Um.... ok:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Shooting things is back in vogue this campaign season, with Alaska's GOP Senate candidate taking aim at a television set in a new ad.
"Millions of dollars are flooding into Alaska, paid for by Washington special interests," says Dan Sullivan, Alaska's former attorney general, in a new ad. "Pretty soon, you're going to want to do this to your TV." Sullivan then turns around, points a gun at a TV and shoots it twice.
There has been plenty of outside money flowing into Alaska for the Senate race, and it's coming from both sides of the aisle. The conservative group Crossroads GPS just launched a $1.25 million ad buy against Sen. Mark Begich (D), while a pro-Begich super PAC also recently spent almost $500,000.
The Center for Public Integrity found that even before Sullivan won the GOP nomination last week, "[m]ore than 90 percent of the 16,000-plus ads aired so far this cycle by political action committees, super PACs and nonprofits have come from groups based outside Alaska or that receive the bulk of their funding from non-Alaskans." - Huffington Post, 8/27/14
Here's the thing, this is one big bull shit publicity stunt by Sullivan on outside spending in this race:
http://www.usatoday.com/...
In an effort to stem the flow of outside money, Sullivan earlier this year challenged Begich to sign an "Alaska Agreement" that would require candidates to donate half of the value of outside groups' ad buys to a charity of their opponent's choice. It is modeled after the "People's Pledge" agreed to in 2012 in the Massachusetts Senate campaign that pitted GOP Sen. Scott Brown against Democrat Elizabeth Warren, a race Warren ultimately won.
The evidence on how effective negative ads are is mixed, and voters may be more likely to tune these ads out when the airwaves are saturated with them. In any case, Begich is unlikely to support a pledge that would limit the resources that could be used on his behalf in a close race.
Sullivan hasn't received much support for the proposal from editorial boards in the state, either. "At first glance, the agreement's principle is well intentioned: why not cut out negative ads made with outside money?" wrote the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. "But the particulars of the race make it clear that this agreement is a political gambit rather than a true effort at campaign finance reform."
Max Croes, a Begich spokesman, said Sullivan "isn't being honest with Alaskans" because he supports the Supreme Court decision that loosened campaign finance laws on outside groups. Sullivan "believes corporation, Karl Rove and the Koch brothers should be able to spend unlimited amounts of money in their attempts to buy elections," he said. - USA Today, 8/26/14
yeah, nice try there pal. Meanwhile, Senator Mark Begich (D. AK) is making good on his promise to reach out to every Alaskan and I like that he's doing this:
http://www.alaskapublic.org/...
Sen. Begich’s campaign has sent out automated phone calls with messages that include two Alaska Native language translations.
The Yup’ik version of a message, informs potential voters about early voting. That message went out before the primary. Another message is intended for Inupiaq speakers.
Max Croes is the Communications Director for incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign. He says this is something they plan on continuing.
“We sent calls in Yup’ik to the Y-K Delta reminding people that early voting was open and available, and so we absolutely hope to do more calls in the future and that’s something that will be available for the general election as well,” says Croes.
Croes says as far as he knows, this is the first time something like this has been done in Alaska, a statement that was repeated by Yup’ik speakers contacted by KYUK.
Begich’s telephone messages were sent to the Y-K Delta, the Bering Strait region, and the North Slope. - Alaska Public Media, 8/26/14
Begich has a great record on Native American Affairs and has been a strong fighter for Alaska Natives. They need to help return him to the U.S. Senate. Click here to get involved and donate to Begich's campaign:
http://www.markbegich.com/