And hope-like-hell, that the FEC and the DOJ don't notice ...
Check out Front Group American Future Fund Cookie Cutter approach to Buying an Election:
Get flashy graphic, and a menacing announcer;
Cut and Paste in -- the Name of the Candidate, your backers dislike and have paid to replace!
Don't Fact Check anything -- make your Opponents waste their Time and Money trying to combat your baseless accusation. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
It helps when the Same Attack M.O. can be used over and over again, all across the nation. That makes their "special" money -- to promote (501c4) "social welfare" -- go even further, as clearly displayed here:
Corporate Donations Buying U.S. Elections - Keith Olbermann
link to previous clip
[ -- Insert Democratic Candidate Name an Photo Here -- ]
It's easy and it works. This Election is in the process of being Bought.
Here are 2 of those Cookie Cutter Ads, from American Future Fund, in action:
American Future Fund Ad - Fork in the Road - Stephanie Herseth Sandlin SD
Cookie Cutter Video Clip
New Ad from special interest American Future Fund repeats false attack - Mark Schauer MI
Cookie Cutter Video Clip
Both paid for -- among dozens -- by ...
Paid for by the American Future Fund Political Action.
http://political.americanfuturefund.com
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
American Future Fund has already spent over $4,000,000 on such Ads, this Campaign season (4th bar from the left, in the graph); $7 Million Total, according to Keith Olbermann.
They are not alone, among the many well-funded Front Groups -- out there Shilling for Billionaires!
larger
Formula Ad like these [Take the Right Path] force the targeted Dems to waste time and money, to "clear up" the Lies and Untruths, AAF is pedaling, a la their Swift-Boater brain trust. For Example:
Truth Squad: American Future Fund ad makes facts "disappear" (Rep. Mark Schauer - MI)
SchauerforCongress
http://www.youtube.com/...
Of course Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has a "few facts" she'd like you to know about her Candidacy too ... StephanieForSouthDakota.org -- despite whatever garbage the AFF has claimed about her.
Fact Checking is just "busy work" for those "other guys," from the point of view of a GOP Front Group. The more confusion they sow the better -- the better for their backers, that is.
Being good political operatives that they are, American Future Fund, never passes up an opportunity to "cash in", on "lefties" who would dare to expose their shady tactics.
Here's their Fund-raising page, asking for Donations based on the Olbermann piece, looking into the AFF "Ad Mill" [from diary intro] ...
Tell Keith Olbermann You Stand for Conservative, Free Market Ideals
http://www.AmericanFutureFund.com
[K.O. Clip]
Each dollar you contribute helps run our ads and spread the words these liberals hate to hear.
Thank you for your support and your commitment to conservative ideals.
Your Contribution is Secure.
The American Future Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization which primarily focuses on nonpartisan education and advocacy on important national issues. American Future Fund Political Action is a federal political committee which primarily helps members elect candidates who reflect our values through a variety of activities aimed at influencing the outcome of the next election. American Future Fund Political Action and the American Future Fund are separate organizations
Keith Olbermann is not alone in the AFF investigation. The New York Times is finding some interesting links there, to some old players:
Offering Donors Secrecy, and Going on Attack
By Jim Rutenberg, Don Van Natta Jr. and Mike McInttire
NYTimes -- October 11, 2010
The American Future Fund, a conservative organization based in Iowa, has been one of the more active players in this fall’s campaigns, spending millions of dollars on ads attacking Democrats across the country. It has not hesitated to take credit for its attacks, issuing press releases with headlines like "AFF Launches TV Ads in 13 States Targeting Liberal Politicians."
Like many of the other groups with anodyne names engaged in the battle to control Congress, it does not have to identify its donors, keeping them -- and their possible motivations -- shrouded from the public.
[...]
In part, political operatives have reconstituted the vanguard of reliable Republican contributors who helped elect George W. Bush and support Swift Boat Veterans for Truth [...]
Their 501(c)(4) Tax Status anonymity protects them and their backers -- or so they think.
Several citizen Watchdog groups are saying -- NOT so fast, Front Groups.
FEC laws still on the Books, must be followed. Better have your Donor books in order Front Groups:
Watchdog Groups Ask Department of Justice to Use Criminal Statutes to Stop Crossroads GPS and American Future Fund From Violating Campaign Finance Laws
PRNewsWire.com -- Oct 15, 2010
[...]
For this reason, as well as the fact that the FEC cannot act in time to protect the 2010 elections, criminal investigations of potential FECA violations by Crossroads GPS and American Future Fund should be announced immediately and include, in addition to the organizations themselves, the individuals who established, manage, solicit funds for, and donate to the groups.
From published reports, it appears that donors to these organizations have colluded with fundraisers and managers to violate federal election laws as well as tax and money laundering laws in order to protect their anonymity and information about how much money they have donated. If this information is confirmed by a criminal investigation, prosecutions should follow.
Published reports also indicate that individuals who are personally well-versed in federal campaign finance laws are intimately involved in management, fundraising and funding of these groups which provides powerful evidence that they engaged in "knowing and willful" conduct.
President Obama last week said that the use of secret money laundered through 501c(4) groups is a "threat to our democracy." DNC Chair Tim Kaine called the threat the "biggest scandal since Watergate."
Biggest scandal since Watergate? ... Maybe we should start paying attention, eh?
The Watchdog Groups asking the DOJ to act -- to start protecting our Elections, are:
ProsperityAgenda.us
Public Citizen
ProtectOurElections.org
AmericanCrossroadsWatch.org
Here is the DOJ Complaint (pdf)
Thanks to VelvetRevolution -- for watching the watchers.
As concerned citizens we need to keep watching the Front Group too --
Shilling for Billionaires -- such Cut and Paste Ads Misdirection Tricks, can only stand for so long!
The People deserve better!
We deserve the Facts.
We deserve Disclosure.
"84% say they have a 'right to know' who's bankrolling the ads."
We deserve a Real Democracy -- one NOT Bought and Paid for by the limitless resources of Corporate Speech!
Corporate Speech -- that likes to hide in the shadows.
Doesn't actual "Free Speech" -- require an actual Speaker?