GOP protests the revolving door between 527s and Kerry campaign

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Republicans are accusing several new Kerry presidential-campaign aides of having suspect connections to anti-Bush 527 political groups.

Pollster Stanley Greenberg, former Hillary Clinton aide Howard Wolfson and ex-Clinton White House spokesman Joe Lockhart, who recently came on board the Kerry campaign, "were earning a living coordinating attack ads against the president at MoveOn.Org and other groups just last week," the GOP said.

Greenberg worked for MoveOn.org, the Media Fund and America Coming Together -- liberal anti-Bush groups -- while Wolfson and Lockhart worked with a company the GOP said "created attack ads about the Patriot Act for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation," a non-partisan tax-exempt education and research group.

Coordination between political campaigns and the independent 527 political groups or tax-exempt educational or research organizations is prohibited under federal law.

(Scroll down...all the other articles are posted in one form or another)

http://about.upi.com/products/perspectives/UPI-20040908-074219-4774R

[bluestateguy]

1. The law allows it, so change the law

I would support a change to the law, but they would rather demagogue the whole thing. Make people wait 6 months after leaving a campaign or 527 before working in any position of trust under a campaign or 527 again.

[unblock]

2. aren't these the same jerks who complain about

the 6 month window between holding a government job and becoming a highly paid lobbyist?

it's ok when they're making money at it, but not when democrats do it, right?

[Heath.Hunnicutt]

3. We weren't troubled about Bush connections to 527s...

The Repubs changed the topic to that because MoveOn.org and the truth frighten them.

We were troubled that people connected to Bush were funding lies.

I am happy to see members of the both campaigns working with 527 organizations that work to spread the truth.

I would be unhappy to see a member of either campaign working with any organization to spread a lie.

"527" is the number of some code in the tax law. "Lie" is what people in power do when they want to perpetrate wrong actions against a democracy.

The connections to 527s were not what we were pointing out recently. We were pointing out that Bush friends funded commercials that were full of lies.

[henslee]

4. Fine... but where were you, George, when you were supposed to be in ALA?

[MagickMuffin]

5. If the shoe fits...

It seems to me that they didn't have a problem when Ben Ginsberg (Bush's legal council) was working for Bush's campaign while advising the Smear Boat Liars..

Now they want to cry foul play.

I don't have a problem with 527's. I think that is the only way that the truth can be presented, although it can be used just as effectively to present lies.

My only concern with the 527's, is if corporations start funding these groups. I think that was what the McCain/Feingold bill was suppose to be about. I could be wrong about that, though.

[Ganja Ninja]

6. The GOP demands an advantage and can't get one.

They though they could out spend us with all their corporate money. Too bad for Bush small donors have kept pace.

[acmavm]

8. And that is exactly what has them pissed off. They thought they had the

campaign in the bad with their Pioneers and Rangers. But what they hadn't counted on was support from the average guy who is sick and tired of the lies and manipulation. The way they see it is that it's okay for the wealthy bush* supporters to fund his campaign, but it's not okay for anyone else to have a say in who is going to lead this country.

They need to quit their bitching. They set the tone for this election. They're running a candidate who's flawed and inept. They're the ones who started the nastiness, and it was a level of nastiness that surpassed even the slurs and dirty tricks of previous bush* campaigns. This guy isn't qualified to run for rat catcher, let alone president. And they're just pissed because the whiny cry baby AWOL liar hasn't been able to blow his competition out of the water by deceit like he always has in the past.

[Kierkegaard]

7. And why exactly is that a problem for us

but it's OK for you?

"were earning a living coordinating attack ads ...just last week." What does the timing have to do with it? Are they still working for these 527 organizations? Didn't think so. STFU!!! Goddam crybabies...

[meegbear]

9. What's the problem?

Greenberg worked for MoveOn.org ... Wolfson and Lockhart worked with a company ....

They don't work for them now, unlike some other people who worked for * AND a 527 group at the same time. But that's different.

[Mrs_Beastman]

10. What whiners...Kerry had to deal with the swiftboat attacks

it their turn.

In the long run Campaign Finance Reform has turned out to be ugly, will see how it really works in this election.