Democrats Wage War Against Outside Groups

President Obama campaigned for Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias in Chicago on Thursday, where he went after conservative third-party interest groups financing campaign ads.

/ AP

At a campaign even in Bowie, Maryland yesterday, President Obama evoked an ominous adversary. But he didn't name any specific Republican politician or organization.

In fact, he left his opponent nameless.

"It could be the oil companies. It could be the insurance industry. It could be Wall Street. You don't know," the president said. "Their lips are sealed."

The president was referring to the outside interest groups that have flooded the 2010 election cycle with cash, in many cases without publicly disclosing their donors. Much of the activity can be tied to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that significantly freed up corporate spending.

"The floodgates are open," Mr. Obama said.

That's hard to argue with: A month before Election Day, groups outside the Republican and Democratic parties have already spent $80 million on advertising -- five times as much as outside groups spent in 2006. Conservative interests have dominated this new realm of politics, outspending Democratically-aligned groups by seven to one in recent weeks.

As the power of groups like the Karl Rove-backed American Crossroads becomes more evident, Mr. Obama and the Democratic establishment are shifting their campaign attacks from the traditional Republican establishment to third-party conservative groups. The president, congressional leaders, Democratic Party officials and even the left's own outside groups are attacking the right's newly-found source of influence.

In Maryland yesterday, the president launched into his well-worn campaign message that on the "road to prosperity," Democrats will put the car into drive while Republicans will put the car in "reverse."

It turns out, however, that the Democrats' attempts at framing the election as a choice between moving forward or regressing to the Bush years may not be effective: The research group Democracy Corp says its recent polling suggests the Democrats' "weakest messages assert we should 'go forward, not back.'"

That could be a reason for stepped-up attacks on outside groups.

"This isn't just a threat to Democrats," Mr. Obama said Thursday. "This is a threat to our democracy. The American people deserve to know who's trying to sway their elections. And if we just stand by and allow the special interests to silence anybody who's got the guts to stand up to them, our country is going to be a very different place... We're going to need to fight their millions of dollars with millions of voices."

Mr. Obama specifically -- albeit indirectly -- went after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the right-leaning business lobby.

"Just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign corporations," he said. "So groups that receive foreign money are spending huge sums to influence American elections, and they won't tell you where the money for their ads come from."

The liberal blog Think Progress recently asserted the group, which aims to spend $75 million to influence the midterm elections, is using money from foreign corporations to finance campaign ads, a charge the Chamber denies.

Democrats in Congress have jumped on the report. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate the Chamber's funding.

The progressive grassroots group MoveOn.org also filed a formal request with the Justice Department asking them to investigate the Chamber. Today, MoveOn sent an e-mail to its millions of supporters urging them to donate to fund liberal ads as a response to the Chamber's ads.

"We've been up working overnight on a new emergency ad campaign aimed at those Republicans who've been benefiting from the Chamber's help and evidently from its foreign funding -- and aimed at forcing the Chamber to reveal its secret contributors," the e-mail said.

As the president criticized the Chamber on the campaign trail, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs this week told White House reporters that the Chamber and other outside groups should disclose their funding. "I would think that you could let the American people know where that money is coming from, who is advertising in what state, what interest they represent and what they have at stake in the outcome of that election," he said.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine today released a statement calling on Karl Rove to disclose the donors to the groups he helped to establish, American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS. (American Crossroads is required as a political group to disclose its contributors, but Crossroads GPS is a tax-exempt nonprofit group that does not reveal its donors.)

After Rove complained Mr. Obama was being misleading by suggesting Rove was funding Crossroads ads, Kaine said, "Prove it. Disclose immediately a complete list of donors to American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, and the amount and date of their donations, for public scrutiny. If Mr. Rove has nothing to hide this shouldn't be a problem."

CBSNews.com Special Report: Campaign 2010

---

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[ccdemuth]

More Jobs or More Government?

Incumbent Congressman Jim Himes is for the same type of command-and-control policies that have consistently led to low growth and high structural unemployment in Eastern Europe in the twentieth century and in Western Europe today: his only problem with pork-barrel stimulus is that there has not been enough of it. His only concern with the healthcare bill is that it did not go far enough. He voted to adjourn congress without addressing January?s massive tax hikes.

The incumbent is for unlimited government. On his watch, he voted for a government that increased borrowing by a trillion dollars a year. His answer is always the same: more government. More taxes, more spending, more job-killing regulation.

Challenger Dan Debicella believes that there is a better way: he is for policies conducive to economic growth such as replacing the pork-barrel stimulus with a payroll tax cut. He opposes all tax increases and intrusive regulation that stifles job creation.

Dan is for a constitutional, limited government. He would cap the size of the federal government at 20% of our gross domestic product. He would force politicians to make trade-offs between competing priorities instead of always growing the size government. He would reduce the number of government employees.

If Dan Debicella shares your beliefs and you want to help him advance those beliefs in congress, then you can do so here: http://www.40seats.com/ct4 . Both sides should be able to agree that your choice is clear and it is important. What kind of country do we want to live in? Do we want to continue down the current direction or do we think that there is a better way?

[010sonny]

As to who is funding who has been a treadmill to keep up with I agree. What concerns me now with Roberts Court ruling? it now becomes impossible. It also opens the gates to unlimited corporations donations. No transparent means to identify weather if it is China, Russia, Iran, Arabia and so on we can now envision Fascism will be our evolution. Mussolini once defined Fascism as the incorporation of corporations to the state. With Nixon?s example of invading Cambodia and Busch invading Iraq one can speculate Imperialism ideologies. Boehner stripping of republicans senators and representatives of their liberties to full fill their individual leadership indicates monarchical tendencies. Wrap this up and with exterior world funding of unlimited amounts, shake well not stirred, and we get a Fascist, Imperialist Monarchy beverage that will not be as easy to drink as TEA or KOOL-AID..
Noticed an Article in USA Today by Fredreka Schouten 10-12-2010 More Charges Arise About Donations To U.S. Chambers. Exemplifying the assertion that I have been making. Tip of ice-burg coming up. Starting with Russia and China and I?m sure Japan, Arabia not far behind with Iran tagging along. Republicans selling our democracy to pay for their debts and future plans for Somali, North Korea, Iran.

[1ManNamedDan]

OH MAN! You just got POWEND Zboes!
You in NO WAY can refute the logic pasha128 just put down around your ears ! But being a sniveling truth hating conservative, your ego driven mind will close off to the FACTs that Obama inherited the worst financial mess of ANY president and has done so with aplomb and braveness of character, that someone who would cower and read My Pet Goat rather then jump to the Defense of his Country would not in a million years understand!
We still have yet to see the impact of Obamas fiscal changes, your ilk never gave him a chance nor wanted to - all that concerns you guys is who is in charge and they better be the guy Faux Noose has told you - you want, or America will fall and ?they? will come take away your gun, tax dollars, country music, right to be an a$$hole etc. etc.
It boggles my mind - that the hawkish black hearted right-wingers could even complain about the leadership, after the raping and pillaging the oil & energy execs did (can you remember as far back as ENRON spiking old lady?s electricity bills - and the gas prices topping over $5 a gallon?) when their CEO's, Bush & Cheney, had run of the land!?. THEN as a final gift to their Elite (as George called 'em his base), they deregulated Wall street banks and oh boy did Americans get their dreams smashed to hell then!
You idiots cant even give a new president one year of fiscal policy change a chance before you start ignorantly throwing mental feces around and shouting hypocritical alarms of foreign incursions to our political system!
I have had it with you a$$clowns! You are the same knuckle dragging Neanderthals? who have always kept us back in history - the scared and fearful of change always wanting to whimper under the feet of the big clubs and the food hoarders.
You guys have a regressive gene called CONSERVATISM - and it finally needs to be stomped out of history, so the rest of us can move forward, keep evolving and climb on out of this childlike era of super ego driven isolationist and self-important pseudo-symbolic nationalism.
So SUCK IT!

[realist51]

the belief that a corperation is a living entity is a sad mistake made by the SCOTUS and we were warned by the president that this would be the likely out come of there decision,the questions that neede to be asked are why was this overturned after 100 years of standing rule?

[infantryman1968]

by pasha128 October 10, 2010 8:43 AM EDT
Foreign money SUPPORTING ANYONE is unacceptable including the couple of Democrats you mention -- assuming they do not request the Chamber to cease and desist in associating their campaigns with ILLEGAL FOREIGN CONTRIBUTIONS for political purposes.hahahahahahahahah Does that mean you and Obama have to give your controbutions back to HAMAS?

[pasha128]

I am not a political candidate for any office -- more lies on your part.

[pasha128]

Is there a difference in the law concerning SELLING AND EXPORTING merchandise and accepting political contributions -- I believe there is? According to your position NO corporation with a foreign subsidiary (whether or not it is headquartered in the US) can or ahould contribute to a political campaign. No Business person, employee, etc that got a salary from a corporation or other business that does business internationally regardless of the profits received from overseas can or should based on your example contribute to a political campaign or political advertising. This is not currently the law, however it may be better for our political system if participation in international commerce was a disqualifier from FUNDING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS and discourse in this country --- then the candidates would need to run on issues and their actual record instead of commercial advertising to sell a manufactured image often necessary to their real accomplishments (or lack thereof) and their actual (factual) record.

[formerdem-2009]

Interesting that our liberal democratic freinds here have such short and selective memories in their responses LOL I don't see any mention of the fact the chamber has endorsed several democrats I guess foriegn money is OK if it works for them? Also when your "golden buffoon" was elected in 08 they didn't seem to object to his campaign receiving QUESTIONABLE donations. In fact I saw in the New York Times just two days ago (which suprised me) given the Times obvious love for this incompetent loser!

this article

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/09/us/politics/09donate.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

So guess the "teachable moment" for us here is If your a liberal democrat it's OK to use unidentified money or sources but if your conservative it's reprehensible behavior and unfair?

and all this just when I thought the golden boy's hypocracy had reached it's peak.

[pasha128]

Foreign money SUPPORTING ANYONE is unacceptable including the couple of Democrats you mention -- assuming they do not request the Chamber to cease and desist in associating their campaigns with ILLEGAL FOREIGN CONTRIBUTIONS for political purposes.

[pasha128]

by jwilwade October 10, 2010 12:40 AM EDT
how dose one respond to some one as ignorant as you. ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Considering your inability to spell a four letter word DOES, I would not be so quick criticizing the education of others.

Carter added roughly $250 Billion to the national debt.

Furthermore Reagan's roughly $2 Trillion dollar addition to the national debt tripled the national debt at the time (from all preceding presidents).

Bush the Elder nearly matched Reagan's 2 Trillion dollar addition to the national debt in 1/2 the time (4 years instead of 8).

Clinton managed to reduce the expansion to 1/2 of Reagan's rate $1 Trillion Dollars over 8 years.

Followed by Bush the Younger with over $6 Trillion dollars in additional debt that did better that triple Reagan's INFLATED rate of deficit spending over 8 years. Bush the Younger even proved capable of outspending his father by spending at 150% of his father's deficit spending rates.


Don't forget that $750 Billion dollars of TARP funding that Bush the Younger signed into law. It appears that President Obama will shortly (in less than a year from how) will have completed the recovery of 100% of those funds including a small profit) for the US Treasury ON HIS WATCH. Over 93% of the TARP funds have already been returned to the US TREASURY with a small profit despite the faulty record keeping of the Bush administration reported by the Inspector Generals in the Treasury department. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please demonstrate in any way the Tea Party / Republican's support of this DEFICIT REDUCTION process as they have delayed through obstruction the creation of a debt commission to reduce spending and completely blocked all attempts at earmark reform including changing the rules in Congress as well as Senate Republicans rejecting the House Republican's FEEBLE ONE YEAR MORATORIUM. The same FEEBLE ONE YEAR MORATORIUM many House Republicans could not keep for that single year.

[Zboes]

Where did you get these numbers? Out of a hat? When Bush took office the debt was 5.7 Trillion. Six years later, when Democrats took control of the purse strings in Congress, the debt was 8.6 trillion. Two years later when Obama took office with a super majority the debt, under Democrat spending bills, was 10.5 trillion. With Obama and Democrats pushing through whatever bill they wanted, the debt is now 13.5 trillion. In other words, under Bush and Republican control of the spending bills the debt rose 2.9 trillion in 6 years. Under Democrat spending bills and Obama spending at will, the debt has risen 4.9 trillion in 4 years. Also, if the banks have paid back 750 billion of the tarp money, a bill that Obama voted for and begged Bush to sign, where is the money? How come the debt hasn't been decreased if this was paid back? What did Obama do with the money? When will the Democrat Congress come up with a budget for 2011 that is now three months overdue?

[pasha128]

ZBOES -- deal with REALITY in this country -- Clinton was elected in 1992, did not serve a day in office until 1993 and submitted budgets for FISCAL YEARS 1994 - 2001. BUSH was elected in 2000, did not serve a day in office until 2001 and submitted budgets for FISCAL years 2003 - 2009. Obamas first budget submission was for the FISCAL YEAR 2010. Only a delusional idiot can suggest that 2006 was the end of the BUSH BUDGET RESPONSIBILITIES as he submitted budgets through 2009 AND ---- SIGNED Tax cuts with budget implications through 2011 and signed TARP, and EXTENDED SIGNIFICANT EXPENSES IN IRAQ through 2011 with his SOFA AGREEMENT.

[sharkboy234]

Republicans we mostly hate. hate the republicans hate the republicans there ruthless democrats have the minute to win it democrats have locked in the vote democrats will get tighter stay under the gun!

[KIMBERLYSUF]

In the minds of the left/far left TEA people are conservatives/right lunatics: --- based on the propaganda spewed out by the left lunatics; - and as usual the far left states the opposite of the truth --- TaxedEnoughAlready people are NOT a party, they support American values, visiting any reliable TEA website, states TEA people support CAPITALISTIC, PRIVATE industry, rather than big government/socialism/Marxism/Totalitarianism. Many people see their lives, and the lives of future generations getting devastated --- the ?stimulus-es?, corruptly mandated health?care?, and numerous other big government takeovers, and schemes make people ask questions, and TEA organizations help with the answers.
------ FREEDOMWORKS ---- TEA PEOPLE - freedomworks-org take America back
--- To know what the TaxedEnoughAlready people represent try going to freedomworks-org --- or, listen to people that back their opinions on rhetoric. --- ?FreedomWorks chairman Dick Armey describes the historical roots, ideas, and tactics that animate the most important grassroots movement in America today. --- In Give Us Liberty, the former House Majority Leader and FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe define what the Tea Party is fighting for and how all Americans can join the cause.
TEA people are simply TaxedEnoughAlready - They are not against taxes, but are against big gov., and excessive taxes - with gov. bureaucrats benefiting rather than the people. TEA people want taxation WITH representation rather than taxation WITHOUT representation - the reps that understand this will get re-elected, it doesn't matter if reps are democrat or republican, it matters if they are honest and support individual freedom, as the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence supported, and showed by risking everything.
--newsmax-com Debt Commission Leaders Paint Gloomy Picture 11 Jul 2010
-For insight into Obama's views on the courts and the Constitution, see the AT piece, "Obama the Justifier", by Selwyn Duke, 10/3/08.
-examiner-com June 3 2010 President Obama and the DOW: Both the Destruction of Wealth; both truly unbelievable?
-townhallmob-com 8 12 2009 was democrats' health care strategy written in federal prison?
-townhallmob-com 12 2009 A White House Power Grab that Congress and America Doesn?t See
-chaffetz.house-gov 12 10 2009 The Omnibus Bill: Bad Government at its Worst
-http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/Moody?s Says U.S. Debt Could Test Triple-A Rating
-tiahrt.house-gov national debt clock
-chaffetz-house-gov The Omnibus Bill: Bad Government at its Worst Dec 10 2009
-townhallmob-com 12 2009 A White House Power Grab that Congress and America Doesn?t See
-rightvoices-com/2008/10/16/On Obama: Big Lies And What Must Be The Largest Rug To Sweep Them Under Oct/16/08
PLEASE call your reps., register for their e-mail, and be critical --- we are not experiencing politics as usual --- the debate is not Democrat vs. Republican --- the debate is CAPITALISM/private enterprise vs. socialism/totalitarian government control.
---- Question marks are appearing in my posts for some reason - not asking questions, making statements. ----

[rightbehind]

The chamber of commerce has been taking and soliciting donations from foreign countries like china and India to run attack ads for republicans against democrats. Our Constitution warns about foreign influence. The supreme court has stomped on the US Constitution. The 5 conservative justices need to be impeached.

[Zboes]

Soros, an admited socialist and convicted international criminal, illegally funneled millions from his foreign companies to Obama's campaign. He was rewarded with several private visits to the White House with President Obama. But, I'm sure the messiah would never revert back to his Chicago thug style politics.