Another GOP Senator Decries Ayers Robocalls

***UPDATED BELOW***

Oregon's Gordon Smith has become the fourth Republican Senator to disavow John McCain's robocalls linking Barack Obama to Bill Ayers.

In a statement to the Huffington Post, Smith for Senate press secretary Lindsay Gilbride said:
"They [the Ayers calls] are not taking place in Oregon and Senator Smith does not condone these sort of calls. Negative robocalls are not appropriate and have no place in campaigns."

The McCain campaign's tactics have come under heavy fire in recent days, including from Republican Senators Norm Coleman, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin even acknowledged that voters were becoming "irritated" by the onslaught of campaign calls. Meanwhile, McCain himself was forced to defend the tactic in a recent interview, saying "that robocall is exactly accurate."

Even as the campaign tactic has courted disdain from fellow Republicans, it's not clear that the robo calls have helped McCain's campaign. A CNN poll released this week showed that most Americans now believe that McCain's attacks against Obama are unfair.

It's not hard to figure why Smith's camp made the move to officially distance itself from the McCain robocalls: Obama is on pace to handily carry the state on November 4.

Meanwhile, according to Pollster.com's average of surveys in Oregon, the two-term Smith is running behind his challenger, Democratic State House Speaker Jeff Merkley.

So far in the race, Smith has repeatedly referenced Obama positively in his advertisements, suggesting that he has worked closely with the Democratic nominee in the Senate. Now, by distancing himself from the Ayers robocalls, it appears the vulnerable Republican is banking on a strategy of not offending Obama voters.

UPDATE: Jeff Merkley's campaign responds to Sen. Smith's new position, describing it as hypocritical in a statement:

"Gordon Smith is a complete hypocrite. Just like John McCain, Gordon Smith and Karl Rove are using robocalls to attack Jeff Merkley. On top of that, Smith and the Oregon Republican Party are paying this company (FLS) thousands of dollars for undisclosed services. Smith should immediately fire this group of Bush-Rove hacks and demand that Freedom's Watch get out of Oregon."

The Merkley campaign cites FEC reports showing that FLS-Connect, the company in charge of McCain's robocalls, has been paid nearly $100,000 by Smith's campaign in the last year.

Comments

[kellygrrrl]

Go Merk!!!!!!!!!

[kellygrrrl]

Smith is an opportunistic, self-serving, lying POS!

Fortunately, the People of Oregon see right through him, at least from what I've heard

[PaulL2]

And now that Bill Ayers is not working, yesterday I found on my answering machine (in North Carolina) a new robo-message from Rudy Giuliani telling me that Obama and "the liberal judges" would assure that drug dealers and sex fiends(!) do not receive jail time. When they have literally nothing to say as the market drops yet again, they resort to Willie Horton. Disgusting and pathetic.

[biglith]

Fellow Oregonians join me and vote for Jeff Merkley. Throw Richie Rich (Smith) out.

[Ccheek]

In a couple of weeks Gordon (bush) Smith will just be a bad memory.. :-)

[H8Fauxpublicans]

the technique of latching with the 'winning" party reminds of another person who did the same when the walls were closing in; Mussolini

[cacatua]

Was he related to Mooselini of alaska? ;o)

[kpostero]

Good One!

[bosse]

Do what ever it takes to win. McCain has often stayed away from the mud. But does not discourage others.
They appeal to the mean spirited( yet Xtian!) folks, dirty politics Nixon style and Willie horton type. Folks vote for an intelligent man this time. Can youimagine Palin claiming she is more experienced thatn Biden since she could see Russia from her home, and she will control the senate. Dont you think we atleast should elect some one that knows a bit more about our govenment, so that w e wont continue to be the laughing stalk of the entire WORLD?

[cacatua]

I'm from Iowa and McCain has been running robo calls here, lying about Obama. We had a lot of flooding last summer. The worst of it was in the eastern part of the state, in and around Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Both presidential campaigns were asked to cancel appearances there because of the chaos brought about by the floods. The Obama campaign said, "Sure we will stay away until the worst of this is over and we can come without being an unwelcome intrusion." McCain came anyway.

Now McCain is sending out these robo calls saying that while he stopped to tour the flooded areas and offer support, Obama didn't care enough to do so.

McCain is a despicable person.

[EyeballKid]

Gordon Smith is a duplicitous pig who will say anything to keep his seat. He's a multi-millionaire liar who has the exceptional talent to get Oregonians outside of the Portland area to vote, time and again, against their own best interests.

I contributed to Merkley's campaign this year. I hope that Smith will disappear from the public eye quickly and decisively next month, and go back to doing what he does best: hiring undocumented workers to toil in his canneries, which is what keeps his profit margins high.

[mikemaj]

GOP Senators up for re-election are running away from McCain to save their own skin. I am not sure if Senator Gordon was saying this if McCain was leading in the Polls.

[mo19]

The only reason Smith is saying this is because he is up for re-election this year. He did this the last time he was up for re-election too. It's become painfully obvious he says whatever he thinks he needs to say to get re-elected. He's moderate during election years and hopes most people are not paying enough attention to notice the other 5 years.

If this was not a re-election year for Smith, he would have remained silent. I voted for Merkley. I've had enough of Smith's pandering.

[scully09]

It seems to me that his campaigne is delibratly trying to make him loose. What a mess they have made. Goody, goody!

[Two Three Four]

Debunking the Bradley Effect, Again
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=118&ArticleName=Debunking+the+Bradley+Effect%2c+Again

[NTO08]

There have been other incidents, but this is bad, in Wisconsin, courtesy of WISN TV:

http://www.wisn.com/politics/17756631/detail.html

[amoore503]

I remember back in the day when George H Bush coined Portland, Oregon "Little Beirut" because we had the nerve to protest every time he came for a little visit. George W. received the same treatment. Gordon Smith should remember those days and paid more attention to Oregonians than siding with the current Bush over and over again. So on Saturday, when I received my ballot in the mail, I voted straight down the party line, starting with Barack Obama.

[Two Three Four]

Senate Projection:

Democrats: 58
Republicans: 42

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/78tzy/senate_projection_democrats_56_republicans_42/

[TKFraz]

And then there is Lieberman.