Record Spending In Senate Battlegrounds

Washington Post: Voters In 11 States Are Being Inundated With Ads From Candidates And Outside Groups

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Robert G. Kaiser.

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Television viewers in North Carolina have befriended two codgers sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch of an old country store. They rock and swap insults about Elizabeth Dole, 72, the state's senior senator:

"I'm telling you," says the first good old boy, "Liddy Dole is 93."

"Ninety-three?" replies the second.

"Yup, she ranks 93rd in effectiveness."

"After 40 years in Washington?"

"After 40 years in Washington, Dole is 93rd in effectiveness, right near the bottom."

"I've read she's 92," says the second old man.

"Didn't I just tell you she's 93?" says the first.

"No, 92 percent of the time she votes with Bush," says number two.

"What happened to the Liddy Dole I knew?"

"She's just not a go-getter like you and me," says number two as both rock their rockers.

That is the entire content of a 30-second spot that ran again and again in North Carolina over the summer. To the amazement of the Dole camp, the first polls taken just before Labor Day, after this commercial blanketed the state, showed Dole's Democratic challenger, state Sen. Kay Hagan, slightly ahead. She is still ahead, according to recent polls, putting Dole high on many lists of endangered Republican incumbents.

In the 11 states with the closest Senate races this year, record amounts of money are being spent on TV commercials that carry common messages. For the Democrats, it is the venerable mantra that it is "time for a change," epitomized cleverly by the codgers spot. Attacking long tenures in Washington is popular, and linking Republicans to President Bush, Big Oil and tax cuts for large corporations seems to be obligatory. For Republicans and their supporters, all confronting a hostile political environment, it is presenting Democratic opponents as profligate taxers and spenders.

In the North Carolina contest alone, more than $34 million was spent on TV commercials for and against Dole and Hagan, according to industry statistics, an amount unprecedented in the state's history. In Oregon, the commercials shown through last week also cost just over $34 million. In Minnesota, the total spent on ads in the battle between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken was more than $30 million. In Colorado's campaign for an open seat between Rep. Mark Udall (D) and former congressman Bob Schaffer (R), the total spent so far is about $35 million.

If these four states are typical, candidates themselves are spending less money on TV ads than outsiders and party committees. The anti-Dole ads were the work of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which under federal law can make unlimited "independent expenditures" on Hagan's behalf.

In Oregon, Democrat Jeff Merkley had spent just more than $3.2 million on television ads as of last week, and Republican Sen. Gordon Smith had spent about $6.3 million. But the DSCC had chipped in $11 million for commercials attacking Smith or backing Merkley -- a staggering sum that reflects the size of the war chest built this year by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the DSCC. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, by contrast, had spent $5 million on commercials to help Smith.

And there were numerous other players. On the Democratic side, labor groups have spent about $1.2 million on advertisements attacking Smith or supporting Merkley. The Majority Action Fund, an independent expenditure group founded by financier George Soros, has spent nearly $1 million. The Oregon Democratic Party added nearly $700,000. The total from all sources spent on spots to support Merkley was, through last week, just shy of $17 million, far exceeding the total for any previous Senate campaign in the state.

But not greater than the spending on Smith's behalf, which exceeded $17 million. His allies buying TV time include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (about $1.6 million through last week), a group established by Bush supporters called Freedom's Watch ($2.7 million), and groups opposing organized labor (about $1.5 million).

The anti-Dole spot and two subsequent ones featuring the same codgers "are the shrewdest kind of negative ads that don't appear to be negative, but when it's over, you've gotten popped. You've been entertained, but it really hit you in the head, too," said Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at the University of North Carolina and a former political reporter.

Was the commercial fair? The charge that Dole "ranks 93rd" in effectiveness comes from a little-noticed evaluation by a Washington firm called Knowlegis, which had indeed ranked her 93rd in the Senate. The ad misstated Dole's voting record by four percentage points. According to Congressional Quarterly, she supported Bush on 88 percent of roll-call votes, not 92. According to Guillory, both numbers are now well known in North Carolina, because they have been used so often in anti-Dole commercials paid for by the DSCC.

Dole's commercials return again and again to taxes: "Nothing good comes from raising taxes," she tells voters in her latest commercial. Nearly all of her spots in the final weeks of the campaign attack Hagan. None mentions Dole's party affiliation or any specific plans for the future.

Paul Johnson, a political consultant who is Merkley's chief strategist, said the cacophony of commercials from so many sponsors seriously complicates his job of conveying a coherent message to voters. "It becomes very difficult because there are so many other players involved," he said. "I feel sorry for the voters of Oregon, who are just inundated with commercials."

Brooks Kochvar, manager of Smith's campaign, said that by his calculation, the average Oregon television viewer will see 120 commercials -- "a full hour of television" -- during this last week of the campaign. With so many ads, "it's very difficult for anybody to get a message across," Kochvar said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is investing more than $35 million in this year's political contests, and it recognizes that some of the money will not produce victory for the Chamber's favored candidates. In Colorado, the Chamber spent nearly $2 million on ads intended to support Schaffer's campaign by raising question about Udall. That effort has been abandoned because "Schaffer is no longer a viable candidate," according to Bill Miller, the Chamber's political director. (Udall has a double-digit lead in recent polls.)

But Miller said the principal purpose of Chamber commercials "is either to create an environment more conducive to moving legislation that we consider important . . . or for educating the public in order to stop bad legislation." So the ads run against Udall did not call for his defeat -- under election law, to remain outside the system of federal regulation, groups such as the Chamber cannot express recommendations on how to vote. And the Chamber's message gets through regardless of what happens in a particular campaign, Miller said.

A typical commercial in Colorado denouncing Udall for opposing offshore oil drilling ended with a picture of him and his office phone number: "Tell Mark Udall we need relief from high gas prices."

The Chamber will continuing to spend heavily in North Carolina and Minnesota until Election Day, Miller said.

The races in North Carolina, Oregon and Minnesota all remain close, ensuring a continuation of the televised barrage until the votes are cast. Only one result is certain: The winners in these states (and in others with hot contests, from New Hampshire to Georgia and Mississippi to New Mexico) will hold some of the most expensive Senate seats in U.S. history.

[dr_know777]

Another thing, I am the "KEY"!

I am actually the only MORTAL "COUNSEL MEMBER" of the original TWELVE COUNSEL MEMBERS! Furthermore, I have met, during my lifetime, the other ELEVEN COUNSEL MEMBERS, including THE COUNSEL OF TEN!

Yes, I have actually met Lucifer, in ORANGE COUNTY, Ca., while Lucifer was in humanoid form! No, I can NOT state what Lucifer''''s EARTHLY identity is. This is absolutely prohibited by the arrangement setforth in the abyss about 7000 years ago between GOD and THE COUNSEL OF TEN.

GOD devided the immortals in half about 7000 years ago. Part were to become mortals and the other part remained immortals. Thus, putting the immortals against the mortals creating HELL on EARTH! Currently, since God changed GOD''''S LAW (July 2006), technically there is NO HELL anymore!

[dr_know777]

Another thing, I am the "KEY"!

I am actually the only MORTAL "COUNSEL MEMBER" of the original TWELVE COUNSEL MEMBERS! Furthermore, I have met, during my lifetime, the other ELVEN COUNSEL MEMBERS, including THE COUNSEL OF TEN!

Yes, I have actually met Lucifer, in ORANGE COUNTY, Ca., while Lucifer was in humanoid form! No, I can NOT state what Lucifer''s EARTHLY identity is. This is absolutely prohibited by the arrangement setforth in the abyss about 7000 years ago between GOD and THE COUNSEL OF TEN.

GOD devided the immortals in half about 7000 years ago. Part were to become mortals and the other part remained immortals. Thus, putting the immortals against the mortals creating HELL on EARTH! Currently, since God changed GOD''S LAW (July 2006), technically there is NO HELL anymore!

[dr_know777]

By the way, THE UNITED STATES is also mentioned in the BOOK of DANIEL chapter 7:4 (ABSTRACT)! The UNITED STATES is THE SPIRITUAL PROSTITUTE in REVELATIONS chapter 17! This is an absolute fact! Everything matches perfectly! Study this before criticizing this in ignorance!

[dr_know777]

EVEN MORE STUFF:

RUSSIA AND CHINA WERE THE TWO (2) NATIONS THAT WERE GOING TO NUKE THE UNITED STATES UPON THE INVASION OF IRAN DURING 2006.

Currently, CHINA is going rouge, and RUSSIA is NOT the same anymore!

Currently, the alignment of Ezekiel 38 is NOT right either. This is absolutely required for the proper transition to the SEVENTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON! During 2006, the alignment was absolutely perfect!

[dr_know777]

MORE STUFF:

THREE HORNS HAVE TO BE REMOVED FOR THE SEVENTH KINGDOM TO BE REALIZED (DANIEL (BIBLE)):

FIRST HORN=UNITED STATES (Revelations chapters 17 and 18)

SECOND HORN=RUSSIA and NEAR EAST/MIDDLE EAST (Ezekeil chapters 38 and 39)

THIRD HORN=CHINA that is partially destroyed in the interim to rebuild and meet the anti-christ in ISRAEL, starting December 10, 2012.

[dr_know777]

YOU MASONS/SKULLS ARE REALLY INTELLIGENT! YOU WANT TO GIVE-UP HEAVEN FOR A FAR WORSE HELL BY DESTROYING THE "KEY"! YOU WANT TO CREATE A SIGNIFICANT MESS BY FORCING THE SEVENTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON! YOU WANT TO ERASE THE FOREGOING PROOF THAT GOD CHANGED GOD''S LAW DURING JULY 2006! REALLY INTELLIGENT MASONS/SKULLS!

[dr_know777]

DO NOT ERASE THE PROOF. STUDY THE PROOF.

THE SEVEN KINGDOMS OF BABYLON (DANIEL (BIBLE) CHAPTER 2):

FIRST KINGDOM OF BABYLON=BABYLON (ABOUT 2,600 YEARS AGO)

SECOND KINGDOM OF BABYLON=BABYLON (SON OF THE KING (SILVER))

THIRD KINGDOM OF BABYLON=MEEDS AND PERSIONS (BRONZE)

FOURTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON=GREEKS (LEGS OF IRON)

FIFTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON=ANCIENT ROMAN EMPIRE (UNTIL 312 A.D.)

SIXTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON=ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (STARTING 312 A.D. BY CONSTANTINE/ROMAN PAGAN GENERAL/FIRST SUPPOSED CHRISTIAN EMPEROR OF ROME)

SEVENTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON=NEW ROMAN EMPIRE/EUROPEAN UNION (SUPPOSED TO START 2006 FOR SEVEN YEARS)

You already know about the SEVEN KINGDOMS OF BABYLON (BOOK OF DANIEL CHAPTER 2). Currently, we are in the SIXTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON, which was started by CONSTANTINE during 312 A.D. (PAGAN ROMAN GENERAL/SUPPOSED FIRST CHRISTIAN EMPEROR). The SIXTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON is the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The KNIGHTS TEMPLAR are a subdivision of the CATHOLIC CHURCH.

[dr_know777]

During the FOURTEENTH CENTURY, after the KING OF FRANCE and THE POPE declared a HOLY WAR on the KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, the KNIGHTS TEMPLAR went underground. Then, the KNIGHTS TEMPLAR went to England and Ireland. The KNIGHTS TEMPLAR called themselves, at this point, the FREE MASONS. While in England, they utilized HENRY THE EIGHTH to establish an alternative religion as to the CATHOLIC CHURCH.

The FREE MASONS hired NAPOLEON and started a WAR IN FRANCE, and then started removing the CATHOLIC strong hold over Europe.

The FREE MASONS/MASONS hired HITLER to finish the job in Europe to lay the foundation for the SEVENTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON.

[dr_know777]

The SEVENTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON is the "EUROPEAN UNION"/NEW ROMAN EMPIRE, under the anti-christ for seven years. For the said SEVENTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON to occur, three (3) "HORNS" have to be removed (BOOK OF DANIEL/BIBLE). First HORN is the UNITED STATES (REVELATIONS 17 and 18). The second HORN to go is Russia and the NEAR EAST/MIDDLE EAST (EZEKIEL 39). The third HORN is China that is partially destroyed in the interim to meet the anti-christ in ISRAEL--starting December 10, 2012. GOD will reappear sometime after 2013 in ISRAEL form the sky (seven years/BOOK OF DANIEL)! Only GOD knows the exact hour of GOD''S coming!

[dr_know777]

THE NEW STUFF:

The other key is from the PAGANS that acquired their information from the immortals. The MAYAN LEGEND states that, when the THIRTEEN SKULLS (representations of the COUNSEL OF 12 and GOD (JESUS CHRIST)) are reunited, the end will not come. The end as to the MAYAN CALENDAR is December 10, 2012. This is completely accurate. Six (6) years after the year of "DARKNESS", the anti-christ will initiate the end with the beginning of the war with China. The year of "DARKNESS" is 2006. The day of "DARKNESS" is June 6, 2006. This means that the FIRST HORN (THE UNITED STATES) had to be removed on or before December 10, 2006. The TRIGGER was IRAN! President Bush was going to invade IRAN with NUCLEAR WEAPONS during 2006!

In Revelations 13 we find the number 666. Six (6) years after 2006 (66), the anti-christ (a man (6)) will initiate the end (666). The anti-christ was supposed to rise in Europe, after the destruction of the UNITED STATES (DANIEL (ABSTRACT)).

When Lucifer fell, ten of the original counsel members fell, including Lucifer. REVELATIONS 13 and 17 prove this. The beast is "DARKNESS" in general. The TEN HORNS are the "COUNSEL OF TEN", established about 2000 years ago, after GOD released the other nine (9) from the abyss.

[dr_know777]

The other key is from the PAGANS that acquired their information from the immortals. The MAYAN LEGEND states that, when the THIRTEEN SKULLS (representations of the COUNSEL OF 12 and GOD (JESUS CHRIST)) are reunited, the end will not come. The end as to the MAYAN CALENDAR is December 10, 2012. This is completely accurate. Six (6) years after the year of "DARKNESS", the anti-christ will initiate the end with the beginning of the war with China. The year of "DARKNESS" is 2006. The day of "DARKNESS" is June 6, 2006. This means that the FIRST HORN (THE UNITED STATES) had to be removed on or before December 10, 2006. The TRIGGER was IRAN! President Bush was going to invade IRAN with NUCLEAR WEAPONS during 2006!

In Revelations 13 we find the number 666. Six (6) years after 2006 (66), the anti-christ (a man (6)) will initiate the end (666). The anti-christ was supposed to rise in Europe, after the destruction of the UNITED STATES (DANIEL (ABSTRACT)).

When Lucifer fell, ten of the original counsel members fell, including Lucifer. REVELATIONS 13 and 17 prove this. The beast is "DARKNESS" in general. The TEN HORNS are the "COUNSEL OF TEN", established about 2000 years ago, after GOD released the other nine (9) from the abyss.

[dr_know777]

Bottom line, President Bush was going to invade IRAN during 2006. This was inevitable. The prophecies and the evidence proves this. Furthermore, neither GOD nor the said COUNSEL OF TEN could "delay" judgment (entire OLD TESTAMENT). GOD could only sustain judgment or overturn judgment, given LEGAL or "JUST CAUSE" (BOOK OF JONAH)! The judgment of GOD was changed during July 2006, when GOD''S LAW was changed by GOD. I was there!!!!! GOD used me to change the law based on a prior legal precedent, legal precedent prior to LUCIFER''S fall. I am a COUNSEL MEMBER of the ORIGINAL TWELVE (12).

[dr_know777]

MORE STUFF:

The MASONS are the clue as to the forehead of the "SPIRITUAL PROSTITUTE" located in REVELATIONS 17. Since the MASONS are of the SIXTH KINGDOM OF BABYLON, there is no longer any MYSTERY (MYSTERY BABYLON)! Furthermore, the only time GOD calls a NATION a "spiritual prostitute" is in the OLD TESTAMENT (NORTHERN and SOUTHERN KINGDOMS OF ISRAEL). GOD used the UNITED STATES, starting during the early part of the 20 CENTURY, to perpetuate the KINGDOM OF GOD. The first time that this occurred was when GOD tried to use ISRAEL to do the job (OLD TESTAMENT)! Therefore, the UNITED STATES is the "SPIRITUAL PROSTITUTE" within REVELATIONS 17! There is additional proof located in REVELATIONS 17 and 18.

During 2006, there was a lot of individuals stating that EZEKIEL 38 was about to occur. EZEKIEL 38 could not occur until the UNITED STATES was destroyed. The clue is within EZEKIEL 38:11. EZEKIEL 38:11 shows that ISRAEL is left all alone. The UNITED STATES is the protector of ISRAEL. Therefore, the UNITED STATES is removed prior to EZEKIEL 38. EZEKIEL 39 proves that RUSSIA is the second HORN to be removed (BOOK OF DANIEL)!

[dr_know777]

Currently, the MASONS/FREE MASONS rule the world. Until July 2006, the MASONS/FREE MASONS were the "RIGHT HAND OF THE COUNSEL OF TEN"! The MASONS/FREE MASONS own every major corporation and almost the entire banking system (FEDERAL RESERVE and THE EUROPEAN BANK)! All three (3) branches of GOVERNMENT, within the UNITED STATES, are controlled and ran by the MASONS/FREE MASONS! All of EUROPE and part of RUSSIA are controlled by the MASONS/FREE MASONS! Currently, CHINA is starting to break away and go rouge! Russia has been controlled to some degree by the MASONS/FREE MASONS, since the CZAR was removed. China was controlled by the MASONS/FREE MASONS, starting after WORLD WAR II.

[dr_know777]

Both NUCLEAR PROGRAMS within RUSSIA and CHINA were initiated by the MASONS/FREE MASONS! The head of the MANHATTAN PROJECT was a COMMUNIST! The scientist that started the NUCLEAR PROGRAM in CHINA was from and trained within the UNITED STATES (WEST COAST). This CHINESE individual supposedly stole are NUCLEAR SECRETS, and then he, said individual, was merely deported back to CHINA with all the said secrets that were supposedly stolen--no prison time whatsoever! This was all in the newspapers and the news.

[misha128-2009]

Straight from the Obama campaign:
Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates

not so fast. Obama reduced that to ...

Posted by jgg0001 at 11:08 PM

Wrong the other figures have other meanings and the first line remains true.

[irmcvet97]

Posted by NEEDERBAUR at 11:28 PM : Oct 28, 2008


Why don''t you take your bigoted racist LIES someplace else? You are truly a disgusting person!

[bunchofchemi]

The Senate is a huge prize. The last time a party had 58 or more Senators was in the Jimmy Carter days, and many of them were conservative Southern Democrats who were more like the conservative Southern Republicans of today. The Republicans lost 6 seats last time, and this time are likely to lose 6-10 more. That is a remarkable change.

[jgg0001]

Straight from the Obama campaign:
Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates

not so fast. Obama reduced that to $200,000 over the weekend, and today Biden said "anyone under $150,000".

[antoniof123]

The swing voters warned the Republican party in 2006 to moderate if they didn''t we would do it for them. So we did and took away their control of congress.

Then we told them to moderate or we would crush them. The blood bath takes place in 2008.

If they still refuse to moderate in 2010 it will be their destruction.

This election we have seen some of the most slanderest ads by the Republican party. Remeber GOP 2010 is only 2 years away.

I bet the 10 or 11 GOP members up for re-election this time around are wishing they didn''t side with the village idiot.

Have a good day.