WASHINGTON (AP) — Signaling the next stage in the general election campaign, the Republican Party and outside groups are airing new rounds of advertising in some of the most competitive Senate battlegrounds, ramping up spending and the negative tone of the political season.
With six weeks to go before the election, advertising by candidates, parties and outside groups will saturate the airwaves in what is on track to become the most expensive campaign on record. While Senate campaigns are dominating some of the air space, races for governor and numerous open House seats are also contributing to the explosion in spending.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has the biggest footprint, spending $1 million in Florida against Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the Senate as an independent. The chamber has endorsed the Republican candidate, Marco Rubio.
The chamber is spending $500,000 in Kentucky against Democrat Jack Conway. The chamber this week endorsed Republican Rand Paul, and it is spending about $300,000 in New Hampshire against Senate Democratic candidate Paul Hodes and $250,000 in Colorado against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.
Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue has pledged to spend up to $75 million this election, rivaling the money spent by the political parties.
Ads by the conservative Club for Growth Action and the National Republican Senatorial Committee join those by the chamber that portray Democratic Senate candidates as big spenders who have not been able to bring the economy under control.
The liberal MoveOn.org is countering in two states — New Hampshire and Kentucky — with anti-Chamber of Commerce ads that link Republican Senate candidates to corporate interests and accuse the chamber of abusing its status as a nonprofit trade organization.
MoveOn‘s ads hit both Kentucky’s Paul and New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte for their support from the chamber. It would not disclose the amount spent on the commercials, which air for a week statewide in both states.
MoveOn has teamed up with Media Matters Action Network and ThinkProgress.org, two other liberal groups, to pounce on the chamber’s political activities. A labor-backed group, U.S. Chamber Watch, last week filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Services claiming the chamber improperly handled millions of dollars from a group linked to insurance conglomerate AIG. The chamber denies it did anything improper.
Other ads that began airing this week:
—Club for Growth Action launched ads attacking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada as well as Bennet in Colorado and Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold in Wisconsin. It also is airing ads against Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania and Crist in Florida. Altogether, the Club for Growth is spending $1.5 million.
—The National Republican Senatorial Committee also began airing an ad against Bennet, making him among the most marked Senate candidates. The ad is the second independent commercial by the NRSC. It recently aired an ad in Kentucky aimed at Conway.
—Commonsense Ten, a new group allied with Democrats, began airing an ad in Kansas City, Mo., targeting Rep. Roy Blunt, the Republican Senate candidate. It cites Blunt’s unsuccessful efforts in 2003 to insert pro-tobacco provisions into a homeland security bill.
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Comments (61)
independentvoteril
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 10:39amTruth is most people DON’T respond well to attack ads.. it’s been proven over and over.. I already picked out who I will vote for since the primary.. now there are some that didn’t make it.. so I have to consider the area’s in which we disagree and see if I can live with it.. if not I will vote for a 3rd party.. TIME has come to QUESTION those that attack rather than state their cases.. on either side the fence..
Report Post »JD Carp
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 10:19amAs a highly respected member of the main stream media I am shocked at the behavior and voting trends shown by the peasants who think they run this country. We report the news and we decide who they should vote for. The very Idea that these peons can flex their voting muscles to elect someone we have not approved of is diabolical. Angle, O’Donnell and Ayotte are not who we told you to vote for and we have decided they are unelectable. Stop trying to knock the wheels off the freight train of the established ruling elites!. If your opinion counted then you would have graduated from Yale, Harvard or any of the other Ivy League institutions and you would be writing this article for a real news publication not some bogus web rag cobbled together by this Beck fellow.
I am tired of doing my job over and over. Where in the world did you serfs get the notion to vote any way other than how we, the great triumvirate of democrat, republican and media tell you how to vote. I am telling you your choices are unelectable. So sop this nonsense, get back in line and do what you are told, you are too simple minded to think for yourselves, so stop it!
Report Post »1776Federalist
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 1:21pmSpoken like a true Obamasiah worshiper that has drank deeply at the well of progressive Kool-Aid!
Report Post »JD Carp
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 2:34pmDidn’t you get the sarcasm?
Report Post »tisherself
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 6:52pmI thought you were funny and hit the nail right on the head.
Report Post »tisherself
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 10:09amThe best ad against Harry Reid is ” Reid, the selling of America for Mexican votes.”
Report Post »MikeinIdaho
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 9:50amThat‘s what’s great about satellite TV, not very many political adds if you stay away from the alphabet networks! And these days, even the Cartoon Network beats ABC, NBC, CNN, MessNBC and CBS!
Report Post »natstew
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 9:05amIf they have a “D” next to their name, that’s all I need to know, I vote for the ther guy. Th “D” people are destroying my Country and converting it to a third world marxist nation.
Report Post »printdesignchicago.com
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:00amattack ads. useless, and i’m tired of seeing pukeliticians run them. they almost NEVER mention their agenda, only attack their opponent.
this is how campaign finance should be run… ANY political contribution (of any amount, from anyone) goes into a NATIONAL pool. candidates get an equal amount of money (as per the office they are running for) to spend on ads. they CAN NOT run a single attack ad. the ONLY ads they can run have to be about what THEY PLAN ON DOING. first attack ad – they’re OUT OF THE RACE.
no privately paid for or funded ads can be run about politics. from ANY organization or individual or government.
that should help clean things up a bit.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:59pmREMEMBER….
Report Post »“First they ignore you,
then they ridicule you,
then they fight you,
THEN YOU WIN!”
– Mahatma Gandhi
EqualJustice
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:54pmPresented to you by: http://www.youtube.com/user/karinmoveon – Enough said. Kelly Ayotte is nothing like what they portrayed! She is FOR private enterprise and smaller federal government. This administraion would probably STONE her for that!
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:30pmLbreath writes: “Rangel’s win proves that the left feels”
Rangel’s win proves, considering that he represents Harlem, that Harlem likes Rangel. Nothing more, and easily understandable.
Report Post »LBreath
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:01pmRangel’s win proves that the left feels that purported bad decisions or inappropriate behavior should not be held against a candidate, so the ads have no value.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:57pmI must now eat my words. I was wrong. I said that the voters in Harlem could never be so IGNORANT as to vote for this UTTERLY CORRUPT guy again.
Report Post »grnhrn
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:53pmI forget to mention patty murray‘ opposition to rob mckenna’ attempt to reapeal obamacare and endorsing boycott of az. She is pro amnesty. When I e-mailed her with concerns the first time she did reply and said that the h.c. Bill would reduce cost,cover the uninsured, and we would have more,better options. The second time my e-mail came back undeliverable who knows why I just started calling her office always a machine have to leave message. On Odonnelle in deleware yes she seems to of had problems but she also corrected them why don’t they talk about some of the already elected representatives who have served as long as odonnelle has been alive with much more serious ethics violations ie. Rangle,waters,dodd,kennedy,reid and many more.
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:51pmThe Bees writes: “stop the wasteful spending”
I‘m thinking it’s not a subjective measure, such as “wasteful”. One man‘s waste is another man’s fortune.
It’s Constitutional.
Article 1, Section 8. My God, I’m so tired of having to repeat what should be common knowledge.
This isn’t about waste. It’s about crime. The Constitution is the highest law in our nation. It specifies *clearly* what things the government can tax us for, and what things they are empowered to do. It’s not about waste.
http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec8.html
I am constantly dismayed that not even *Conservatives* know the Constitution….
Report Post »The Bees
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:45pmThis is soooo simple.
Who is going to limit government, reduce taxes, uphold the Constitution, Deport Illegals, secure our borders, and stop the wasteful spending?
There ya go – you got my vote!
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:36pmAnn123 writes: “he doesn’t believe the morons will give up that easy”
If the morons interfere with an election, they leave the people only one choice, killing them. If they interefere and they don’t die, America is done.
Report Post »ann123
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:50pmmy husband believes something big is going to happen to install martial law .
Report Post »TomBurpee
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:08pm@TRUNCHEON
Uh, why are we killing people?
I’m not for that.. In any way shape or form. Let the court to the convicting, and the executioner do the executing..
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:32pmIdiot, if the government interferes with the election process so that we can’t vote them out, and the courts are part of the government, and we don’t kill them, then we have surrendered.
If the government disenfranchises the people, and the people comply, we are a functional dictatorship. You sound like a small child.
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:47pmTruncheon: I strongly suggest you get to a therapist as soon as possible. If you are already seeing a therapist, please tell him to refill your meds!
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 11:51pmThat’s an amusing post, Weetsie, however you forgot to mention my mother’s army boots. On the other hand, there remains the possibility that you have enough frontal lobe to actually challenge my point…thought I don’t hold out any hope.
If the government *prevents* us from voting them out, as Ann123 has stated her husband believes is a possibility, than what should we do? I’m sure, given your erudite responses thus far, you have more to contribute to the conversation….
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 12:11amThe clock is ticking, driveby Weetsie the seminar troll, and my point remains unanswered. Surely a ******* such as you has a really intelligent response….
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 12:26amTruncheon Once again, you are a very angry man. Why would you jump to killing people? When there are many avenues to take. Just chill, go to the voting polls and see what happens. I will pray for you and your therapist!!!!
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 12:38amThe clock is ticking, driveby Truncheon the seminar troll. LORD OF THE RINGS… Please come down to planet earth!
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 1:06amWeetsie asks: “Why would you jump to killing people?”
A fair question, thought the notion of “jumping” is a bit over the top.
Let’s review.
Ann123 said: “my husband says we shall see if there is a election . he doesn’t believe the morons will give up that easy”
If the government disenfranchises the American people from voting them out, by interfering with the election process, do you contend that there remains a non-violent remedy?
If so, what is it?
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 1:18amI have about fifteen minutes left to dally with a mental ****** such as yourself, Weetsie, so kindly make your answer prompt.
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 1:22amOh, and computer FLUNKIES at theblaze.com.
If you don’t improve your responsiveness, you’re going to enter the well-known cycle of shid boards die for being shid.
Because everyone is going to start spamming the refresh button a gajillion times a second, thus sending a gajillion X the number of users request to your overburdened servers, until they die.
Fix up your shid NOW. Or you will be doomed. There should never be more than two seconds between a post, and its appearance. If you fail, you will SERIOUSLY fail. You have been instructed.
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 1:39amI sure hope you clowns didn’t hire Flexible Business Systems to do your computers…for Christ’s sake. If you did…bwahahahahahaah!
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 1:47amSo, Weetsie, still waiting for your answer. If the government disenfrachises the people, what precisely is our non-violent remedy?
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 10:02amTruncheon: Wow, I can’t believe that I am actually having a conversation with you about why killing people is bad!!! You ask: If the government disenfrachises the people, what precisely is our non-violent remedy? Let me ask you: If I were 5′8″, and weighed 90 lbs. would I be a model? Your question does not make sense. If the government disenfranchises the people, we will figure that out when the time comes. Until then, I will not belittle myself by communicating with you. FREAK!
Report Post »Truncheon
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:35pmThere is always the temptation to stake out a bit of the “moral high ground” by pretending that negative characterizations of one’s enemy is a tasteless bit that should be rejected.
Nonsense. Our history is one of passionate pamphleteering and attack against one’s opponents. This is a characteristic behavior of the Alpha male, and there is no reason to impugn it.
*FALSE* negative attacks…i.e. slander and the ******* penchant for making up nonsense for shock value, taking things out of context, basically the deceptions such as employed against Christine O’Donnell who suffers only the hardships that all of us normal people have suffered…but which the ******** portray as mortal failings…are to be rejected.
But factual negative portrayals of the acts of evil people should not be softened or rejected. You cannot fight an enemy you are unwilling to name.
It’s not so simple as “positive” versus “negative”, with every negative being automagically a bad thing. That is childish.
Imagine the Elves in the Lord of the Rings. “Well, we just have to understand where the Orcs are coming from, how can we ever expect to triumph over the Dark Lord if we go negative?”
Absurd.
Seriously.
Report Post »aircraftmag
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:32pmLook at the voting records. Kick out the bums.
Report Post »ann123
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:26pmwell the mud slinging days will be over soon . if the people vote all these idoits out . americans might have chance . my husband says we shall see if there is a election . he doesn’t believe the morons will give up that easy
Report Post »rainier4311
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 3:47amDear Ann123, I think that subject has been covered by a couple of stories by the European Times. It is said that the Russian Military analyists have seen a build up of troops in the Northland. Obama is waiting for civil unrest before he can declare martial law. As you know when martial law is declared, the electoral process is over and the congress in power will stay in power. There are other comments on this as well as Russian analyists. There used to be youtubes on this but they were removed.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:24pmWhen is the “Rebublicans are going to kill your Social Security!!!” ads going to come out? This is politics as usual, nothing to see here folks moment. We run an hour long truth show everyday, Glenn Beck. What I love is when you expose these lies, they will only say, “Made you look.” It’s like arguing with Idiots, oh sorry, I think that one is already taken. When you argue with a liar, you will spend the entire time disclaiming their outlandish statements, meanwhile, you don’t get your point across. Stick to the facts, state your case truthfully, and read and know “Rules for Radicals”. Remember, the best way to combat evil is to know what evil looks like.
Report Post »KrlyQ
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:59amVery well said! And very good advice. Reading “Rules for Radicals” is a must. Knowing your opponent (or enemy as the saying goes) is of the utmost importance.
Report Post »grnhrn
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:20pmNot to be a negative ad but please remember Patty murray in wash. State voted for stimulus,o-bummercare,financial reg.,cash 4 clunkers. She also wants a ban on oil-gas drilling on land and water also wants an account for banks they deem are about to fail, also stood and applauded mexicos calderon not to mention saying how good osama bin laden was for afghanistan people and there is more. PLEASE VOTE 4 DINO ROSSI if he turns out to be rhino we get rid of him. One more thing take a look at where patty is getting most of her money(no it is not private citizens).
Report Post »leftylemn
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:05pmDid you notice the slight of hand in the Liberal ad? Listen again…The Chamber of commerce was accused….not convicted…accused of tax fraud….what happened to innocent till proven guilty? Um, Charlie Wrangle?….also accused….GUILTY THEN!!!
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:02pmFor the first time in my politically-aware life, there is finally palpable immunity to Liberals’ Lies where it never existed before. Open wide, suckers.
Report Post »REVEL
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:00pmWhen I see a political ad come on, I quickly hit the mute button. Not interested in the manipulation attempt on either side. Wasting money on ads if you ask me.
Report Post »Marylou7
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 9:48pmI do watch the ads but my brain deletes over half of them and then I research the remainder.
Report Post »PostProgressiveAmerican
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 9:23pmWAKE UP AMERICA!
Vote for the best candidate, regardless of party!
Limited Federal Government, States Rights, Lower Taxes, Free Markets and Individual Liberty!
Report Post »Big Alby
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 10:26pmPostprogressiveamerican,
Politicians are like dirty diapers..
They need to be changes frequently..
GOD BLESS AMERICA, we surely need it.
This goes out with every email I send…
Report Post »ADMIRAL747
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 9:20pmWhy don’t they actually research the voting record!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 16, 2010 at 9:32pmI don‘t even look at a political ad when it’s negitive (except for the wicked witch pelosi ad) check it out
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJWu6El-QLw
I would rather hear what the politician would do instead of hearing what their opponent does not do.
Truncheon
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 12:12amOf course not, Weetsie. That would mean you have to watch your Obama and his minions getting trashed.
You seminar trolls are so transparent.
Report Post »Weetsie
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 12:19amTruncheon WTF you may want to read what I wrote again… OBAMA AIN’T MY MOMMA
Report Post »Sheepdog911
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 8:24amPolitical ads are so simple. What’s the substance of the message. Crist Flip Flops … well yes he does and for his own narrow purpose. O’Donnell has had a number of hair does. Well yes she has … most women have … maybe not Janet Napolitano, but then he’s her own gal.
I daid simple. What do they stand for and do they stand by what they stand for? Nothing else matters. When the wolves come, II want the goat in the flock of sheep to be my representative, not a sheep.
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 10:35amWeetsie I am with you.. I don’t want to hear what the other person did I want to know what YOU will do or did.. HOWEVER.. that Pelosi ad was hysterical
Report Post »79USMC83
Posted on September 17, 2010 at 11:10amDefinition of TRAITOR
1: one who betrays another’s trust or is false to an obligation or duty
2: one who commits treason
Now put the word CONGRESS in for TRAITOR!!! This is the ONLY reason there IS a TEA PARTY.
Crist is a TRAITOR for running as an Independant. Specter was a TRAITOR for jumping ship also!!
Beck has a rally about CHARACTER, the LEFT is all over him and the people that attended it!!!
Many of WE THE PEOPLE are sick of your PARTY POLITICS. The reason the center has moved RIGHT though is not for the Republican PARTY so much. It is that the other choice is to vote for PROGRESSIVES,SOCIALISTS and COMMUNIST like the one O’Donnel will be running against in Delaware!!
Look at all the Dems that are running away from the “Speech Giver” and the Health-Care Bill they voted for just to get votes and stay in office. THIS is what WE THE PEOPLE are sick of!!
Mandatory Health-Care was not a tax and Steph read him the freaking definition. Now that it is going to lose in court it is a TAX!!
WE THE PEOPLE do not mind paying tax’s it is the CRAP we pay for. $800,000 dollars of STIMULUS money to teach AFRICAN men how to wash their GENTILIA !!!
BETTER DEAD THAN RED !!
TERM LIMITS NOW !!!
FAIR TAX NOW !!
NO MORE PENSIONS FOR CONGRESS!!
NO MORE CAREER POLITICIANS!!
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