Crossroads GPS, a 501(c)(4) political action-like committee, run by Karl Rove, has released a new ad attacking Obama's fiscal cliff offer, reports Huffington Post. I hadn't realized these groups that are not legally required to revel their donors, were going to be an ongoing part of our daily life after the elections, but I've seen the Rove's new ad entitled "Over" already four times this afternoon on cable news. The initial ad buy is for $500,000 on nation wide cable TV, and attacks President Obama for trying to raise taxes instead of focusing on spending cuts in what the ad claims would be a "balanced bipartisan approach."
"So far a big tax increase is his solution," the narrator intones. "No real spending reforms. Instead more taxes. The time for politics has ended. We need bipartisan ideas we can all support."
“The White House has shown it is not serious about the debt, as it has yet to propose significant spending cuts to go along with its massive proposed tax hikes," Crossroads GPS President and CEO Steven Law said in a statement regarding the group's ad buy. "Serious revenue concessions have been made, but Obama won't take yes for an answer."
As a 510 (c)(4) organization, Crossroads GPS is not legally required to disclose its donors. Although the group brands itself as one focused on "grassroots policy strategies," it has funded its past activities through $10 million checks. Now the group is spending its dark money to influence the debate over deficit reduction.
"Every day wasted is another $4 billion we're deeper in debt," the ad concludes.
Perhaps Karl Rove is responding to the glossy video President Obama released Tuesday to support the discharge petition initiated by Nancy Pelosi to try to force a vote in the House on the middle class tax cut bill already passed by Senate Majority leader Harry Read.
Ours is much better but I'm not aware that we are actually running this ad on national TV networks, or cable. It may have been produced for the internet and to get free play on the talks shows.
Our president does have the advantage of the bully pulpit, but even still I've been a little taken aback to be inundated by election-campaign style political ads after the election.
If the campaign like national media battle over Washington politics is now going to be conducted as an ongoing day to day attempt to sway voters and politician we better start more grass roots funding for our Democratic super-pacs.
Let this serve as a call to arms, Kossacks, we are going to need to do continuous grass roots fund raising to keep up with the very deep pocket multi-million funding big anonymous donors are apparently continuing to give Crossroads GPS.