Feeling ambushed, GOP launches counterattack

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sat, Aug. 21, 2004

Feeling ambushed, GOP launches counterattack

After months of accusing the independent political groups of skirting campaign-finance laws, state Republicans decided to fight fire with fire.

BY LESLEY CLARK

[e-mail]


Faced with a barrage of attack ads from liberal groups they blasted as shams set up to dodge federal election law, Republicans with close ties to the Bush family are launching their own operation.

The Florida Leadership Council is the latest in a plethora of independent groups that critics complain are making a mockery of the much-vaunted campaign-finance reform act signed in 2002 in a bid to take some of the big-money influence out of politics. Critics included Republicans, who complained to the Federal Election Commission that the mostly Democratic-leaning groups skirt the law.

Now Cory Tilley, a former aide to Gov. Jeb Bush, and David Johnson, former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, have launched their own group less than three months before the November election, figuring if they can't beat them, they may as well join them. ''We can't just sit back, watch the ads and not do something,'' Johnson said of the spate of ads that target President Bush.

With polls showing that Florida remains up for grabs, the state is proving fertile ground for the mostly liberal confederation of groups that rely on unrestricted contributions of individual, corporate and labor union cash -- the ''soft money'' that supposedly was banned from federal elections in 2002.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/9456384.htm
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[Syrinx]

1. that has to be the most ironic headline in history

[Judi Lynn]

2. Kinda hurts one's head, doesn't it?

[0007]

10. Michelle Malkin sez

John Kerry shot his own ass off...!!

[librechik]

3. how come I never see these ads that attack Bush?

and yet dozens of times a day I hear Ahm George Bush and I approved this messitch.

What's a messitch?

And how come the news nets don't play the anti Bush ads on their news programs for free over and over again and discuss whether they're true or not?All I ever see is hour after hour of freely broadcast scurrilous and personal attacks on Kerry.

[Sugarbleus]

5. What's a messitch?<-------LOL

I agree. Where are the attack Bush ad's?????? Where's the nice pro Kerry ads for that matter.

I'm in Calif. All I see are Bush ads. Once in a GREAT while, we get the supreme luxury of seeing a kerry spot. Hey! We have dim witted repugs out here too ya know...

[Syrinx]

6. messitch

LOL.

I noticed that when the ads first started running. It sounds like he's drunk, but I think I spelled it "metchich" or something. He can't do anything right. :(

[DavidFL]

8. It may depend on what state you're in...

Here in the Tampa Bay area of Florida -- being a "swing state" and part of the "I4 corridor" -- TV stations are showing the 527 (? or is it 529? I always get it mixed up) ads regularly. Although, I haven't seen any from "the Florida Leadership Council" yet.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. Oh, please...the GOP's been doing this stuff for decades.

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Spin, spin, spin

This is nothing more than the bully claiming to be the victim! You can't punch someone in the face and then, when they hit you back, scream assault! The Rethugs can say and do whatever they want, but let a "liberal" group exercise the same rights of free speech and they call foul! I am in Oklahoma and all I see are damn Bush ads! Kerry has no shot as this state, so all of us "wild-eyed" liberals have to suffer onslaughts of pro-Bush crap...pity us!!!! I don't like attack ads, personally. However, at least, for now anyway, the liberals are launching TRUTHFUL attack ads. As the saying goes, the truth hurts! I said that I generally do not like attack ads, but I am glad to see we are fighting back! The concept of "turn the other cheek" is great in principle, but if you are dealing with Rethugs all you will end up with is two bruised cheeks and 4 more years of Hell and corruption!

Keep turning corners, Bush. You are about to find all roads (and corners) lead back to Crawford!

Brightest Blessings!

[Skidmore]

9. Oh, the irony...

they set a trap and tripped it themselves. Stupid is as stupid does.