Posted on 06/15/2006 5:07:04 PM PDT by Dane
Buchanan(Tancredo) PAC targets Cannon in radio ads
If you can define yourself in politics by the kind of enemies you make, Rep. Chris Cannon is moving up in the world.
Cannon, R-Utah, is now receiving the significant monetary attention of Team America, an anti-illegal immigration political action committee started by fellow GOP House member Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., and now run by Bay Buchanan, the celebrated sister of longtime conservative candidate/columnist Pat Buchanan.
Bay Buchanan, who appears regularly on national TV news and political opinion programs, put it bluntly in a telephone interview Tuesday: "We want to defeat Chris Cannon."
Knocking out "President Bush's point man in the House on amnesty and guest worker programs for the United States . . . will show that we intend to hold (other congressmen) accountable," Buchanan said. "The best way to do that is to defeat Cannon — that will put the whole (U.S.) House on notice."
Pointing to detailed Cannon votes on its Web site — www.teamamericapac.org — Buchanan said the group's ads tell "the truth" about Cannon's support for an illegal immigrant amnesty and guest worker program.
Not so, says Nathan Rathbun, Cannon's campaign manager. "Rather than relying on attacks from out-of-state special interests, we would suggest talking about Congressman Cannon's actual record.
"If you look at that record, you will see that it is not what those ads portray it to be. The ads are not true. Chris has always said he is against illegal immigration and for legal immigration. To suggest that Chris is somehow a Johnny-come-lately to enforcement is just plain wrong. For example, Cannon has voted five times since 1999 to authorize the use of military personnel on the border.
"We will hold that record up against a laughter-filled radio ad (by Team America) any day of the week," Rathbun said
Team America's accusations are so far off of the truth "we don't even know how to respond," Rathbun said. But Cannon's campaign apparently will try to do so. KSL Radio officials say Cannon is expanding his radio buy this week — he had a new ad running specifically saying he's tough on illegal immigrants — while Team America is spending $15,000 on anti-Cannon spots.
Why target Cannon rather than other GOP House members with similar voting records on illegal immigration?
"Chris Cannon is first up to bat," Buchanan said. "His primary just happens to come before some others. But beyond that, (Cannon) is not telling his constituents the truth. He's hiding from his real record" in voting on illegal immigration issues.
But Cannon would be in Team America's gun sights even if his primary were later in the year, she added.
Cannon "is a great opportunity for us. If we can defeat a sitting congressman in his own primary, it will send a shock wave through the whole House. Put all (so-called pro amnesty congressmen) on alert."
Buchanan showed up in Utah at the May 13 state GOP convention to speak for Merrill Cook, a former GOP 2nd Congressional District House member who was knocked out of the 3rd District race at the convention.
Team America is not giving any money to Republican John Jacob, who faces Cannon in the June 27 primary. "We are a small PAC," Buchanan said. "But we will run radio ads through next week until the primary."
The Team America PAC collects money from all over the country. But in late 2005, a Spanish Fork couple, Kevin and Jenny Baadsgaard, loaned the PAC nearly $10,000, its largest single contribution, Federal Election Commission reports show.
Buchanan said those specific funds went for a DVD production and are not directly going into paying for the two anti-Cannon radio ads now on local Utah stations.
Kevin Baadsgaard declined comment Tuesday on why his family supports Team America. However, the Baadsgaards donated several thousand dollars in 2004 to Matt Throckmorton, a former Utah GOP House member who tried, unsuccessfully, to unseat Cannon that year. Throckmorton's main campaign issue was illegal immigration.
So far, the Baadsgaards have not contributed to Jacob.
The district is heavily Republican, and the primary winner is an odds-on favorite to win the seat in November. If Cannon survives the June 27 primary, Team America will likely back away. "We are opposing pro-amnesty Republicans in their primaries, opposing Democrats in the final election," Buchanan said.
She doesn't expect Team America to be in Utah contesting Cannon's election in the November final campaign. "But with (Cannon), well . . . we'd still probably make that decision later," she said.
They stand watch on their time with their money. God bless the Minutemen.
You just don't get it. In my opinion, Tancredo does NOT want the issue resolved and his every action proves it. He turned on one of his strongest allies, Pence, when he put forward a plan FAR closer to his than anything presently on the table. The Minutemen turned on one of their strongest allies in California and damn near threw the election to a rabid open borders liberal. Those are facts beyond dispute and given those facts it is not hard to come to the conclusion that neither Tancredo OR the Minutemen are the least bit interested in resolving the problem.
I can almost hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Excuse me, I have something in my eye.
Cannon was one of my favorite House Managers during the impeachment. Thanks for the info on the ads, etc. Hope he wins by a large margin.
I knew you'd come to your senses, eventually.
I think you may be a bit confused about who has control of their senses around here. You are the one believing that a dozen or so folks having picnics on the border are the bulwark stemming the invasion.
What's wrong Dane...afraid to post the real article's headline? Your "editoral" changes in the title of the article are not consistent with FR posting rules.
A dozen or so? Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
I'm not saying that at all, just stating that Tancredo's name IS NOT in the article headline. Some people on this forum like to embellish things to grandstand and create controversy.
Boy have you got that right! When I saw a thread with Alan Keyes in a black cowboy hat, jumping on this bandwagon, I knew that the issue had finally run it's course. I finally turned the news on, after not having watched any of this immigration inflagration for about a month, I was right. It was all over by the time Keyes jumped aboard. HA!
Republicans will be forever grateful to Pat Pukeannan for Miami 20000 and the destruction of the Reform Party 2004! Other than that he is nuttier than Huffington.
Pray for W and Our Troops
"Yeah, just like Cannon was going to lose to Throckmorton in 04."
The fact that you want a pro-amnesty illegal-lover like Cannon to win speaks volumes.
Congressmen like Cannon need to be knocked out in the primary so a more conservative, more pro-enforcement republican can take on the democrat.
Yeah like Bilbray. Oh wait the borderbots tried to knock him off too.
"Yeah like Bilbray. Oh wait the borderbots tried to knock him off too."
Really? Team America, Bay Buchanan and Tancredo all endorsed Bilbray.
Opps!
The Minutemen endorsed the independent. BTW can you link the endorsement from the PAC?
They took it down, but it you google search for "Team America" and Bilbray, you'll get a link if you click "cached" you can see it.
"Team America Candidates Sweep California!!
With your help, all three Team America endorsed candidates won in California. Brian Bilbray won a tight race to replace Randy "Duke" Cunnningham" in California's 50th. Bilbray ran strong on border security, while his Democratic opponent Francine Busby encouraged illegal aliens to vote for her!! READ MORE ON BILBRAY'S VICTORY"
Thanks.
Of course, and had he run for Congress as a 3rd party candidate, he would have lost big time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.