Bloomberg: Pro-Romney PAC Is Killing Machine With $35 Million in Ads

Pro-Romney PAC Is Killing Machine With $35 Million in Ads

by Heidi Pryzbola 

March 27 (Bloomberg) -- A new ad airing today in the run-up to the April 3 Wisconsin primary replays footage of Rick Santorum saying he doesn't "care what the unemployment rate's going to be" and accuses him of voting against national right- to-work legislation.

It's the latest attack spot sponsored by Restore Our Future, a so-called super-political action committee supporting Mitt Romney, aimed at derailing Santorum's candidacy in Wisconsin by running more than 1,647 attack ads that the former Pennsylvania senator's campaign says are misleading.

The commercial fits a pattern that has become a defining feature of the 2012 Republican presidential primary race. Since the contests began, Restore Our Future has spent $35 million on commercials attacking Santorum and Newt Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker, the two candidates who have come closest to knocking Romney out of front-runner status, according to the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money. The super-PAC has spent just $1.1 million promoting Romney, the data shows.

"They need to demonize and destroy, they need to slash and burn their opponents," said David Johnson, a Republican strategist from Atlanta who worked on former Senator Bob Dole's presidential bid in 1988 and is unaffiliated with any candidate this cycle. "That's the only way Romney can win" because he has "no base of support," he said.

3 Majority-Vote Wins

In the 29 states holding primary competitions thus far, Romney has gotten a majority only 3 times: in his home state of Massachusetts; in Virginia, where Santorum and Gingrich weren't on the ballot; and in Idaho. In Nevada, he got 50.1 percent support among caucus attendees.

In contrast to the super-PAC, Romney's campaign has spent $11.8 million on broadcast ads, according to the CRP. The campaign has aired 12,817 spots, almost all of them positive, since January of 2011, according to CMAG.

The Romney commercial run most often is called "Moral Responsibility" and touts his commitment to be a strong financial steward for the nation. Another ad calls Romney a "man of steadiness," citing his 42-year marriage to Ann Romney, his lifelong membership in the same church and his employment at Bain Capital LLC for 25 years.

Both the Romney campaign and Restore Our Future declined to comment through their spokeswomen, Andrea Saul and Brittany Gross.

'Troubling' Ads

John Brabender, a Santorum senior adviser, called the pro- Romney super-PAC ads "troubling," particularly since they are aimed at Republicans. "Why in the world didn't he spend his $35 million running ads against Obama instead of brutally attacking Republicans?" Brabender said.

The pro-Santorum political action committee, the Red, White and Blue Fund, today is hitting back with an ad in Wisconsin highlighting Romney's "job-killing taxes and fees" as governor of Massachusetts, a $1 billion debt and his health-care plan that was a "blueprint for Obamacare." That ad also leaves out the fact that Romney has said the law was a state-specific solution and that he would repeal Obama's law if elected president.

In Wisconsin, and elsewhere, the campaign ads illustrate the role that super-PACs are playing in presidential elections after the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that independent third parties have a constitutional right to raise and spend as much as they want on political ads.

Role of Super-PACs

In the case of Santorum and Gingrich, wealthy donors to their friendly super-PACS, including the pro-Gingrich Winning Our Future, have helped keep them in the race when their own fundraising faltered. Restore Our Future has helped Romney by ensuring neither of those candidacies gained momentum.

The only court stipulation is that the groups can't coordinate their activities with a campaign. Candidates found a way around that hurdle by dispatching aides to operate them. Restore is run by former Romney advisers, including Charles R. Spies, who was Romney's general counsel in the 2008 Republican primary. Its board of directors includes Carl Forti, who was political director four years ago.

"The way they function is essentially a parallel presidential campaign," said Anthony Corrado, a political scientist at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. "The notion that these PACs are independent is nothing more than a legal technicality."

Restore Backers

The pro-Romney group's leading contributor last month was Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, according to Federal Election Commission records. Perry helped fund the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads that attacked Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's Vietnam War service in the 2004 race. Restore's ads are being made by Larry McCarthy, who in 1988 produced the "Willie Horton" ad that linked a murderer to Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, a former Massachusetts governor, a smear even Republicans said was unfair.

Since Jan. 1 of last year, Restore has aired the same 16 negative ads 41,612 times in the major media markets of primary states from Michigan to Florida and Colorado, according to data provided by CMAG.

The committees backing Gingrich and Santorum ran 8,172 and 8,121 negative spots, respectively, according to data from CMAG.

Restore concentrated its firepower first on Gingrich in Florida after his Jan. 21 victory in South Carolina and then on Santorum in Ohio after his wins in Colorado and Minnesota on Feb. 7.

Convicted Felons Ad

Another commercial sponsored by Restore accuses Santorum of voting with former Senator Hillary Clinton in favor of granting voting rights to violent convicted felons. The charge that Santorum supported voting rights for convicted felons was repeated 2,671 times before the Ohio March 6 primary.

Santorum confronted Romney about the ad in a debate in South Carolina on Jan. 16, saying it gave the impression that he allowed felons currently imprisoned to vote. Santorum said he supported voting rights for people only who had served their sentences.

He also pointed out that Massachusetts gives voting rights to felons who've served their time and that Romney never tried to change it. Romney said he was dealing with a Democratic legislature and opposed voting rights for felons who are released.

Like the felons ad, the latest spot running in Wisconsin about Santorum's opposition to right-to-work laws doesn't tell the full story.

Right-to-Work

Santorum has said that when he was a senator he voted to allow states to determine their own right-to-work laws, which prohibit agreements requiring employee union membership as a condition of employment. He's also said that, as president, he would sign a national right-to-work law.

A CMAG analysis as of March 7 found one of the anti- Santorum ads, titled "Values," has aired a total of 4,650 times, making it the fourth-most-run spot of the campaign season, including those in support of President Barack Obama.

That commercial criticizes Santorum for voting to raise the nation's borrowing limit five times. Santorum did vote to raise the debt ceiling -- though he was joined by most of his Republican colleagues in granting the authority to a Republican president.

In March of 2006, he was one of 52 Republicans to do so, including Senators Jon Kyl and Mitch McConnell, now the chamber's top two Republicans, and former Senator Bill Frist, then majority leader. Only four Republicans opposed it.

Ohio Results

In all, Restore ran 3,313 ads in the 10 days before Ohio's March 6 vote, compared to 722 by the pro-Santorum PAC. Santorum lost narrowly to Romney, by four-fifths of a percentage point.

"He did the same thing in Michigan and Mississippi and every place," said Brabender. "In Gingrich's case, he did basically knock him out of the race."

After his South Carolina win, Gingrich went into Florida's Jan. 31 race in a dead heat with Romney, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted Jan. 19 to 23. In the final days before the primary, Restore ran five different ads in the state's major media markets, every one of them attacking Gingrich and rated as negative by Kantar.

"Overnight a storm rained dollars on the television," said Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida political scientist. "They had a big impact," said MacManus, who also serves as a Tampa television station analyst.

READ MORE AT BLOOMBERG 

ROLL CALL: Obama Backs Super PAC

Obama Backs Super PAC

By Steven T. Dennis

Roll Call Staff

Feb. 7, 2012, 9:11 a.m. 

In a switch, President Barack Obama is backing a super PAC — and directing senior government officials to appear at its fundraisers — over fears his re-election campaign could be derailed by an "avalanche" of money flowing into Republican super PACs.

Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina announced the decision in a Monday night email titled: "We will not play by two sets of rules."

"We decided to do this because we can't afford for the work you're doing in your communities, and the grass-roots donations you give to support it, to be destroyed by hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads. It's a real risk," Messina wrote. 

The effort will include appearances at fundraisers by White House officials and members of the Cabinet, although Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will not attend them, Messina said. He also said in his email that while campaign officials will attend the fundraisers, they will not be "soliciting contributions" for Priorities USA Action, the super PAC.

He noted that Romney's super PAC raised $30 million in 2011, and has used that warchest largely for attack ads.

READ MORE

MSNBC First Read: Obama signs off on Super PAC donation encouragement

Obama signs off on Super PAC donation encouragement

By NBC's Carrie Dann

President Obama personally signed off on his campaign's decision to actively encourage donations to Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA, according to senior campaign officials who spoke on a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning.

But an official would not characterize the tone of Obama's agreement to back a policy that is at odds with his previous vocal opposition to the Citizens United decision that allows Super PACs to solicit unlimited donations.  

Conversations among top advisers about the need to "lend support" to the outside fundraising effort have been going on for "weeks," and the decision was made after a review of FEC filings from the Super PAC committees supporting the GOP presidential candidates, officials said. 

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The Two Faces of Mitt Romney on Immigration

SEIU and Priorities USA Action Expand Ad Campaign in Florida and Nevada to Continue to Expose the Two Faces of Mitt Romney

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Priorities USA Action and SEIU today doubled down on their efforts to educate voters about the “two-faces” of Mitt Romney and his unbelievably low 13.9 percent tax rate with new Spanish language radio ads in Florida and Nevada. Both ads, which are identical, will launch today, February 1.

“Although Mitt Romney may walk away with the Florida GOP primary, he can’t walk back his support of treating immigrants so terribly that they are forced to self-deport,” said SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina. “He can’t walk back his fondness of Kris Kobach, the godfather of anti-immigrant legislation like Arizona’s SB 1070. He can't walk back the fact that while as CEO of Bain Capital he fired thousands of workers. He can't walk back the fact that as a multimillionaire he pays less in taxes than the majority of hardworking Latinos. As he heads into states with more Latinos, his ‘dos caras’ with our community will become even more evident.”

The ads highlight Romney’s dramatically low tax rate. While accusing immigrants of coming to this country to look for “handouts”, Romney helped himself to a massive handout on the federal government’s dime.

“Mitt Romney’s 13.9 percent tax rate is the ultimate handout,” said Paul Begala, senior adviser to Priorities USA Action. “To claim that immigrants come to America for a ‘free deal’ while paying a tax rate that is half of what hard working Americans pay is the height of hypocrisy. If Mitt truly cared about the best interests of the Hispanic community, he would advocate for a fair tax system and job-creating policies that benefit middle-class families, not just the wealthiest Americans.”

In Florida and Nevada, we will remind voters of the two-faces of Mitt Romney: the candidate who is willing to say one thing in Spanish to Hispanic voters and something entirely different - and more sinister - in English to non-Hispanic voters.

“From his partnership with Kobach, the Pied Piper of anti-immigrant hatred, to his espousal of policies that will harm Hispanic communities, Mitt Romney cannot hide from his record,” said SEIU National Political Director Brandon Davis. “We intend to pound the pavement and cover the airwaves to remind voters of Romney’s anti-immigrant and anti-worker record.”

Although the SEIU-Priorities USA Action campaign is targeting Mitt Romney, no current GOP presidential candidate, including Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum, is a viable alternative for Hispanic voters.

The ad can be heard on www.prioritiesusaaction.org/DosCaras and http://action.seiu.org/page/s/DosCaras

Florida “Dos Caras” Ad

Mitt Romney has no shame. He shows one face to the Hispanic community and another completely different one to everyone else. 

On the one hand, Romney is a multimillionaire who pays an unfairly low tax rate.  But on the other hand, he accuses the hard working immigrants who come to this country of being opportunistic, declaring (at a town hall meeting) that they’re just here looking for handouts.

(Romney soundbite)

“A lot of people just come here that have no skill, no education, and are looking for a free deal.”

Romney says he cares about our children, but time and time again he promises to veto the DREAM Act that would open educational opportunity for young Hispanics.

His Spanish-language ads say Romney “believes in us,” but his deeds speak for themselves.

Let’s not be fooled. He might have two faces, but we know all too well who the true Mitt Romney is.

Priorities USA Action paid for and is responsible for the content of this ad. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Priorities USA action dot org.

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Priorities USA Action is an Independent Expenditure PAC that supports candidates who will advance policies that provide the strongest and most sound outcomes for middle class families. www.prioritiesusaaction.org

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy. www.seiu.org

Paul Begala: GOP Candidates Show Willful Blindness About Country’s Mood

The only knockout punch in the CNBC debate was the one Rick Perry administered to himself. His tiny Texas Aggie brain froze when he tried to repeat his talking point about the three federal agencies he would close.

Ohio voters rejected the Republican vision for America" -Statement from Priorities USA Action's Bill Burton

Tonight, Ohio voters rejected the Republican vision for America that rewards big corporations and the wealthiest at the expense of middle class families.

Memo: For Ohio Voters, Mitt Romney’s America Isn’t So Distant

Illustrating Mitt Romney’s America is much easier when Americans already know and dislike the reality of Scott Walker’s Wisconsin, Rick Scott’s Florida and John Kasich’s Ohio.

Pro-Obama Group Begins Third Anti-Romney Internet Ad Campaign

A political action committee that backs President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign is starting a social media advertising blitz against Mitt Romney one year before voters go to the polls to choose the next president.

New York Times: New Video Attacks Romney

Priorities USA Action, the pro-Obama super PAC, is marking the start of the yearlong countdown to Election Day 2012 by releasing a video entirely devoted to attacking former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, painting him as a cold-hearted businessman disconnected from the pain of ordinary Americans.

CNN: Pro-Obama outside group targets Romney in digital campaign

Washington (CNN) - An independent group dedicated to helping re-elect President Barack Obama Wednesday launched its first major digital campaign targeting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.