Somewhere in the deep, dark bowels of political activism, the 527's are starting

[Ninga]

to wake up from their 2003/2004 deep sleep.

The 527's that reared their ugly heads in 2003/2004 in Iowa were mostly comprised of disgruntled operatives, former elected Democrats and special interest.

While all of us are arguing, kvetching, and mico inspecting each and every move of each and every candidate, the 527's are getting hungry and will need to be fed soon....very soon.


As a voter and tax payer I want to put the 527's on notice and tell them that we are on to them.....we will hunt them down and expose their identities.

When I read the stories about the "hit job" on Howard Dean, not from the GOP, but from DEMOCRATS! I get angry all over again.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/16/politics/main588924.shtml

http://www.counterpunch.org/lewis03062004.html


I for one will not sit back and tolerate any smearing, grainy black and white hit job on ANY candidate. And I sincerely mean it....ANY primary candidate. Period.

I hope you will join me in opposing such horrible and vial tactics.

Thanks, and Peace.

:patriot:

[demodonkey]

1. They thrive on money. Don't give it to them.

Better to spend your bucks on the local or national group of your choice that is working for Election Integrity, to fight Direct Record Electronic voting machines that could steal the election anyway.

[Ninga]

3. That is good advice. So really. We need to know WHO is asking us for money before we open

our check books.

This snip from one of the articles I linked to proves your point.


Four of these 28 individual contributors had also given $7,200 to Dean between March and July of 2003. One of the donors told the Center that he had no idea the money would be used on attack ads. Rick Sloan, the communications director for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, told the LA Times: "I tell you, these ads are despicable. If I have my way, we'll ask for a refund." But following his remarks published on December 17, 2003, his labor union is reported to have made another donation to Americans for Jobs for $50,000 on January 9, 2004.

Who exactly forms a stealth, hit-and-run operation in presidential politics today, up and down in six weeks, doing $1 million worth of damage in advertising and other spending before the new federal, 30-day broadcast limit on political issue ads by outside groups kicked in December 21?

Americans for Jobs' address was 2000 M Street, N.W., Suite 800, in Washington, D.C., the same location for DWJ Consulting, its "custodian of records" one David W. Jones, apparently the group's executive director and a political adviser for years to Gephardt. Jones told the Washington Post, "Our goal was to point out where Howard Dean stood on the issues and point out that he had no foreign policy experience. Clearly those goals were accomplished." He denied that there was any coordination with the various presidential candidates. (See official statement from Jones.)

The registered e-mail address of Americans for Jobs belonged to Mark W. Ward, a client specialist in the Washington, D.C., office of the billion dollar law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the largest law firms in the world, which also has a large lobbying network representing companies like Verizon, Entergy-Koch LP, and Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America. Ward wrote the IRS a letter on Skadden Arps letterhead on Jan. 30, 2004 accompanying Americans for Jobs' first and so far only financial filing.

"Mark does our FEC filings and IRS filings," said Melissa Miles, an attorney with Skadden, Arps. The firm is listed as the recipient of $36,000 in itemized expenditures from Americans for Jobs. Skadden Arps is also the fifth most generous career patron to Senator Kerry, its employees directly donating $125,550 to his campaigns, its clients lavishing many times more than that over the years. In fact, the law firm and its employees are the largest donors to Kerry for the current election cycle. But Miles said Kerry "had nothing to do with to our knowledge."

[Kolesar]

6. The people who want to dump five figure donations into campaigns use 527s

The limit for normal donations is ~$2300/individual (it is indexed upward with inflation for every campaign).

The articles pretty well explain that people who want to "keep their hands clean" fund these 527s also.

[OHdem10]

2. The HIT Job on Howard Dean was done by a Collabrative

effort between DLC and MSM. Only DLC Members or Someone who
will bow to DLC can become a serious Candidate in Democratic
Party. Does DLC have a 527?? I have not heard of it if they
do.

Look I agree with substance of your post but I disagree with
who did what part.

[Ninga]

4. If you read the articles they clearly identify the big players in the 527's who

played smash mouth politics in 2003/2004.

If you didn't, you may want to check out those links.

[Kolesar]

5. That Charles Lewis / Counterpunch article made steam come out of my ears

The Democrats missed a chance to have a candidate who could lead a movement with his message. Even if he lost to Bushler, we would have been closer to ending the war if Howard Dean was our candidate.

For that matter, we would have been closer to universal health care.

[Ninga]

8. I was pissed in '03 and am still pissed now. Ed Feighen of all people, from Ohio!

What was he thinking of...and what did he gain????????

You have hit the nail on the head and we must stay vigilant and let these people know we are on to them.

[patrice]

7. I think there will be obvious smear campaigns, which we should identify

and respond to IMMEDIATELY, but I also think the average of the "public mind" might very possibly also be beginning to evolve a little, from being bombarded day and night with the back-and-forth of the "debate".

There will always be minorities who continue to cling to (more-or-less) false dichotomies on both ends of the spectrum, and if these minorities get sliced and diced enough, they won't be big enough to put a given candidate over the finish-line, so (I'm sorry to say, because it represents a much more complex problem) the "middle" still counts and, instead of obvious, either-or, swift-boating, we're going to see more subtle and confusing assaults. Though I'm not a HC supporter, I think her experience in the last debate is an example of what this particular cognitive challenge is going to be.

I REALLY hope other Democrats will engage these cognitive challenges CONSTRUCTIVELY and help the People to become more mature in their thinking skills. If this CAN be done, we will get more crossover votes.

Do you think there will be any 527s with objectives similar to these tasks?

[Ninga]

9. 527's are sheltered by the law, and of course can promote education and good if that is

their mission.

I would hope that as the primary becomes more intense and heated, that watchdogs in Iowa alert the grassroots to any "smash mouth hit jobs" being passed as political ads.

We must not tolerate this type of marketing disguised as "information."

So my hope is that an intense discussion NOW, will put those 527's on notice that we will expose them, if they play the same game now as they did in 03/04.


There are so many good people here, that I can see how we can be a force of change, even if it is in a small way.

[patrice]

11. So, one thing that would help would be more transparency.

Not just where the $$$$$$$ are coming from, but also more about the various missions of 527s, so the People, themselves, can have a chance to hold them accountable. What are the chances of anything like that?

[Ninga]

12. My guess would be none. It would seem to me that the lack of attention this thread is getting is

an indication it is not a very "sexy" topic.

So for the People to hold 527's accountable and be succesfull at it.....it has to be on their radar screen to begin with......

[Ninga]

10. Great minds think alike...Babylonsister posted this last night on the very same

topic, this time, concerning John McCain. (McCain has been a constant target of 527's and their ugly attacks and rhetoric).


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=2249976

[Ninga]

13. self kick....