Hooray for Moveon.org

[ciphergoth]

This witty campaign ad tickled me:

In an almost misstep-free campaign, Obama's biggest misstep was encouraging the 527s like Moveon.org to shut down. Once the fire started coming in from the Republican 527s, he reversed his position, but it took them a while to get back into play.

How come they're allowed to use words like "vote", "elect" and such, btw? I thought there was a list of key words that 527s weren't allowed to use? Or have I been watching too much West Wing?

Comments

[redcountess]

527? I must have missed mention of those in TWW because I don't know what they are, are they a partisan think tank or something?

[altamira16.livejournal.com]

They are a giant loophole created to get around rules involving money in political campaigns. Basically, you are limited in what you can contribute to a political campaign and a political party, but 527 organizations are not limited. In return, they can't support candidates but particular causes, I believe. For example, a 527 can be opposed to gun control and run ads that highlight the policies of the various candidates.

I think that Obama did the right thing by shutting down the 527s earlier on. He was better able to control the party message without any distractions created by various splinter groups. Even though 527s are supposed to be about the issues and not the candidates, it can be hard to see where one ends and another begins sometimes.

[redcountess]

Ah, thanks :)

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=527

[purplerabbits.livejournal.com]

Well the top link on that page says that move.on.org *isn't* a 527. Not that I am any the wiser...

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Ah, that would explain the partisan language :-) I knew that they had shut down their 527 at Obama's urging, and seeing this ad I thought they'd started it up again, but no, it's a PAC, and they're allowed to explicitly urge you to vote one way or the other.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Remember this Season Three episode:

BRUNO
You don't put "vote Bartlet" in the ad, you can pay for it with unmarked bills from a bank
heist if you want to.

CONNIE
And we should know. There's also footnote 52, where the Court said campaign-finance laws only
apply to communications with the terms "vote for," "elect," "support," "cast your ballot for,"
"Smith for Congress," "vote against," "defeat," "reject," and that's it. [pause] I'm savant-like.

TOBY
If it doesn't use those specific words...

BRUNO
It is an issue ad.