Obama-Ayers Ad Group Will Disclose Donors To Stay Within Law

In a response to several questions raised by a Thursday Huffington Post article, the independent committee behind an ad linking Barack Obama to 60's-era radical William Ayers said it will disclose its individual donors to the FEC.

"American Issues Project is a 501(c)4 qualified nonprofit organization," spokesperson Christian Pinkston wrote in an email. "We adhere to all FEC and IRS requirements. We receive contributions only from individuals, as indicated on our website. Express advocacy and electioneering communications expenditures will comprise the minority of our activities over the next year, as required by law. Donors for these activities are disclosed through the appropriate FEC filings."

In one of the first news reports about the group, the Politico's Ben Smith suggested that the America Issues Project had claimed 501(c)4 status in order to keep its donor rolls secret while spending $2.8 million on a political ad airing in Ohio and Michigan.

But in order to stay within overlapping IRS regulations, the group has now committed to disclosure, as well as spending a sum greater than its $2.8 million Obama-Ayers ad buy in non-electioneering activities.

However, beyond the complex legal minutiae, there is a deeper irony. In attempting to assist John McCain, the America Issues Project is currently dancing around his single greatest legislative achievement: the Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform Act of 2003. On February 4, 2004, McCain spoke from the Senate floor against lax FEC interpretation of the iconic legislation.

"I think it is very important that as the Federal Election Commission is considering making these rules, that it be made very clear what the intent of the authors of the legislation was," McCain said, before quoting a Supreme Court reference to FEC electioneering standards. In an impassioned plea, McCain also said: "We do not, and will not, stand for the creation of new loopholes to violate this law."

Comments

[Mrjonz]

Um, in all fairness I feel I must remind readers that the Weather Underground did indeed kill and injure people: in the 1970 bombing of the Park Station of the San Francisco Police Department, a police sergeant was killed while another police officer was maimed and blinded. I was a kid living in San Francisco when this happened. (Yeah, I know: me and my damn Liberal fairness)

Still, if the Right wants to lob charges on domestic terrorism at the Left, then they might well want to first consider The Oklahoma City bombing. This single domestic terrorist attack on April 19, 1995 killed 168 men, women, and children and left over 800 people injured. Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the deadliest act of terrorism on U.S. soil. Two men were convicted for a crime it must have taken many to plan and finance. The Right’s response has been to claim the Clintons did it to frame the militia movement.

[letuckerchicago]

True, the Weather Underground did do harm to people - however, their actions have nothing to do with Barack Obama! His relationship with Bill Ayers is tenuous at best - some organizational work in common and they live in the same neighborhood. The same could be said of any number of Chicagoans who are active in community activities.

BTW, the Hyde Park neighborhood in which the Obamas live is not a "radical" haven as depicted by the Right and the lazy news media. There resides the University of Chicago, the home of the Manhattan Project and Milton Friedman. Not exactly far Left credentials! Hyde Park is an extremely diverse community, both ethnically and economically. It's radical only if you think that Black and White people at both the working class and financially privileged levels living together is "radical".

[Willow712]

You know, a lot of people are going on and on about the Ayers connections to Obama. Doesn't everybody realize that they live in the same neighborhood, they are on many committees together, both were respected faculty members. Lots of people live in this upscale neighborhood and do a lot of philanthropic events together. Jesse Jackson lives there, there are a lot of known people that also live there and rub elbows with Obamas and Ayers. Ayers was in a radical group that I certainly would have known had I been older at the time. Things were different back then. We had Kent state, JFK, Bobby Kennedy, MLK died, there were demonstrations everywhere, things were different. We had the cold war, we didn't know if we were going to live to see tomorrow. Time to let all that rest.

[joefazio]

So much for those Obama Bayh bumper stickers that were
reported earlier. It seems Mr Bayh has been notified he's
not the man for V.P.

It looks like it is really going to be Joe Biden.
I could not be happier!

[Skeptic47]

Where can I find a careful, detailed rebuttal of these claims about Ayers? There's nothing sufficiently responsive on FightTheSmears.com or anywhere else I've been able to find. I can't try to defend Obama within my circle if I don't know what the truth is. The Obama campaign's statements aren't enough any more after this ugly ad. The net is full of sites with titles like these: "Debunking Obama's Ayers "Fact Sheet" Can anyone point me to a solid and defensible counter-rebuttal? Something I could link to in a wide-distribution email and counter the stories effectively with people whose minds are at all open to intellectual honesty?

[pupbayer]

You won't find a "careful,detailed rebuttal of these claims about Ayers" because they are true and there is no rebuttal. I'm not being smart alecky. I mean it.

O supporters should get over trying to defend Ayers and concentrate on debunking the idea that O and he are close associates. All they've done in trying to defend Ayers is make it seem that he and O are close friends.

[rollingdivision]

During the election campaign if you aren't on offense and controlling the agenda you're on defense and answering charges.

[Tobiasism]

You know, guilt by association might work when it is the KEATING 5, and everyone but you got convicted, but Ayers was way before Obama's time.

[ibsteve2u]

McCain also said: "We do not, and will not, stand for the creation of new loopholes to violate this law."

See, the thing is when a Republican talks about enforcing the law, he assumes everybody can hear the unheard "except if a Republican is in violation and/or if it benefits the Republican Party."

“Not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime."
[John Mukasey, U.S. Attorney General and Republican Appointee, August 12th, 2008.]

[PJay1]

So are they running the ad in this legal limbo stage?

To repeat what I said last night, this is a dangerous thing to do.
Bill Ayres is an upstanding citizen, a college professor, NOT a public person.
He and his family, his friends, his students, his colleagues are all being put in potential danger because of the notoriety and hatred this slanderous ad is stirring up.

When it was 24/7 about Rev Wright, the Reverend had to change his schedule and cancel engagements because of security concerns. The Church and parishioners were also concerned for their safety.

Oh, and one of the *awful* things that Bill Ayres did? "...In 1965 Ayers joined a picket line protesting an Ann Arbor, Michigan, pizzeria for refusing to seat African Americans.­.."

He has done much work for school reform and is a professor of education.

He was considered an "activist", of which there were many in the 60's. Not a terrorist.

I think those running this ad ought to pull back.

[rwe]

Bill Ayers got off a murder charge in no less a despicable manner as OJ.He has always been considered a terrorist only now it is terrorist emeritus

[PJay1]

Can you substantiate your "despicable" claims?

[johnu1974]

desperate much? bill ayers turned himself in for the charges against him, and they found him NOT GUILTY! you wikipedia him, and you'll see. on the other hand, mccain WAS part of the keating 5! barack obama was 8 when these supposed crime bill ayers committed took place. is the GOP that desperate as to put guilt-by-a­ssociation to an 8 year old? that was a rhetorical question.

[pupbayer]

A terrorist is one who advocates" the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes." dictionary.comm) Bill Ayers was a terrorist. As far as we know, he still is. He participated in making and planting bombs in public buildings. He admits doing it and regrets "they didn't do more." And remember, he wasn't just a member of this group, he was a co-founder. The fact that no one was killed was killed, other than their own members, was luck not conscience.
You may think that is fine. Most of America does not. There were many anti-war activists during the 60's and early 70's. Not all of them resorted to violence to promote their cause.

Perhaps he is not a public person although as a public university professor, he certainly may be considered such, but if you choose to commit violent acts against the public and the government, I think you are fair game for a little bad publicity. He made decisions to do things that will haunt him the rest of his life. That's his fault. He has to accept responsibility for what he did.

I always assumed O was just a casual acquaintance of Ayers but, obviously, there is a close relationship since there is this outburst of strong defense of him. You all protest too much.

[PJay1]

No, I don't condone violence in any way.

However, Mr. Ayres was not convicted of any crime and all charges against him were dropped. Let's remember also that this was 40 or so years ago. Senator Obama was a child when this stuff was going on AND he did condemn the action as an adult.

The ad that they're trying to run starts out with mention of the 911 terrorist attacks and from there goes on to with this guilt by association.
Terrorists - 911 - Bill Ayres - Barack Obama. THEREFORE, Barack must be a turrrrrist.

This is not only intellectually dishonest and dangerously and slanderously misleading.

Again, I think if they haven't already gotten cease and desist notices, it's just a matter of time. This will backfire and give many who air this some serious headaches, to put it mildly.

[Willow712]

Of course, nobody approves of violence in any form. but were you old enough to remember the 60s? do you remember Kent State? JFK, Bobby Kennedy, MLK getting shot? Do you remember in 1970 when half of Augusta GA was burned to the ground during demonstrations? Did you ever campaign for McArthy? Do you remember the cold war? Heck, everybody was scared that they wouldn't see tomorrow, and all it would take was the pushing of a button. We basically had no tomorrow. Songs like "LIve for today." etc.

Kids would go away to college, and find that over half the students in the dorms were radical, pot smoking, do anything types of people. Its real easy when all your friends are radicals. Nobody wanted violence, but the whole world was just getting crazier and crazier. Remember Kent state? A nonviolent demonstration, until the tanks and the soldiers got there. Things were just out of control, and the government just didn't know what to do about it.

In order to understand the 60s and 70s, you had to be there. Things were just different then. Times were totally different than now. And while we all abhor violence (even back then, a lot of people were for peaceful demonstrations), things just tended to get out of hand.

[RMax304823]

"You all protest too much"? The logic, then, is that if you say it isn't true, it must be true.

[lboucher]

It's Official Obama picks Hannah Montana, I just the text message on my really awesome cell phone!!

[Viper]

WhenMcCains banker, Cindy tells him who to pick, Mccain will let us know who his VP pick is...
Until then he will be shopping for some taller lifts and looking for a house he paid for....

Regards

[pupbayer]

I've learned 3 things reading the other thread about this ad.

1. O supporters know next to nothing about the Keating 5.

2. O supporters know next to nothing about the Weather Underground and William Ayers.

3. With all of the defense of Ayers, there obviously is a much closer relationship between O and Ayers than I thought there was.

[SmootyBooty]

You are an idiot. Most of the people defrauded out of their life savings because of the Keating Five were elderly. Many have died since, which is the only reason there isn't more outrage.M c C r a p only stayed out of jail because of the old boy's club...
I hope you grow a brain someday...

[pupbayer]

Thank you for making my point even clearer.

[cyndeewi]

You are the one that knows next to nothing about the Keathing 5 puppybayer. Obama was only 8 years old at the time this was done. In addition, Ayers was not convicted of any crime. Obama supporters. Ayers is a upstanding college professor , working for the one the best Colleges in the Country. If you want to start blaming anyone then you better start with everyone that has been taught by him in addition to the staff at the College.

[pupbayer]

Please provide an authoritative link that says the University of IL is one of the best colleges in the country. I know at least 3 people who turned down professorships there because of the lack of quality. Now, to be honest, it was the University of IL at Chicago specifically. I know nothing of that school but I highly doubt it is one of the best of the country. I'm always glad to look at proof to the contrary.

The rest of your answer makes no sense at all.

Were you taught by him?

[misspris]

A lawsuit was filed yesterday in Federal Court challenging Barack Obama’s qualifications to be President. The motion will be for an emergency temporary restraining order prohibiting Obama from running for president, and enjoining the DNC from nominating Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate. Hill Yeah! Take it Back!

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

It's going to fall as flat as Hill's run.

[Soothsayer08]

Are the clinton behind this?

[SmootyBooty]

Go pound sand you PUMA...

[eladora]

not true, rush , but keep exciting these o supporters in your neg way

[cyndeewi]

You must have filed the lawsuit because it appears it came from a brain like yours.

[DaOne]

William Ayers, never charged.

[pupbayer]

So? He admitted his crimes and his regret for not doing more.

[Soothsayer08]

People in the 60's were more passionate about causes than they are now.

[Viper]

A lot of peple wished we had done more to help in the Vietnam war sooner and save more american lives and the lives of 3 million S.E asians and get our POWs such as McCain home sooner. I regret I ever supported that waste of time, lives and money.

W/O the protesters we would have been in Vietnam for a hundred years like McCain thinks we should be in Iraq.

5 People died at Kent State protesting which helped get us out.

Do I support the Weathermen­... NO.

But the protestors did us a favor... We lost and so what... what was the down side?... Kids in Vietnam have all their legs and arms.now . a free trade agreement with another Communist country?? Nothing new about that!

Regards

[Viper]

And McCains first employer, who got him in politcs was a twice convicted fellon.. Cindy's father.. your point again?

Regards

[Soothsayer08]

He is now a respected professor.

[CintiBlue]

Just saw the ad and I think it's too much information, too much history lesson.

The people who lived through that time have to hark back and sort through the cast of characters from that period and younger people will have to do research unless they're history buffs.

[srtjsrtj]

At the top of the Pile and through the list it will be all.......­..........­..........­.......RIC­H PEOPLE

This is John McCain's Crowd and it's a perfect example of John McCain RIch Friends saying anything and doing anything to get him elected, even lie.

Obama was 8 Years Old When Ayers had an issue, let's just start Blaming Our own 8 Year old kids for everything that anyone in America said, did or that they met 40 years later.

[srtjsrtj]

Barack was 8 Years Old when Ayres Incident Occurred. Mr. Ayers per a statement on TV last Night by Mayor Daly said, Mr. Ayers is an upstanding Professor At The University of Chicago and has more than given back to the community over the years"

Wasn't it John McCain when Asked about his dealings with some Slezy Characters said he did it because he believes in "Redemption"

McCain Does Redemption only apply to those you choose?

Unfortunately that's not God's Definition of Redemption.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Fortunately that's not God's definition of Redemption. I seem to remember a "go thou, and sin no more" clause.

[Chillinout]

Why is it that the Repugs only play by the rules after they get caught?

I don't think it is only McClone that is Internet illiterate, but the most of the Repug party. Thanks to the Internet, these politicians can't get away with the things they used to.