There is an excellent article by Rick Klein in yesterday's Boston Globe that explores the relationship between the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) and Republican congressional candidates in November. The NRCC operates independently of the campaigns; its primary goal is to raise tons of money and use it to smear Democrats. Over 90% of their budget goes to vile attack ads.
The independent expenditure operation spent $77 million attacking Democratic House candidates, while spending $6.6 million in positive ads boosting Republicans, according to FEC disclosures.
One of their best known smear jobs was the ad against Michael Arcuri of New York whose aide accidently called a sex hot line, realized he had misdialed and immediately called the same number with a different area code. The ad backfired; Arcuri won and his opponent Ray Meier is mad, claiming he tried to stop the NRCC from running the ad but they wouldn't.
"They weren't just attacking my opponent -- they were, bit by bit, destroying a reputation that I had spent years and years building.
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