Features

mburbank · #1

RNCÂ*tells TV stations not to run anti-Bush ads

GOP committee says MoveOn.org's spots are illegally financed

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Republican National Committee is warning television stations across the country not to run ads from the MoveOn.org Voter Fund that criticize President Bush, charging that the left-leaning political group is paying for them with money raised in violation of the new campaign-finance law.

"As a broadcaster licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, you have a responsibility to the viewing public, and to your licensing agency, to refrain from complicity in any illegal activity," said the RNC's chief counsel, Jill Holtzman Vogel, in a letter sent to about 250 stations Friday.

"Now that you have been apprised of the law, to prevent further violations of federal law, we urge you to remove these advertisements from your station's broadcast rotation."

But MoveOn.org's lawyer, Joseph Sandler, said in a statement that the ads were funded legally, calling the RNC's letter "a complete misrepresentation of the law."

"The federal campaign laws have permitted precisely this use of money for advertising for the past 25 years," he said.

And MoveOn.org, which was planning to spend $1.9 million on an ad buy that started Thursday, said Friday that it would spend another $1 million.

'Soft money' targeted

The RNC charges that because the ads are designed to help defeat President Bush, the group cannot pay for them with unlimited "soft money" contributions but only with contributions raised in amounts less than $5,000.

Although MoveOn.org is a so-called "Section 527" organization that is legally allowed to raise soft money in unlimited amounts from donors, the new campaign-finance law prohibits the group from using those funds to pay for ads that directly attack Bush, Vogel said.

And in a bit of political one-upmanship, the letter quotes the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry, as saying that the objective of the new law "is to eliminate altogether the capacity of soft money to play the role that it does in our politics."

But MoveOn.org says it has raised $10 million for advertising from 160,000 donors, in amounts averaging $50-$60. It is running two ads in 67 TV markets in what its Web site describes as 17 "battleground" states.

The One and Only... · #2

So you think that MoveOn should be able to bash Bush, but you don't think corporations should be allowed to do the same?

KevinTheOmnivore · #3

I'm all in favor of corporations bashing Bush.

Cosmo Electrolux · #4

Hell, I"m in favor of anyone or anything that bashes Bush.

mburbank · #5

I'm in favor of anyONE doing anything, as long as there's equal access.

If the money is raised in smll amounts that almost anyONE could afford to make, fire away. What's the matter, nobody of average income supports Bush?

Here's what I'm really against. The RNC trying to cow the media into obedience. They're lawyers know their threat is specious. Are they afraid of Moveon? It would seem so. Since Moveon's membership is made up of Thousands of voters instead of a handful of ultrawealthy "Rangers" and "Pioneers", I can see why.

davinxtk · #6

I wish more people in my general age group voted, and paid attention to stuff like MoveOn. Shit, even if they voted for republican candidates, at least they'd be participating.

I try to tell my friends to vote and they try to tell me not to.
I want to punch them.

Helm · #7

I voted the day before yesterday (haha english is so funny sometimes). 98% of Greece voted. The greek equivalent of the Rep. party won. They're formulating a service goverment as we speak. The elections got me a bit depressed.