CAIR-PAC Urges Support for Hilliard [Dem Rep who voted against condemning suicide bombers]

Take a real step now towards POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT of the American Muslim community.

Congressman Earl Hilliard (D-7th, Alabama), a strong supporter of issues of concern to the American Muslim community, urgently needs our help to win reelection. He has consistently supported a balanced US foreign policy in the Middle East and opposed lopsided bills that harm the interests of America and the Muslim world. He is a strong defender of civil liberties and also the first African-American elected to Congress from Alabama.

Congressman Hilliard is being challenged solely on the basis of his support for a balanced US policy in the Middle East. Reports indicate that his challenger has received more than $600,000 from pro-Israeli lobbies that seek to punish and make an example of him for his balanced and fair approach to the Middle East.

Now is the time to step forward and MAKE A DIFFERENCE by donating to Congressman Hilliard’s campaign. He needs this help TODAY to defeat an opponent who will staunchly oppose American Muslims.

Act now and save a friend and supporter of our community and its issues. A win for Hilliard is a win for the Muslim community and will give strength to those who want to vote their conscience on issues relating to the Middle East.

The upper limit for donations for individuals is $1000, but everyone should give at least $100 to support his reelection. Couples can give $2000.

- Send a Check to support Congressman Hilliard - Please write on the memo line of your check “from friends of CAIR-PAC.” - Only US citizens and legal permanent residents (green card holders) can contribute.

NOTE: If you live in Alabama or can travel there Monday or Tuesday, June 24th and 25th, then please call Hilliard’s campaign office at 205-326-8828.

From Roll Call:

June 20, 2002

Ala. Races Nasty at Finish

Runoff Opponents Slam Each Other as Final Weekend Approaches

By Lauren W. Whittington

In a flurry of last-minute negative advertising, candidates in two closely watched Alabama runoffs have taken to the airwaves to harshly criticize their opponents with less than a week to go in the campaigns.

Three runoff elections are slated to take place in Alabama on Tuesday, after two Senate challengers and candidates in a pair of House races failed to garner at least 50 percent of the vote in June 4 primaries.

The high-profile 7th district runoff race between Rep. Earl Hilliard (D-Ala.) and attorney Artur Davis (D) continues to grow nastier as the campaign heads into the final weekend.

Davis' campaign is set to begin running two ads today attacking Hilliard's record in Congress and highlighting what they say is his failure to introduce any meaningful legislation during his 10 years in Washington.

One of the ads, titled "Rabbits," tells viewers that Hilliard has been paid "$1.3 million and counting" over the past 10 years to represent them in Washington, and in that period of time he has not introduced any bills related to education, health care, economic development or civil-rights issues. However, according to the ad, Hilliard did sponsor legislation "regulating endangered rabbits."

The announcer ends the spot by saying, "Send Earl Hilliard back to Washington? Why?"

Davis campaign manager Corey Ealons said the ads are part of an effort to turn out voters who supported another candidate in the three-way primary. The ads were produced by Black Blue Media Communications, based in Philadelphia.

"We have to give them a reason to come back out," Ealons said. "We have to make a case, and the case is the current Congressman hasn't done what he needs to do to properly represent the district. ... At the end of the day, it really is that simple."

Hilliard, meanwhile, began airing an ad last week highlighting Davis' campaign financing and accusing his opponent of selling out to out-of-state interests and contributors.

"Are you for sale?" an announcer asks at the beginning of the spot. "Artur Davis thinks so."

The ad, paid for by Hilliard's campaign committee, goes on to chronicle the fact that Davis has gotten checks from donors in New York, New Jersey and California. He has also received "money from Republicans who support George Bush," the ad says.

The commercial features a businessman, who morphs into Davis, burning money with a cigar. The ad concludes that a vote for Davis is "an auction" and ends with an auctioneer yelling "SOLD!"

An analysis of contributions to both candidates through June 5, as reported by the Birmingham News, shows that both candidates have received a majority of their contributions from sources outside Alabama. According to that analysis, 86.6 percent of Hilliard's donations have been from out-of-state sources, while 77.4 percent of Davis' money has come from outside the state.

"About 87 percent of the money that I received came from political action committees, like teachers unions. About 92 percent of my opponent's money came from individuals," Hilliard told the newspaper in defense his high percentage of out-of-state money. "And that's the main distinction, because when you vote generally for unions or vote for organizations, it's an issue vote. But when you take money from individuals, then that is an acceptance of their views more than less."

Hilliard's office did not return a call for comment.

Davis began airing another ad on Monday in the Birmingham market, criticizing Hilliard's negative attacks and accusing the incumbent of "lying about" Davis. In the week before the primary, Hilliard accused Davis of being fired from a job because of a date-rape allegation. Both Davis and his former employer denied the charge.

"When Earl fights for Earl, we all lose," Davis tells viewers in the spot called "Shame," which is slated to stop airing today.

The Hilliard-Davis race has gained national attention and money in recent months because of the role the conflict in the Middle East has played in this rural Alabama district race.

After Hilliard voted against a resolution condemning Palestinian suicide bombings earlier this year, pro-Israel groups have rallied behind Davis. Hilliard, meanwhile, has gotten considerable support from Arab interest groups in addition to backing from the House Democratic leadership and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Meanwhile, things are also heating up on the airwaves this week in the state's 1st district...

Hilliard, backers rap Davis at bridge

06/19/02STAN BAILEY
News staff writer

SELMA U.S. Rep. Earl Hilliard and supporters, some from outside Alabama, came to the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge here Tuesday to criticize out-of-state contributions to his runoff opponent, Artur Davis.

"Someone is trying to steal our birthright," said the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, who helped organize the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march in 1965.

"We have a right to elect officials who are neither bossed nor bought, and we are here to protect that right. Money doesn't vote. People vote. And there are some who have sent money by the hundreds of thousands to this district, to elect somebody of their choice. It's not right."

Davis called the accusations hypocritical and an insult to voters in the 7th District, Alabama's only majority-black district.

"To suggest that one black candidate does not stand in the same tradition as other black candidates is offensive," Davis said. "Their efforts to divide this district along racial and religious lines are unacceptable. And the voters will reject it."

The runoff is Tuesday.

Hilliard and Davis have raised nearly equal amounts for the primary, according to Federal Election Commission reports. As of June 5, Hilliard had received $511,058, excluding loans. Davis generated $518,746.

Davis not surprised:

An examination of the contributions showed both candidates drew a majority of their donations from out-of-state. Of the $451,852 itemized for Hilliard, 86.64 percent from out of state. Of the $481,632 itemized for Davis, 77.39 percent came from out of state.

Asked about his own considerable contributions from people outside Alabama, Hilliard said, "About 87 percent of the money that I received came from political action committees, like teachers unions. About 92 percent of my opponent's money came from individuals. And that's the main distinction, because when you vote generally for unions or vote for organizations, it's an issue vote. But when you take money from individuals, then that is an acceptance of their views more than less."

State Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, chairman of the Alabama New South Coalition, held the news conference near a monument to 1965 march leader Hosea Williams.

"People in New York, people in New Jersey, people in California are simply trying to buy this district," said Sanders. "That's just completely unacceptable. We worked too hard. We already paid for it. We paid for it with sweat. We paid for it with blood. We paid for it with sacrifice. So it's not going to be bought with money if we have anything to do with it at all."

Hilliard said a pro-Israel political action committee, an organization of American Jews, is supporting Davis. Sanders said much of the group's opposition to Hilliard stems from his visit to Libya.

"He went to visit a Moslem country in Africa, and they said, `Well, since he did that, we need to get rid of him.' I don't want Jews, I don't want whites, I don't want anybody telling me that I can't visit any country I want in Africa," said Sanders. "There's something wrong with that."

Sanders said hundreds of sizable donations have been made to Davis' campaign, indicating "an organized effort by a limited number of people to be able to determine who the congressperson will be."

"This is an effort I have not seen in my lifetime, where a group of individuals in other states organized in this fashion to try to determine who the congress person is going to be," said Sanders. "We simply have to use everything in our means to repel that."

Davis said he was not surprised by the tone and tenor of the attacks.

"It is the old line political machine trying to rally one last time," he said. "It won't work."

I wouldn't be too sure that this will hurt Hilliard. The race card is being played to the hilt in this election. The people supposedly trying to buy the election are whites and Jews, although that's not explicitly stated, it's implicit in the message. Davis is being portrayed as an Uncle Tom and a lackey of the white man and Jews. He has also been criticized for prosecuting blacks accused of voter fraud during his tenure as a Federal Prosecutor. These tactics could easily tip the election in Hilliard's favor, the district being largely minority and poor.

Follow-up email from CAIR-PAC:

Dear Friends...

Some of you sent us questions in regard to the e-mail urging you to support
Congressman Hilliard. here is an attempt to answer these questions...

QUESTIONS:

* TO WHOM THE CHECKS SHOULD BE WRITTEN?
* WHY DO I HAVE TO GIVE MY EMPLOYER'S NAME?
* WHY DON'T YOU TAKE CREDIT CARDS?
* THE PREVIOUS E-MAIL MESSAGE CAME FROM A HOTMAIL ACCOUNT, WHY?
* CAN ANYONE SEND DONATIONS?
* WOULD YOU GIVE US DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT HILLIARD'S RECORD?

* TO WHOM THE CHECKS SHOULD BE WRITTEN?
Please, write your check to "Hilliard for Congress". In the memo line, please
write "friends of CAIR-PAC"

* WHY DO I HAVE TO GIVE MY EMPLOYER'S NAME?
The Law requires that you give your employer's name and your position.
Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing
address, occupation and employer name for each individual whose
contributions aggregate more than $200 in a calendar year.

* WHY DON'T YOU TAKE CREDIT CARDS?
We are not set up to use credit cards yet. In the future, we should be able
to accept credit cards.

* THE PREVIOUS E-MAIL MESSAGE CAME FROM A HOTMAIL ACCOUNT, WHY?
For some technical reasons, which we could not resolve in time, the message
went from a hotmail account.

* CAN ANYONE SEND DONATIONS?
Only Citizens or Permanent Residents can contribute. Federal law prohibits
donations from corporations and foreign nationals who lack permanent
residence status.

* WOULD YOU GIVE US DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT HILLIARD'S RECORD?
Check the following links
http://www.toledomuslims.com/C riterion/Article.asp?ID=140
http://www.toledomuslims.com/C riterion/Article.asp?ID=141

- Congressman Hilliard signed Congressman Conyers's letter to President
Clinton to end the embargo on Iraq.
- Congressman Hilliard visited Iraq on his own and spoke out on the
suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of the American bombing.
- Congressman Hilliard voted in support of the repeal of the Secret
Evidence Act.
- Special interest groups are attempting to remove Congressman
Hilliard from office because of his fair policies towards the Middle East.
- Congressman Hilliard sits on the International Relations committee and is
of key importance to our community.

Congressman Hilliard has taken political risks in our support, and now he
deserves ours!

PLEASE: SEND YOUR CHECK NOW!

BTW check out those articles. Real winners. The second is entitled "Artur Davis doesn’t care about Alabama," and has a picture of Davis with a dollar sign and Star of David emblazoned on his forehead. Excerpt:

So where was Artur Davis on Monday April 22, 2002? Was he really in Washington DC? Yes. But what the Tuscaloosa News forgot to mention is that he was not at a “fundraiser”, but rather at a meeting with agents of a foreign government. Very, very scary.
Anyone watching Headline News would quickly realize that Davis was at an American Israeli Political Action Committee convention. This, AIPAC, is a lobby group that works for Israel. In fact, the majority of their members, board, and executive committee are Israeli citizens. Yet they claim to care for America. It is illegal for American citizens to also carry a citizenship of another country. You are either American, or you aren’t. You are either with us, or against us.
So this Davis guy would rather be meeting with officials from the Israeli government than his own constituents. Makes you wonder what he really cares about. Is he an Israeli? Does he want to slaughter poor innocent people? His district is a mirror of the Palestinians occupied territories. The 7th district is one of the poorest districts in the nation.

The hypocrisy here is as stunning as the lies, considering the CAIR-PAC praises Hilliard for his defense America's enemy Iraq.

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