Posted on 05/15/2008 10:34:37 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
John McCain's campaign asked a prominent Republican consultant, Craig Shirley, to leave his official campaign role Thursday after a Politico inquiry about Shirley's dual role consulting for the campaign and for an independent "527" group opposing the Democratic presidential candidates. The campaign also released a new conflict of interest policy barring such arrangements.
Shirley, a conservative public relations veteran, doubled as a consultant to McCain and to the group Stop Her Now, a 527 group barred from coordinating its activities with presidential campaigns. He is not currently on the McCain campaign’s payroll, but would also step down from his role on McCain’s Virginia Leadership Team, a McCain spokesman, Brian Rogers, said.
"If you're working for a 527 involved in the presidential race, you won't have a named role in our campaign,” said Rogers.
Under the new policy, a copy of which was provided to Politico, “no person with a McCain Campaign title or position may participate in a 527 or other independent entity that makes public communications that support or oppose any presidential candidate.”
Shirley’s firm, Shirley & Bannister Associates, was paid more than $22,000 by McCain for work this February and March to win conservative support. Stop Her Now has paid the firm more than $155,000 since 2007 for public relations work.
Shirley said Stop Her Now wasn’t the sort of group airing hard-hitting, factually questionable attack-ads that have given 527s a bad name, but rather a “lighthearted” effort.
“This is not the nether regions of 527s,” he said.
But his background is in some of the hardest hitting Republican attacks on Democratic presidents and presidential hopefuls.
He was reportedly a member of the team that tarred Michael Dukakis with the “Willie Horton” ads in 1988, and later he helped organize the first press conference with Paula Jones, who had sued Clinton for sexual harassment. In 2004, his company did public relations work for a move attacking John Kerry for undermining the treatment of Vietnam Veterans, “Stolen Honor.”
--snip--
Shirley you jest
This will be an honorable campaign!!!
Typical that while Republicans dither about with rules like this the Democrats not only flaunt them but laugh at them in their campaigns.
We have to learn how to fight and to win in this game, and until we start to use 527s more effectively, we are going to have trouble.
Wow—why does the Titanic musical theme keep coming to mind?
McCain creates 527s and now he won’t stand for anyone being in one.
McCain’s campaign will be stillborn at this rate.
Go, Chuck Baldwin, POTUS candidate of the Constitution Party, go! Go, Libertarian Party POTUS candidates, go!McCain is indirectly helping you out. The majority of conservative voters are truly still seriously looking for someone to vote for POTUS in ‘08. LOL!
“This will be an honorable campaign!!!
And this will be a losing campaign!!!
This is the time Republicans need to take the gloves off, and McCain is fighting with one hand tied behind his back. He needs to be as down and dirty (while maintaining legality) as the Dems. That’s the only way McCain can win and protect America from the looming disaster of Democrat-Socialist rule and the end of American economic and political preeminence in the world.
Gotta love squeaky clean Team McCain. Get ready for his screeching stop.
Two top Texans leaving McCain's campaign
Analysis: Flap conflicts with McCain's image
McCain’s lobbyist purge: All the foreign agents but one?
McCain asks staff to disclose lobbying ties
McCain Convention Manager Resigns After NEWSWEEK Reveals Burma Ties
McCain has a scandal brewing. No wonder he wants to keep his campaign events as private affairs.
I hear Juan’s throwing Cindy off the campaign-—too much scandal baggage.
Source?
How about throwing this advisor overboard for his conflict of interest...?
I just read that Mitt is in the process of buying a beach front home in La Jolla, California. The stated speculation was that maybe he was going to put his name in the hat to replace Arnie in 2010. [source]
That one will be there until the dying end....
It’s getting hard to keep track. Tom Loeffler, Doug Davenport, Doug Goodyear, and now Craig Shirley, right?
I thought there were actually more than that.
Interesting.
FYI... Norquist
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2020806/posts
eeewwww....I can harldy wait...thanks, I think. lol
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