RNC: Obama's Special Interest Hypocrisy

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by the Republican National Committee:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/RNCLOGO )

Liberal Group MoveOn.Org Has Launched An Old-Style Political Attack Against Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) And His Campaign Adviser:

MoveOn.Org Has Launched An Attack Ad On McCain And His Campaign Adviser's Former Lobbying Ties. (MoveOn.Org Website, www.moveon.org, Accessed 5/20/08)

MoveOn.Org Supports Obama And Issued Its First Presidential Endorsement In Favor Of Obama's Campaign:

"[B]arack Obama Earned The Endorsement Of MoveOn, One Of The Largest Grassroots Membership Organizations In The United States, After Clobbering Hillary Clinton By 40 Percent In Internet Balloting." (Ari Melber, "MoveOn Endorses Obama," The Nation's "Campaign 08" Blog, www.thenation.com, 2/1/08)

Obama's Endorsement Is MoveOn.Org's First Endorsement Ever In A Presidential Campaign. "MoveOn, which has never endorsed a presidential candidate before, boasts that it has 1.7 million members in Super Tuesday states." (Ari Melber, "MoveOn Endorses Obama," The Nation's "Campaign 08" Blog, www.thenation.com, 2/1/08)

In Accepting The Endorsement, Obama Praised MoveOn.Org's Members And Record. Obama: "From their principled opposition to the Iraq war ... to their strong support for a number of progressive causes, MoveOn shows what Americans can achieve when we come together in a grassroots movement for change. I thank them for their support and look forward to working with their members in the weeks and months ahead." (MoveOn.Org Political Action, "MoveOn Endorsement Throws Progressive Weight Behind Barack Obama," Press Release, 2/1/08)

Obama Also Won MoveOn.Org's Member Poll, Which Asked, Which Candidate Is "Best Able To Lead The Country Out Of The War In Iraq?" ("Obama Wins MoveOn Poll," National Journal's "The Hotline On Call" Blog, hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com, 4/12/07)

MoveOn.Org Has A History Of Radical Statements And Left-Wing Policy Positions:

MoveOn.Org Purchased A Full Page Ad In The New York Times, Calling General David Petraeus "General Betray Us" And Accused Him Of "Cooking The Books." "[Gen. Petraeus] has already come under fire from MoveOn.org which in a full page ad in Monday's New York Times dubbed him 'General betray us' and alleged he was 'cooking the books for the White House.'" (Peter Wuetherich, "Petraeus: Battle-Hardened General On The Frontlines In Iraq," Agence France Presse, 9/10/07)

MoveOn.Org Opposed $87 Billion For Troops And Reconstruction In Iraq And Afghanistan. "[MoveOn.Org] is criticizing President Bush's $87 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan in a television ad ... The commercial is part of MoveOn.Org's effort to defeat the supplemental spending bill pending in Congress." (Will Lester, "Political Notebook," The Associated Press, 10/15/03)

Two Ads Comparing President Bush To Hitler Appeared On MoveOn.Org's Voter Fund Website. "One ad begins with Adolf Hitler making speeches, until a picture of President Bush appears. Another also uses Nazi and Bush images, with the tag line: 'What were war crimes in 1945 is foreign policy in 2003.' The videos appeared on the Web site of MoveOn.Org's Voter Fund as part of a nationwide contest for an anti-Bush television ad on which the liberal group plans to spend a considerable sum." (Howard Kurtz, "Anti-Bush Ad Contest Includes Hitler Images," The Washington Post, 1/6/04)

Click Here To View Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIzOfcZuYLk

Abraham Foxman Of Anti-Defamation League Called Ads "Vile And Outrageous" And Group's Comments Explaining Them "Hardly Comforting." (Anti-Defamation League, "Hitler Ad Should Never Have Appeared On MoveOn.Org," Press Release, 1/5/04)

MoveOn.Org Pushed For Peaceful Response To 9/11 And Opposed Military Action. "Joan Blades of Berkeley, a founder of MoveOn.Org ... said her group had collected 30,000 signatures since the attacks Sept. 11 on a statement calling for 'justice, not escalating violence that would only play into the terrorists' hands.'" (Tony Pugh, "Against Tide, They Clamor For Peace," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/21/01)

Sen. Clinton Recently Noted That MoveOn.Org Didn't Want Us To Go Into Afghanistan. Sen. Clinton: "We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn.org didn't want us to go into Afghanistan. ... I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And, you know, they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them." (Christina Bellantoni, "Clinton's MoveO n Remarks Draw Fire," The Washington Times, 4/20/08)

"MoveOn.Org ... Is Responsible For The 'Fire Cheney' TV Ad That Shows The Statue Of Liberty With A Hood Over Its Head." (Bill Holland, "Getting Out The Vote," Billboard, 7/3/04)

FLASHBACK: Obama Has Pledged He's "Not Going To Go Around Doing Negative Ads" And Has Decried "Slash And Burn" Politics:

Obama: "Now, one of the things I'm proud of at the beginning of this campaign I said, this is a different time. This is an extraordinary time. We've got to run a different kind of campaign. So we're not going to go around doing negative ads. We're going to keep it positive. We're going to talk about the issues." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Wilson, NC, 4/28/08)

Obama: "We've got to get beyond the small politics ... the slash and burn politics that have become the custom in Washington." ("Obama Denounces 'Slash And Burn' Politics," The Associated Press, 2/19/07)

Obama: "We don't want the small, timid, slash and burn, negative campaigning of the past." (Josh Hafenbrack, "Obama Barack Obama Calls For New Political Spirit During South Florida Campaign Swing," [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Sun Sentinel, 3/26/07)

And Obama Has Former Federal Lobbyists Working For And Raising Money For His Campaign:

Former Federal Lobbyists Are On Obama's Staff, Including Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand, Teal Baker And Emmett Beliveau. "The Obama campaign restricts current lobbyists from joining the campaign. But a bunch of former lobbyists have helped out--including deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand, Teal Baker, and Emmett Beliveau--who could easily slip back onto K Street once the campaign is over." (Christopher Beam, "Obama's Lobbying Ties," Slate's "Trailhead" Blog, www.slate.com, 5/19/08)

Obama Does Not Ban Current Lobbyists From Providing Unpaid Advice To His Campaign. "Obama does not ban even current lobbyists from lending advice to the campaign--which could be considered an 'in kind' contribution. Moses Mercado, a former adviser to Dick Gephardt and a lobbyist for Ogilvy Government Relations, volunteers his advice and time for the campaign but declined to be on payroll." (Christopher Beam, "Obama's Lobbying Ties," Slate's "Trailhead" Blog, www.slate.com, 5/19/08)

Obama Also Uses Bundlers Who Were Previously Federal Lobbyists. "Obama now has 14 bundlers who are also federally registered lobbyists, but they are currently inactive, according to Public Citizen." (Christopher Beam, "Obama's Lobbying Ties," Slate's "Trailhead" Blog, www.slate.com, 5/19/08)

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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee

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Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/RNCLOGO
Source: Republican National Committee

CONTACT: Republican National Committee, +1-202-863-8614

Web Site: http://www.gop.com/

2008-05-20 17:57:58 0367150 PRNEWSWIRE