Americans United Ads Have Impact

Off-cycle ad buys cause a splash but rarely have a lasting impact, so a little unearned media is always worth touting.

Americans United for Change, a Democratically-aligned coalition of labor and other outside organizations, recently ran television ads against six Republicans in the House to pressure these mostly moderate lawmakers to support the Democrats' plan to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Well, if the press clips are any indication, it seems the limited campaign was a success. Local news outlets ran stories on each set of ads - targeting Republican Reps. Mary Bono of California, Dean Heller in Nevada, Tim Johnson in Illinois, Randy Kuhl of New York, Jim Walsh also of New York and Heather Wilson of New Mexico.

Now, imagine the kind of coverage ads directed by Oliver Stone would garner.