New Obama Ad Creating Controversy

[Kevlar281]

"Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads.

Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign — and tens of thousands of supporters — also is pressuring television networks and affiliates to reject the ads."

Link: To Ad

Link: To Full Article

I don’t pretend to understand the legalese of the American election process but why would Obama’s camp request the Department of Justice to investigate the finances of the group who made the TV spot as opposed to filing a complaint with the Federal Election Committee if the ad was blatantly false or heck why not do both?

/sidenote: Sorry about the run on.

[srmom]

OOOH, scary scenario if he gets elected and starts having the Department of Justice investigate the finances of his enemies... Slippery slope.

[texas*princess]

Kev-- that confuses me too

[MysticCat]

Both the Justice Dept and the FEC investigate and prosecute violations of the Federal Elections Campaign Act. I thought I had heard in the news that complaints had been filed with both but maybe I'm wrong.

And the issue is not whether the ad is blatantly false. The complaint to the Justice Dept contends that the organization that sponsored the ad, the American Issues Project, has violated its 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status by producing the ad. Violation of tax-exempt status is not something that the FEC would get involved in.

The other issue is related and has to do with whether the AIP is required to register as a "political committee," which would require it, among other things, to disclose where its money comes from. Both the Justice Dept and the FEC would have dogs in that fight.

The main guy behind this ad, Harold Simmons, also was behind the Swift Boat ads against John Kerry. Kerry was heavily criticized for not fighting those ads agressively enough. The Obama campaign seems to be trying to avoid that same criticism.

[epchick]

What disturbs me more is this comment:

The Obama campaign plans to punish the stations that air the ad financially, an Obama aide said, organizing his supporters to target the stations that air it and their advertisers.

Doesn't Obama know that during election time there will be ads supporting him, and ads that oppose him. Why punish a station for showing an ad that opposes him?

They say they don't want to "cheapen" the political discourse "with these false, negative attacks.” Uh, well get over it. It isn't going to stop if you become President.