American Crossroads, RNC ready anti-Obama campaigns

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

(CBS News) With the Republican presidential primary winding down, the party and its allies are ready to unleash a torrent of negative advertising against President Obama, hitting him where it hurts: With independents who may still like Mr. Obama, but are skeptical of his economic agenda.

American Crossroads, the GOP-affiliated super PAC with $200 million to spend in the general election, will begin an ad campaign this month, the New York Times reports, with the true ad blitz coming in May through July.

American Crossroads president Steven J. Law told the Times that his group aims to convince independent voters -- as well as discouraged, former Obama supporters -- "that Obama just may not be up to the job, he can't seem to fix things he promised he would fix." The campaign, he said, will seek to connect voters' economic concerns to the president's performance without alienating voters who may still like him.

The super PAC confirmed the ad campaign to Hotsheet but declined to give more details about its launch.

Meanwhile, a new poll released today highlights the opening with independents that American Crossroads sees: "Swing independents" -- independent voters who so far don't feel strongly about Mr. Obama or Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney -- like Mr. Obama more, the poll shows, but they aren't sold on his message of "economic fairness."

The poll, conducted by the moderate Democratic think tank "Third Way," surveyed independents in battleground states and concluded that "swing independents" make up approximately 15 percent of the national electorate.

Super PAC donors by the numbers

Mr. Obama holds an advantage among that key voting bloc, the poll shows, with 35 percent of "swing independents" saying they would vote for Mr. Obama if the election were today. Twenty-nine percent said they'd vote for Romney, and 36 percent were undecided.

"Swing independents" view Mr. Obama more favorably than Romney. However, they consider themselves closer to Romney ideologically. The poll found Mr. Obama's campaign for economic fairness has its limits: Income inequality -- an issue the president and his party often address -- ranked near the bottom of their concerns, with most saying reducing the debt is more important.

With that voting bloc within reach, the Republican National Committee is also planning an aggressive anti-Obama campaign, with the intent of dampening the president's approval ratings and personal appeal among independents. RNC spokesman Sean Spicer said in a memo today that the new RNC video, called "Obama 2012: From 'hope' to hypocrisy," encapsulates the RNC's campaign against the president.

The video contrasts Mr. Obama's lofty 2008 campaign rhetoric with the hard-nosed, aggressive attacks his 2012 team has launched against Republicans. Spicer charged the president is "using the very tactics he campaigned against four years ago. There's no more hope and change. It's all fear and division from now till November."

Spicer said the RNC will work "relentlessly" across media platforms -- advertising, social media, mobile technology, and other fronts -- "to expose Barack Obama's broken promises and hypocrisy."

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GOP candidates on the trail

[stormerF69]

I wonder if there is enough commerical time to show Obama telling all his lies and falsehoods?

[CNH]

American Crossroads -- all the mud that money can buy.

[stormerF69]

Is that why Obama is spending 500 million to get the IRS on board for the Obamacare mandate before the supreme court rules on it? Or why Obamacare will increase the deficit? Sometimes the truth will cut you same as a lie.

[Obama4more]

by Dan1630 April 9, 2012 8:34 PM EDT
Hell...I am surprised I don't drink more!! Socialist North Korea is a lot like Obama's vision for this country. DJ is all over the place...one minute he is a liberal and the next minute he is a conservative. Confusing.
----

That's a fence sitting Independent...confused and confusing to others. I say "TAKE A STAND!!!!!'

[Obama4more]

by Dan1630 April 9, 2012 8:08 PM EDT
I guess we need to purge you DJ....you need to GO!!!
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Hell Dan...we let you stay, and we like DJ more than you...at least DJ's sober.

[TimeToEvolve]

Because the Republicons have gone completely off the deep end and have no plans to help anyone but themselves, they have to try to turn everything around onto the normal people of America. But the vast majority of Americans are starting to sense what they are.

The longer this corrupt, fake election season goes, the more they are exposed for the out-of-touch extremists they are. And their behavior is getting worse and worse as they get more desperate.

[TimeToEvolve]

The Republicon political strategy is to destroy Americans jobs and the lives of American families. This must be a first, a major political party actually campaigning on programs to make America fail. It's amazing.

Thanks Karl Rove. Thanks Mittens Robmee.

[TimeToEvolve]

So what if the Republicon Corporations have all the wealth of America. I'm POSITIVE they have our best wishes in mind. I am SURE they will protect woman's, civil and gay rights, public education, good jobs, clean food, air and water and the environment.

I am SURE they will protect our freedom and government programs like Social Security and Medicare as the vast majority want. I mean they have been promising to do that. Haven't they?

[Thinkbeforeyouwrite]

This article was a good reminder to once again donate to Obama/2012. I do not know if my small contributions can do much again the rich fat cats that support the GOP but I have to try. I do not want to see the Supreme Court go more to the right wing ideology, the foreign policy of this country revert back to the debacle of 2000 - 2008, families go into bankruptcy over medical bills due to a lack of affordable health care, and our environment destroyed if Obama does not win in 2012. Obama sees the danger of our national debt and is trying to improve the jobless numbers. If the GOP would try to cooperate with him, he could do more about it. Obama is not without fault but no President has ever been. Come on back and hit with me with some ugliness if it makes your day but I am too busy volunteering to worry about it.

[ace92040]

Ah, Don't you just LOVE the Citizens United decision that will allow groups like this to squash Obama like a bug?!!

[Democrats2012]

I find it interesting that most won't give President Obama credit for any of the improvements since George W. Bush left.

[Democrats2012]

No, like capturing Osama, saving jobs, keeping us out of another depression, allowing you people to have access to healthcare,saving the auto industry and increasing the Pell Grant so young people can afford an education. But yet, we entertain Mitt Romney.He believes the policies that got us here will fix the country.

[ace92040]

Like:
Obamacare that everyone hates?
Green energy that goes bankrupt?
The stimulous plan that didn't?
Solyndra-the scam?
The communist Van Jones, Obama's green energy czar?
Unemplyment that has gotten worse?
The Deficit???