Did you help prepare the ad copy for this swiftboating ad. It sure sounds like you. BTW what's an "ultra liberal"? LMAO!
Clever guy that rove. [TM Ten] ;-)
TV spot links Braley to Communist Party
By Ed Tibbetts | Tuesday, October 03, 2006
A new Republican television ad links Democratic congressional candidate Bruce Braley to the Communist Party and says he’s supported by “ultra liberals.”
The ad, which began running Friday, prompted the Braley campaign to label it a “joke.”
The ad says Braley was endorsed by the Council for a Livable World and was called a “peace candidate” by the Communist Party.
The council, the new ad says, advocates “huge defense cuts” and has a leader that once proposed negotiating with the Taliban.
It concludes by saying Braley’s support from “ultra liberals” shows he’s “out of touch” with Iowa.
Jeff Giertz, a Braley spokesman, did not dispute the ad’s accuracy but said it is “over the top.”
“It’s absolutely laughable,” he said, adding Braley hasn’t been endorsed by the Communist Party, nor is the ad claiming that.
He said the Waterloo Democrat wouldn’t accept such an endorsement, anyway. “Bruce’s views are independent of any organization or group,” he said.
The ad, sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee, refers to a June 24 report by the Communist Party USA’s political action committee chair, who labels candidates in various congressional primaries as “peace candidates.” Braley is one of them.
Joelle Fishman, the PAC chair, said Monday the party has not endorsed Braley, nor is it working to help his campaign.
Guy Stevens, chief operating officer for the Council for a Livable World, disputed how his group was characterized, saying it has advocated smarter defense spending, with less money devoted to Cold War-era weapons and systems.
He also said it is misleading to say one of its board members has advocated negotiations with the Taliban.
The council’s Web site encourages donations to Braley’s campaign.
Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for the NRCC, said the organization stands by the ad’s claims.
“If the Community Party USA is talking about Bruce Braley as a peace candidate on their Web site, then it proves the point of our ad,” Collegio said.
The point, he said, is that “Bruce Braley is a very liberal candidate who is supported by very liberal individuals and organizations.”
He also said that he does not consider references to the Communist Party “laughable” given its “responsibility for 120 million deaths in the 20th century.”
The Republicans are spending nearly $189,000 on the new ad.
In addition to Braley and Whalen, James Hill of Eldridge and Albert Schoeman of Waterloo are running for the 1st District seat.
The election is Nov. 7.
Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.
qctimes.net |
