Dean Tarred In 'Osama' Ad

CBS ^ | Dec. 16, 2003 | Beth Lester and Dotty Lynch

[Monitor]

In its third ad in the past two weeks, the secretive 527 group Americans for Jobs, Healthcare & Progressive Values (AJHPV) brings out its harshest attacks to date against Howard Dean.

The ad's sole visual is a slowly moving shot of a Time Magazine cover featuring Osama bin Laden. As the picture zooms in on a close-up of bin Laden’s eyes, the announcer intones, "Howard Dean just cannot compete with George Bush on foreign policy." The ad concludes by asking Democrats – presumably those who currently support Dean - to "think about that … and think about it now."

The ad began airing in New Hampshire and South Carolina on Saturday, before the capture of Saddam Hussein. Two other AJHPV anti-Dean ads have aired in Iowa, both ending with a domestic variation of the Osama warning: "If you thought Howard Dean had a progressive record … check the facts … and think again." Overall, AJHPV has pledged to spend $400,000 on advertising in Iowa.

If the harsh criticism of Dean were not enough to make the ad of interest, a controversy over AJHPV's funding has drawn further attention. AJHPV has refused to disclose its financial backers and the IRS does not require 527s to file until January 31, after the first two make-or-break primaries.

At the moment, it appears that the group has more than a passing connection with one of Dean's opponents, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt. The group's new president, former Rep. Ed Feighan, has contributed $2,000 to the Gephardt presidential campaign, and former Gephardt fund-raiser David Jones is the group's treasurer. The Washington Post reported that the Gephardt-endorsing Machinists Union has made a "substantial contribution" to AJHPV. Leo Hindery, Gephardt's national finance co-chair, is also a "backer of AJHPV."

Gephardt campaign press secretary Erik Smith tells CBS News that the campaign "has no involvement at all" with AJHPV, although they have pointed reporters to the group's Web site. On a conference call today, Gephardt told reporters, "I haven't seen the ads and I have no knowledge of who is doing this and why they're doing it. For my part, I wish they would reveal who is doing this through the organization. I led the fight for campaign finance reform and, as part of that, we put additional requirements on reporting from 527 organizations. If I wanted to run ads of this kind, I would run them."

AJHPV's new spokesman is former John Kerry press secretary Robert Gibbs, who left the Massachusetts senator's campaign when his boss, Jim Jordan, was fired. The Kerry camp also denies any connection with the 527 group. Both the Gephardt and Kerry campaigns have gone on the air with positive ads this week, leaving the Dean bashing to AJHPV.

Making lemonade out of lemons, the Dean campaign is using the anti-Dean ad to raise money. Dean for America put up a fundraising "bat" on its Web site designed to turn his supporters' ire at the attacks into cold, hard cash. The Web site features a full rundown of the ad and its surrounding controversy, explaining that "Democrats are better than this" and urging supporters to contribute to "show that we're going to keep fighting." So far the ad has brought in $459,541 for Dean.

Audio: We live in a very dangerous world.

And there are those who wake up every morning determined to destroy western civilization…

Americans want a president who can face the dangers ahead.

But Howard Dean has no military or foreign policy experience.

And Howard Dean just cannot compete with George Bush on foreign policy.

It’s time for Democrats to think about that … and think about it now.

Video: Slow move in on cover of Time magazine with Bin Laden on the cover. SUPER comes up: Dangerous world.

Move in continues … SUPER comes up: Destroy us

Move in continues … SUPER comes up: Dangers Ahead

Move in continues … SUPER comes up: No Experience

Continue to move in until we get into his eyes and screen turns black.

SUPER: It’s time for Democrats to think about Dean’s inexperience.

SUPER: Think about it now. Paid for by Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values.

[Monitor]

Pass the popcorn!!!!!

[thoughtomator]

[cavtrooper21]

Like someone else has pointed out...

Night of the 'RAT long knives.

[Enterprise]

Howard Dean is a metrosexual. They musn't forget that either!

[Shermy]

Link to ad here.

[faithincowboys]

Remember when the Left took such umbrage at the inclusion of Osama Bin Laden in an ad against Max Cleland, then they go right ahead and use it. They are such phonies. These people are never called on their daily hypocrisy.

By the way, the Cleland ad was fair. He was standing with Daschle in a state that voted for Bush in 2000 by 12 points. The people of GA had the right to tell Max (who I used to like until he went insane) to get out of DC.

[skinkinthegrass]

Pass the popcorn!!!!!

OK...it has a lot of coconut butter on it...this getting fun! :)

[Fenris6]

Interesting ad. Thanks for the link.

What IS the population & racial demographic of Vermont btw...?

[autoresponder]

Vermont has a population of about 600,000 people.

Less then the smallest bourough of New York City.

Washington DC has a population of about 340,000 people.

Broward County Florida alone has a population of about 1,600,000 people, almost 3 times more then the the entire state of Vermont.

Vermont is about 97% white I believe; I could be off a little on this racial population stat.

Vermont: Over 15 times more population then fans at the Super Bowl!

(Not that there's anything wrong with Vermonters!)

[nopardons]

But hey ... Dean would make such a perfect Dem presidential candidate; dumb, loud mouthed, and stupid. LOL

[lambo]

What has struck me as hilarious about this ad -- I'm in Iowa, I think I first saw it yesterday -- is that if Dean wins the nomination, it could be used word for word by the Bush campaign.

Read it again and put yourself in an October 2004 frame of mind and you'll see what I mean.

Do the democrats have any idea how stupid this is?

[Fenris6]

http://vermont.gov/find-facts/statistics.html

614,000 with 96.8% White. Good guess.

People laugh about Dean's lack of foreign policy experience. LOL. What about his ability to govern?

Hell, even *I* could govern Vermont. ROTFL!

This guy wants to be President? Al Sharpton would be less dangerous...

[Fenris6]

Even worse - Vermont only has 3,000 African-Americans.

Whats up with that Dean? Maybe you need sensitivity training? Why hasn't Al Sharpton or Mossley-Braun mentioned this:

"What's Dean been doing to discourage blacks from living in Vermont?"

Dean the racist. Coming soon to a state near you.

[grania]

"What's Dean been doing to discourage blacks from living in Vermont?"

Gosh, I have to wonder how many blacks he appointed during his administration?

This guy is so bad that Ralph Nadar is favoring another candidate. It's just not easy to anger the Greens as Governor of Vermont.

[MeekOneGOP]

Wow ! Really strange. I must be missing something here. A Progressive group putting up an ad like this to bash Dean and say he wouldn't do as good a job as Bush (duh!) against domestic terrorism/national security and with Gephardt/Kerry connections in the group.

Why is a Progressive group bashing a Progressive ? ...

What am I missing here ? Interesting.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the link ...

[cookcounty]

Cannibalism in America!

[tractorman]

The ad was probably written by Shrillary. A few more tack strips on the road for the careening Deanmobile.

[GeronL]

we are within 60 days of primaries... I thought they could not do this??

[autoresponder]

I said "about" 600,000 population in Vermont and "about" 97% white popoulation in Vermont.

Thanks for the research and the corrections to my posted approximated "about" stats.

I should have researched it myself before I posted my numbers.

I was only off under 3% on total population and .2% on the white population, as you pointed out.

I was 14,000 low on Vermont population and .2% high on whites in Vermont.

I did say "about", but I usually err well to the modest side.

I should have said "about" 650,000 population (on the high side) in Vermont and "about" 96% white population (on the low side) in Vermont.

I try to always be conservative and then if "challenged" by the left, their own statistics end up proving they are just plain "is-ising".

My reasoning is that the media allows the dem/libs to spout all kinds of phoney statistics, and as the "Beltway" media votes over 93% for democrats, they are willfully and knowingly acting as a profitmaking "political wing" for the DNC "military wing" of the tax exempt domestic tarandnrant democrat party.

They release and publish absolute lies and fictional figures and facts:

Sarah Brady's "Handgun Control Inc." claimed over 15 "innocent children" are killed by "guns" every day.

Democrat politicians like Chuckie Schumer, algore, Diane Feinstein, Hillary Clinton, Babara Boxer, Bill Clinton, and hundreds of other liers all spew these "Barbra Streisand" baloney non-Kosher numbers

#1 - HCI uses ages 0-25 as "children"; US courts consider that anyone over 16 years of age is usually legally considered and "adult"; therefore HCI is lying when they knowingly publish "fabricated" statistics that are "cooked-up" worse then ENRON, TYCO, and Martha Stewart.

#2 - HCI includes accidental deaths as "killings".

#3 - HCI ignores the fact that the 1999 Clinton-Reno-Freeh FBI/DOJ Uniform Crime Report alleged that over 75% of "gun deaths" are caused by those involved in illegal drugs sales, drug use, or drug gangs; not "innocent children".

#4 - "CONTROL" as in "HCI" sounds too "NAZI", too COMMIE, so "Handgun Control Inc." has stopped/dropped the word "Control" in their con job names; they now call themselves the "Handgun Violence Prevention Center", "The Brady Handgun Violence Center" (anyone want to but a "Brady Gun?"; they own plenty of guns!), "Million Mom(my) March", and other fantasy ttles to scare the voting public.