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:

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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A Tour Of Senate Ads

Our business here is to monitor indie political groups and their ads, and business has been good. Advocacy groups haven't run out of money. The bad news? They've run out of ideas.

Two new North Carolina ads follow story lines we've heard over and over before (not that that's a bad way to influence voters -- it just makes the blog more boring). Here's one from Freedom's Watch, blaming Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan for jacking up taxes. Our takeaway: She wants to tax candy?!

Next, Americans for Job Security denounces unions that want to take away secret ballots in union elections. "Hagan's on their side, not ours," the ad says, as an armored truck speeds out of Washington, presumably delivering union cash to Hagan. Watch the ad here. There's a virtually identical ad targeting the Democrat Ronnie Musgrove in a Mississippi Senate race.

Moving along to New Hampshire... Labor unions (those bad guys from the last ad) are piling on to Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) by, predictably, tying him to President Bush. The distinguishing factor? The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees uses a rope metaphor (we're at the "end of our rope") and the Service Employees International Union uses a country-store cash register gimmick. We don't have the AFSCME ad in blogable format, so you'll have to trust us. Here's the SEIU ad:

Now follow us to Minnesota for a breath of fresh ideas...

Continue reading "A Tour Of Senate Ads" »

12:55 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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Another Wave Of Union Power

The Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO labor federation are spearheading another massive wave of anti-McCain -- er, officially pro-Obama -- outreach in battleground states.

SEIU says it has sent 75 percent of its staff to key states for a final push on undecided voters before the election. Busloads of volunteers are distributing flyers comparing Obama's health care plan (favorably) to McCain's, with more in the mail. And the union sent DVDs about the health care plans to 225,000 seniors, with follow-up phone calls "making sure they're actually watching the DVD," according to SEIU political director Jon Youngdahl. The DVDs went to Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.

"Wer'e trying to reach further and go deeper than we ever had before," said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger.

SEIU says it's just bought $1 million of air time in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for an ad featuring two women in a grocery store chatting about health care bills. "And get this," one of them says. "McCain wants to start taxing our benefits."
Says the other, "Maybe you should send him your bills."

More on the AFL-CIO after the jump...

Continue reading "Another Wave Of Union Power" »

6:39 PM ET | 10- 6-2008 | 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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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:

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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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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Union Raises Concern About Foreign Investment -- And McCain

Radio ads by the Service Employees International Union are trying to tie John McCain to the issue of foreign governments investing in American companies.

The ads raise national security concerns about foreign-controlled investment funds joining with private equity funds to invest in U.S. firms. Each of the ads -- which will continue airing next week in Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama and Michigan -- end with this message: "Call Sen. McCain at 202-224-2235 and tell him we have a right to know when foreign countries buy into American companies vital to our economic prosperity and national defense."

The ads don't specify why McCain is named, but Anastasia Christman, a coordinator for SEIU's private equity campaign, says SEIU is targeting the presidential candidate partly because private equity titan Henry Kravis is a top McCain fundraiser. "It's important as people are assessing him as a presidential candidate that we know that he even understands that this situation is going on and whether he accepts it," she says.

-- Will Evans

6:30 PM ET | 08-15-2008 | permalink

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New Union-Funded 527 Blasts CO Republican

A new 527 organization funded by labor unions ran its first TV advertisement this week blasting Colorado Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer for ties to "Big Oil."

The Colorado First Project, formed in May, has taken in $250,000 from the Service Employees International Union and $100,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The group's president is a Colorado yoga teacher, Allyson Levine, and its attorney is Mark Grueskin, who was hired by the Democratic National Convention Committee as counsel for the Denver convention. The group doesn't have a Web site and is trying to operate with a low profile.

"The decision's been made that the ads speak for themselves," says Grueskin. "Unlike a lot of political groups that need to puff themselves in them media, this is a group that decided not to do that."

Continue reading "New Union-Funded 527 Blasts CO Republican" »

1:24 PM ET | 08-15-2008 | permalink

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Union Weighs In On Oregon Senate Race

The Service Employees International Union produced this ad tying Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) to President Bush, criticizing him for supporting tax breaks for oil and drug companies and wealthy Americans. The ad starts running in Oregon today.

-- Daniella De Franco

2:28 PM ET | 08-13-2008 | permalink

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SEIU Targets New Hampshire Republican

The Service Employees International Union launched this ad today criticizing Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) for accepting contributions from pharmaceutical companies. It accuses him of protecting HMO interests by voting against lower drug prices. SEIU says it will spend $600,000 to air the ad.

-- Daniella De Franco

1:57 PM ET | 08-13-2008 | permalink

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