[Flashback to: March 7, 2004] RNC tells TV stations not to run anti-Bush ads

CNN ^ | Sunday, March 7, 2004 Posted: 12:07 AM EST (0507 GMT)

[AndyJackson]

RNC 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.

.....

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."

[goodnesswins]

TOUCHE'

[upchuck]

You should have put this in your comment #1:

Sunday, March 7, 2004

[b4its2late]

I like it. They're finally growing a pair? Maybe, hopefully.......

[BonnieJ]

I don't think they are making fools of themselves. They are pointing out the hypocricy of the demands of the Dems with this counter request. No one expects anything to be pulled. It's all a media game anyway. And those outrageous Moveon ads have run for a long time now with no real response at all.

[hobson]

This was in March; it's the people who are important in this article!

It seems as though that point is overlooked on this thread.

Let me emaphasize:

Joseph Sandler is counsel for MOVEON.ORG and Democratic National Committee!

[hermgem]

Lets debate, claim/counterclaim, charge/counter charge, these Kerry Swift Boat heroisms, medals, Christmas Cambodia excursions, and statements of atrocities before Congress.
Debating Vietnam all the way to election day is what Kerry at his convention steered at, since he needed a record as his Senate contributions are flat.
Now he's got endless refinements of himself.
May the truth in the final end prevail. Seems these Swift boaters for truth are not about to cave in.

[rickyc]

read the date- March 7th!

[Mark17]

LOL. Howdy from Bush Country California (FResno County)

I wish we could say that about all of California. I live in the belly of the beast, the SF Bay area.

[NurdlyPeon]

If this article was originally posted on March 7, 2004, then that is a horse of a different color. The question now becomes: why is CNN putting it on their web-site now? The answer is that it is probably a damage control response to charges that the Republicans are going to make about what the Democrats are doing today. (I hope you followed that).

[daylate-dollarshort]

"God save us if Florduh forgets how to vote again."

_______________________________

Hey!! In case you hadn't noticed, Florida went for Bush last time! Furthermore, after every Tom, Dick and Harry yankee newspaper came down here supposedly to teach us crackers how to count, Bush still won. I'd worry more about how Ohio is going to vote....

[Cold Heat]

I was more amused at some of the intial reactions.

yes, the connect the dot exercise is certainly important, but it only works on republicans.:-)

[mylife]

WTF!!

[BonnieJ]

Florida went for Jeb Bush in a big way...13% win or something like that. After all the money Terry McA poured into the state. That is why the current polls are suspicious. They look very similar to the ones just prior to Jeb's re-election.

[Paleo Conservative]

This is silly. Only ads that attack DemocRAT candidates are illegally financed.

[Tax Government]

Take the demo-bastards to the mat.

[The Toad]

Is it any surprise, with the silly new campaign finance laws, that this is happening? Now we have lawyers making money on lawsuits and eventually some of these guys will someday run for office themselves right? Ironic.

[mylife]

FYI steve gardener on msnbc with pat buchanan now

[xm177e2]

Joseph Sandler was the DNC's top lawyer in 1997 when he defended Al Gore's illegal solicitation for campaign contributions (which shows his contempt for campaign finance laws).

Sandler's firm continues to receive $25k/month from the DNC from Jan 2003 to June 2004 (and possibly before that, and possibly after--I don't know when they have to submit information on these payments, so they could be ongoing).

According to Sandler's own web site:

From February 1993 until May 1998, Mr. Sandler served on the staff of the DNC as general counsel. He continues to serve in that position through his law firm.

So by Sandler's own words he is the top lawyer for the DNC. Nothing in his bio suggests that he works for MoveOn.org (which is not strange at all--none of his other clients are in his bio either)

Sandler has come out strongly in favor of the participation of so-called 527 organizations in American politics:

MoveOn.org Voter Fund’s lawyer, Joseph Sandler of Sandler, Reiff and Young observed, “The federal campaign laws have permitted precisely this use of money for advertising for the past twenty five years. The most recent court rulings continue to uphold the legality of what MoveOn.org Voter Fund is doing. The RNC statement is a complete misrepresentation of the law.”

But he also came out against the Swift Vets (his name is at the bottom of the DNC letter sent to news outlets to threaten them against running the commercial)

[AndyJackson]

Use the published heading only please.

In this case I am going to strongly but respectfully disagree. The point about this post was not to post a CNN article for comment but to to use a CNN article as evidence that the DNC, MoveOn.org, and the Kerry Campaign are tied together by the attorney Joseph Sandler, who is the DNC general counsel.

[nyconse]

The Republicans can not afford to wait-just in case the FEC rules against the Swifties...it would look worse if Republicans file after such a ruling. Also, Dems can not be allowed to run 527 adds unless Republicans can also. It would give the Democrats a huge advantage and ensure a Repbublican defeat. Hey is true that Kerry et al are trying to shut down Free Republic? I heard it on one of the talk shows-can't remember which one.