Political ads: It’s getting really nasty out there
October 12, 2010 at 10:23 am in Grand Forks Herald
Deep-pocketed independent political groups are making the 2010 election homestretch the most scathing in years. In the frantic final days before the voting, a blitz of negative ads is hitting the air in more than two dozen tight congressional races. Continue Reading

The Chamber of Commerce is no friend of the middle class working man. Bringing in foreign money from multinational corporations to influence our elections stinks to high heaven. We all know the Chamber of Commerce is in bed with Karl Rove and the republicans. This is all a result of good ole George Bush and his wingnut appointees to the SCOTUS ruling that this is just fine. Remember Alito mouthing out that this would never happen? Jokes on us working stiffs.
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Bob Scheiffer asked Axelrod if he or the president had any proof of the allegation that the Chamber of Commerce is a criminal enterprise, since this is illegal. He asked Axelrod it “that’s the best you’ve got?†Jake Tapper challenged Axelrod for proof. None given, just unsubstantiated allegations meant to smear law abiding citiezens, all coming from the Demonizer in Chief. And mouth breathers like you just eat it up. This is another baseless claim made buya big eared imbecile that should have never been in the Oval Office. The man should be tried for slander and impeached.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Hey! What rimes with Tucker? It’s not trucker! Tucker – you’re a nut and a FOXified nut at that. I’m glad I don’t live with all of the anger that you seem to harbor. Seek professional help! Blow up your TV! Go outside for a walk and breath in some fresh air. Enjoy the birds. Notice all the folks who are enjoying life. Take in some sun. Walk off some of your anger. You’ll feel better.
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Gee John, you’re so clever. Tucker, plucker, ducker, mucker, ha ha. Did you see any exclamation points in my comment, John? Any wild eyed unsubstantiated claims? I didn’t think so. Just a couple of factual statements followed by my opinion of your messiah. I’m not another angry mouth breather like you and Jeff H. On the contrary, I’m a lovable fuzzball with an optimistic outlook on life and faith in my fellow man to make the right choices on their own. Our current president, your beloved leader, has made it a habit in his climb to power to demonize American citezens with personal attacks bordering on slander, because he cannot make the case for his policies in the court of public opinion. Just like you starting off with a little low-brow innuendo, followed by the dusty liberal canard that anyone disagreeing with them needs professional help, Obama cannot argue a point without first attacking a citizen’s character. This is hardly the tactics that a “uniter†would use. I’ve spent enough time sparring with Jeff H to realize that he’s a Kool-Aid drinking “workin’ man†that votes the party line, but I still like to mock him from time to time. Boy am I gonna have fun with you.
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I’ve heard there is some stigma attatched to being a John.
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Yep, thanks to the activists on the SCOTUS, corporations (including foreign financed ones) now have the same free speech rights as US individual citizens. Now it’s even more likely that we’ll get “the best government that money can buy!”
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So a group of individual citizens can form together in a union and speak as one politically, but if they form a for-profit business they are not allowed to state a political opinion?
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American Unions-not foreign unions. Why do republicans want foreign multinational corporations influencing our elections. Foreign is the key word here-get it-foreign. As for the Chambers answer its just more ‘trust us’ BS-you know-like your guy Nixon did.
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Which foreign companies Jeff? You still cannot prove the charge. And as far as unions go, I would say the communist sympathies of many labor unions make them un-American in my viewpoint, yet I wouldn’t want their right to free political speech to be abridged. Since Obama has come to office, and even before, he has made false accusations and demonized doctors, fat cat bankers, sitting governors, the tea partiers, entrepreneurs, the wealthy, all US citizens. Yet he goes overseas and apologizes to the world for us. What really amazes me is his hard-core dwindling base, like you, still believe the constant lies coming out of this administration. This is still the country of innocent until proven guilty Jeff, even for conservatives.
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If you want nasty then think back about how they viciously attacked Bush for 8 years. The Dems deserve everything they are going to get in November.
So Jeff, you hate business? Despite the fact that without it you would be unemployed. The Chamber is reacting to the unrelenting hostility of Obama toward business and working Americans.
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What zardoz is advocating, is that if you have a sore toe, you should cut your leg off to teach your toe a lesson! No doubt I’ll have to explain this metaphor to him!
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The metaphor is pretty easy to understand, but I think your application is a bit fuzzy.
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OOh, 6 thumbs down so far. Not winning any contests with that comment.
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How to run for political office in the US: Find a scapegoat group to blame for all America’s problems, make Americans hate and fear that group and then have Americans believe that the “other guy” supports that group and you are the only saviour. 3 guesses what this sounds like.
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I only need one guess. That sounds like the Democrats. All they have to run on this year is blaming Bush and the Republicans for all America’s problems so that is what they are doing in hopes of being elected. Most of the Dems running for political office are running as fast as they can from Obama and Pelosi saying they didn’t really support all the unpopular legislation that was rammed through.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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There’s a lot of negative advertising because it works. Like it or not, the most inaccurate, baseless accusation could be made in political advertising and just days later others will gossip around the coffee table or call talk radio as if it’s the gospel truth. Complain about it all you want, Americans eat it up.
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You mean like Obama is a Muslim? What percent of faux news viewers sucked that in? And then they come here and spew that junk. Hopefully the American people will see through these high paid propagandists.
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He’s also not an American citizen I’ve heard. Apparently he is hiding his birth certificate too. And now that it’s been discovered he’s related to Sarah Palin, we know that she’s a muslim and not an American citizen too!
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Bill, why doesn’t President Obama release his birth certificate? Since it is a constituitional requirement for this office, it seems reasonable to release it. Is he hiding something?
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I guess the fact that Obama was educated in Muslim schools and goes to Muslim countries to apologize for bad old primarily Christian USA does tend to make it look like his views still tend to run more Muslim than Christian.
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Harvard is Muslim? I didn’t know that.
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The madrassa he attended in Indonesia as a boy is Muslim.
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“The madrassa he attended in Indonesia as a boy is Muslim.”
And at what conclusions have you arrived based on that information? I’m curious.
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Faux news followers really need to start thinking for themselves-ever wonder why your tea party candidates only get interviewed on Faux news. Fair and balanced, uh huh. Nice
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Why are most Democrats afraid to come on Fox News for an interview? Answer because they know they will have to answer hard questions instead of what they are used to at the other news channels. As far as tea party candidates not interviewing on other channels I’m unaware of them refusing interviews if asked.
For Bill google Obama’s Muslim school and you will find quite a few articles about the Muslim school he attended in Indonesia. In fairness he did attend a Catholic school there for two years also. His father was a Muslim who lost his faith. His stepfather was a radical Indonesian Muslim. His mother didn’t seem to be of any faith but she studied religions from the viewpoint of an anthropologist. I find it VERY interesting that someone claiming to be a Christian would insist that symbols for Christ be covered before he would give a speech at Georgetown university.
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I don’t know of many Democrats that are unwilling to appear on Fox News as long as the interviews are live, unedited, and preferably in studio. Professional politicians on both sides of the aisle are shying away from edited interviews (a good editor can take anyone’s words out of context) and the interview paradigm that Fox News perfected: a commentator in studio, a politician on one screen from a remote location and an opposing “strategist” on another screen. The commentator asks the politician a question, and the “strategist” screams over the answer. It takes no talent to be a “strategist”, you don’t have to win elections or answer to any constituents, so why should they get equal time (or more) when discussing any issue? Politicians aren’t shying away from Fox News, just they way they operate interviews.
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Jeff, the fact that Democrats refuse to go on Fox is the very reason why they have to find a strategist to oppose any Republicans who do come on.
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So is mohammed going to be pissed when he finds out Obama has been attending St. John’s Episcopal Church and taking communion?
Or is that all part of the plot to destroy America too?
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You know, it could all be part of mohammed’s master plan… an ancient plan, set in motion centuries ago, finally coming to fruition. (Which would mean, holy cow, Harold was right!!)
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Since Mohammed was just a man who is long dead I don’t think there is any wasy for him to be mad at Obama.
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That was supposed to be way not wasy.
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Don’t you hate it when that happens.
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Well he shouldn’t mind a cartoon or two containing a likeness of himself either then, right?
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Right. It’s only Muhammed’s crazy followers who threaten to kill anyone making a cartoon likeness of him.
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Threaten? lol
They actually DO it. Savage beasts that they are.
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Look! It’s mohammed!
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Tell Mohammed to quit that, he’ll go blind.
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The fearmongers now have even more money than ever before. At this point facts and records are irrelivant and it’s all about creating fear. “You aren’t afraid of so-and-so? Well, you should be!” Its all bull. All of these terrible adds are being funded by folks you don’t know and don’t live in your state. Today it’s even hard to track down who they are. There are vast differences in the major party platforms and what the parties are trying to do for either big business or the middle class, working American. Unless you are very wealthy it’s pretty easy to cut through the bull and vote for candidates that will be working for the middle class. Don’t look at adds. Look at who has worked for you in the last 18 months and who has either not worked (sat on the sidelines) or tried to do everything they could for the wealthy and the big corporations. It’s not that hard to figure out folks.
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Not bad for a mouth breather, John. Thumbs up dude.
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A few months ago Obama told his underlings Fox was off limits. Not enough scripted softball questions?
I see that the anti-conservatives are having trouble remembering the Chinese- Al Gore election scam.
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Our President is a Christian. He told us that when he threw his hatefilled pastor of 20 years under the bus!! I’m glad he wasn’t listening to the sermons!!
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That’s a great point Chins! It is a good thing he wasn’t listening!
Oh, and wasn’t that the same speech he said his grandma was racist, like a regular American?
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Foreign money? Perhaps…no proof one way or the other. It wouldn’t surprise me, since it’s not like either side actually cares as much for America as they do their party.
What’s striking, I think, is that more people aren’t upset that the SCOTUS decided (in activist mode, I’d say) corporations/unions are people, and therefore enjoy the same rights. It’s my view that the COTUS guarantees individuals free speech rights, but not non-living, non-breathing organizations. The individual in those corps and unions have free speech rights, but how can a non-being have them, too?
Silly activist judges…making law out of thin air.
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I like your comment MrSpork, but I’ll have to disagree with you. What makes a corporation or a union any different than the NRA, NAACP, AARP, or the Chamber of Commerce? A corporation is just a group of individuals that have pooled resources together to form a for profit business. A union is a group of individuals that have banded together for mutual protection of the individual. Why wouldn’t either of these organizations be allowed to speak as one with their political donations if it serves their common interest? After all, if we have transparency and full disclosure, most people are intelligent enough to know that each one of the above mentioned organizations has an agenda. I think that we need to give people a little more credit here and trust them to know the difference between facts and propaganda.
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This week, reporters found that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an opponent of union rights, workplace safety, project labor agreements and Davis-Bacon, is now using foreign money from overseas outsourcers to fund political attack ads targeting members of Congress who voted to keep jobs in the United States.
Why do the republicans support foreign money influencing our elections???? Think real hard about this folks.
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All right, Jeff H, it took me all of about 10 minutes to research this story and find reputable news organizations (not FOX, not MSNBC, not Wikipedia, etc.), to get the whole story. The CoC has an annual budget of $200 million, of which slightly less that $100,000 comes from dues from foreign affiliates. They’ll spend about $50 million on political races, mostly pro-business Republicans, but some Democrats as well. They also have the required reasonable accounting system to keep this money separate from campaign contributions. This is from the New York Times. The Sierra Club and the AFL-CIO also have oversees affiliates that they collect dues from, and they also spend funds on political campaigns. The AP and Factcheck.org have found no evidence of the accusation. Mark Shields said basically Obama and Axelrod lied. The majority of CoC membership is small business, mom and pop organizations with less than 50 people. So once again, Obama, the Demonizer in Chief, proves that nothing is beneath him and he has no shame, and with the Democrats the ends justifies any means. This story is over, and a new one shoudlbe started about when the POTUS I going to be impeached for telling a continuous string of lies to the American people. So if I could research this so easily, why do you continue to run with a story line that makes you look foolish? I think it’s because you are just like the rest of the conservative bashers here, going to one news source, probably MSNBC, and only hearing what you want to hear.
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My apologies for the typos, I was frying pankakes and eggs for the ‘crew’ at the same time.
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