Posted on 10/25/2006 3:03:12 PM PDT by SmithL
The Republican National Committee has pulled from the airways a controversial ad demeaning Senate Democratic nominee Harold Ford Jr.
The RNC apparently intends to replace the ad.
The Senate Republican nominee Bob Corker had asked that the ad be taken down, calling it "tacky."
"We felt like it was tasteless and didn't reflect the kind of campaign we were running," said Corker spokesman Todd Womack.
The ad, called "Who hasn't," began running Friday.
In the ad, a man in sunglasses says of Ford, "So he took money from porn movie producers. Who hasn't?"
The ad continues with a bare-shouldered blond who says she met Ford at a Playboy party. At the end of the ad, she looks into the camera and says, with a wink, "Harold, call me."
Unhappiness with the negative ads filling the airwaves in the Senate race between Corker and Ford surfaced again at the first of two candidate meetings today with the Executive Women's Association in Knoxville.
After a luncheon speech by Corker, Baptist Health System retiree Marty Begalla told the Republican she finds the ads in both campaigns "insulting."
"I do not like what has happened by either campaign," Begalla told the former Chattanooga mayor. "They're personally demeaning and it keeps people away from discussing the issues. Surely the voters can rise above those ads. "
She said the national parties of both candidates are "dumping money on Tennessee. They think we're not smart enough to make up our own minds."
Ford speaks to the group at 5:30 this afternoon.
"It makes Willie Horton look like child's play," said John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political science professor who studies political ads. "I've never before seen an ad that brings up interracial sex — then has that porn industry comment. It's unbelievable."
Horton, who was black, was a Massachusetts murderer who was charged with rape while on a weekend furlough. Republicans used Horton in an attack ad against 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis in an effort make him look soft on crime.
Ford has called on Tennessee stations to stop broadcasting that ad and another that he says is so blatantly false that it violates federal rules for commercials sponsored by non-candidate organizations and could lead to legal action against stations running it.
The ad, called "Shaky," calls Ford "slick" and "smooth" while having a record that is "a little shaky."
Among the ad's contentions are that Ford "voted to recognize gay marriage" and "wants to give the abortion pill to our schoolchildren."
In the letter from Ford's lawyer to television stations, all those claims are declared "blatantly false and misleading."
As for gay marriage, the vote cited by the RNC in documentation for the ad dealt with federal court jurisdiction over lawsuits under the "defense of marriage act" and did not involve recognizing gay marriage. In fact, the letter says, Ford voted twice in favor of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
As for the abortion pill to schoolchildren, the letter says the vote cited had nothing to do with the so-called "morning after" pill that, at the time of the 2000 vote, was not available in the United States.
As in the first ad, "Shaky" also cites contributions from the porn industry. The Ford campaign has acknowledged receiving $3,600 from individuals tied to the X-rated film industry but says the money was immediately returned as soon as those ties were known.
"If this advertisement continues to air, we will pursue all legal avenues available to us," according to the letter.
Whit Adamson, executive director of the Tennessee Broadcasters Association, said the letter will trigger reviews of the ad by stations across the state and each will make its own decision. Adamson said he knew of at least one station, which he declined to name, that had indicated it would refuse to air the ad.
It has been running since Sunday statewide, said Danny Diaz, spokesman for the RNC.
Federal Election Commission figures indicate the RNC is spending about $1.5 million on the two ads. A total of almost $8 million in such "independent expenditures" have now been reported in the current Tennessee U.S. Senate campaign — apparently, a record amount for Tennessee.
The RNC defends both ads and has spurned requests to pull them — including the one from Corker.
Diaz said both ads were "air-tight, 100 percent factually accurate. We look forward to a discussion on it."
He said the first ad raises valid points and has no racial overtones.
Indeed, Diaz said Ford himself had "just lent credibility to the statements in the ad" by acknowledging Tuesday that he had attended a Playboy party at the Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2005.
"I was there," said the congressman at a Nashville news conference. "I like football. I like girls. I make no apologies about that."
Ford, however, criticized Corker for not doing enough to get the ad taken off the air.
"If Mr. Corker wanted these ads down, he could get them down," said Ford.
Ford also addressed the RNC ads at a ribbon-cutting for a new veterans nursing home in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon.
"If he can't convince the Republicans to pull down this offensive, scurrilous, sleazy ad, how can we expect him to stand up for Tennesseans in the U.S. Senate?" Ford said.
The Ford campaign has pointed to close ties between Corker and the RNC, which has had one of its staffers, Camille Anderson, accompanying Corker and serving as his press secretary in recent weeks.
Diaz said, however, that the RNC keeps its "independent expenditures" wing completely separate from the main RNC, which employs himself and Anderson. Under the "fire wall" arrangement, mandated by federal laws, the RNC cannot communicate with the "independent expenditures" section — even though RNC provides the money to finance the ads.
"That's the problem with these independent expenditures," said Todd Womack, spokesman for the Corker campaign. "Apparently, Congressman Ford doesn't understand the rules, even though Democrats have the same thing."
In a statement sent to media Tuesday, the Ford campaign noted RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman said he, too, had no control over the ads during an MSNBC interview. The "Who Hasn't" ad has received considerable national attention, with reports on CNN and newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times — all focusing on perceived racial and sexual overtones.
"The Republican shell game is now plain for everyone to see," said the Ford statement. "This is the classic Washington defense — no one takes responsibility for it, but everyone gets the benefit from it. The hypocrisy is overwhelming."
Federal Election Commission figures available on Tuesday show the RNC has spent $1,519,337 on Ford attack ads. Earlier, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, or NRSC, spent $1,631,032 attacking the Democrat.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meanwhile, has spent $2,024,702 on ads attacking Corker and $1,923,837 on ads promoting Ford.
Other independent expenditures listed by the FEC include:
Yes, yes!! We want more from these creative folks!!
There are a couple of Democrats that I would believe act this way.
Oh My! An ad that is truly effective & has the other side on the defense. You see that's bad news. The stupid pubbies in this corrupt "Two-Party Catel" are suppose to ALWAYS be on the defensive. The puppetiers of these cartel pols let this slip. Baaaaad.
Just to clarify, I agree the ad is effective and believe pulling it was a dumb move.
Too bad...Rush played it twice today on the air and was laughing himself silly. I'm sure he'll play it again tomorrow.
Don't overreact here, people. Corker gets to have his cake and eat it too. It's the old "good-cop bad-cop" routine.
Every statement made in the ad was a sourced statement of Harold Ford. The citations are printed on the screen.
The ad was all about the issues.
Me too! I thought it was funny! That's the problem with this country these days...no sense of humor!
If you like the way Teddy Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi vote then you will like the way JUNIOR votes.
You're exactly right. I think Harold Ford, Jr. is an overly ambitious little spoiled prick who's going to get his butt kicked come 11/7/06, and he and his advisers know it.
One more observation....this is a FUNNY ad AND I'll bet even Harold Ford Jr. thought it was funny!
Horton, who was black, was a Massachusetts murderer who was charged with rape while on a weekend furlough. Republicans used Horton in an attack ad against 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis in an effort make him look soft on crime.
The Willie Horton issue was originally brought up by Al Gore in the 1988 primaries. Of course, that fact wouldn't support the author's bias.
Horton, who was black, was a Massachusetts murderer who was charged with rape while on a weekend furlough. Republicans used Horton in an attack ad against 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis in an effort make him look soft on crime.
The Willie Horton issue was originally brought up by Al Gore in the 1988 primaries. Of course, that fact wouldn't support the author's bias.
Yes, it is unbelievable - especially because your characterization is bald-faced lie, professor. "bring up interracial sex" - does nothing of the kind. Liar.
Is that a fact? So that makes his parents racist by the standards being applied to this ad.
The RNC did in fact run the ad.
First of all, Horton still is black, and if Dukakis was allowing the release of convicted murderers on weekend furloughs, putting that in a campaign ad didn't "make him look soft on crime," HE WAS SOFT ON CRIME!
Ah, why didn't they just give Ford a tit to suck on and let him stop his whining about sucking on tits at a Playboy party?!?
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