads (of the non-whirling variety) after the jump:

Continue reading "Electioneering By Hypnosis In Oregon" »

6:01 PM ET | 10-23-2008 | permalink

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Citizens For Strength And Security Unveiled

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) might be curious who is funding an attack ad blaming her for job losses, especially now when she's increasingly in danger losing her own job.

All the ad said was "Paid for by Citizens for Strength and Security." Turns out the citizens are unions.

According to a new government filing, the group's ad was funded by the Service Employees International Union ($220,000), the Communications Workers of America ($200,000) and the Patriot Majority Fund ($280,000). Patriot Majority itself is funded mainly by labor unions.

Patriot Majority is, like Citizens for Strength and Security, a 527 organization run by a Democratic operative with ads targeting Senate races. Why not just merge?

-- Will Evans

3:05 PM ET | 10- 7-2008 | 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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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:

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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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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Liberal Group Ties NM Republican to Big Oil

Patriot Majority West airs an ad critcizing Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM), who is running for Senate, for siding with President Bush and "Big Oil" instead of creating incentives for renewable energy.

-- Will Evans

2:09 AM ET | 07-30-2008 | permalink

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