- Mon. September 8, 2008
Ad Spotlight
|
Search Sponsor:
|
Anti-War Group Ups The Ante On House Republicans
 In Today's Ad Spotlight: Americans United For Change: "Accomplished"
2007 Ad Archive |
||
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | ||
© National Journal Group Inc.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Iraq war opponents have become increasingly unforgiving in their assault on supporters of President Bush's strategy.
Americans United for Change, an umbrella progressive group that, along with MoveOn.org, has been needling lawmakers about leaving Iraq, extended the blitz into six congressional districts on Tuesday. In recent weeks, the group has hit re-election-seeking GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine) and John Sununu (N.H.) in a similar TV strike.
All six spots use the same basic framework and stock footage, beginning with Bush aboard the USS Lincoln nearly four years ago declaring a military victory in Iraq. They then segue into statistics disproving the president's 2003 assertion of "Mission Accomplished."
Each ad excoriates the member it's targeting for voting against H.R. 1591, the supplemental war-funding bill that passed both houses in March and seeks to move forward on withdrawing troops from Iraq.
Banding together an unpopular president and a GOP lawmaker was a strategythat appeared to work well for Democrats hoping to topple their Republican opponents in 2006, and Americans United renews the tactic by featuring photos of Bush and each targeted member while informing viewers that the lawmaker is "still voting with the president on Iraq."
New York Republican Reps. Randy Kuhl and James Walsh, who were each held to under 50 percent of the vote by their Democratic opponents last year, are two of the members whose districts are being targeted with the ads. Freshman Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who succeeded now-Gov. Jim Gibbons (R), defeated Democrat Jill Derby by just 5 percent. The ad campaign's two presumably safe targets are California's Mary Bono and Illinois' Tim Johnson.
Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who just came out of a bruising re-election race in November, is also a target. Her constituents are in for a long two years -- she's also being attacked with radio ads by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for her ties to the U.S. attorney firings controversy.
-- Questions, comments or suggestions concerning Ad Spotlight can be sent to adspotlight@nationaljournal.com.
Ad Spotlight offers RealAudio™ and RealVideo™ of the latest ads as soon as they are available. You will need a relatively modern computer, and you must install special software.
To view the ads, you will need RealPlayer™
NationalJournal.com cannot provide technical assistance with RealPlayer™. If you are having difficulty installing or using RealPlayer™, there is extensive online help available. The systems administrator in your office may also be able to provide guidance.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]