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

[Chuckbutcher]

Jeff Merkley is not only a good man, he's an excellent politician. I first met Jeff 5 years ago and I've watched him with interest (and 350 mi distance) since. I've had the pleasure of spending extended time with him and asking him real questions and getting real answers. I've done what I can to advance his candidacy and I'm proud to have done so. It isn't easy to get political loyalty and committment from me.

On the other hand about all I can say nice about Gordon is that he dresses nicely.

[Archivist1000]

I had a sad moment for Hillary the other day when she said (paraphrasing) that nobody should 'assume' anything .... a lesson she learned the hard way, to be sure!

Hillary understands that while a candidate can be the frontrunner for a long time, at the end of the day, all that really counts, is the VOTE .... it would be a shame if Obama supporters took victory for granted, and stayed home on November 4.

GO VOTE EARLY if you can .... but VOTE ! Take NOTHING for granted, it aint over 'till it's OVER ....

GO VOTE EARLY if you can ... you or someone you love might get sick on Nov 3 or 4 and you might be unable to go!

GO VOTE EARLY if you can .... there may be problems at the precincts .... don't be caught out !


GO VOTE EARLY if you can ... Obama has been working his butt off for 2 yrs, just for this one DAY .... don't let him down, when he needs YOU

GO VOTE EARLY if you can .... elections are won one vote at a time, and the result lasts 4 yrs!

[Harry Scrote]

Yup, I think this is pretty good news.

[hyjanks]

If it's this ugly now, just think what it will be like in a week.

[yathink]

Poor Smith. Maybe he should have thought of all this when being so amoral in his support for the neocon cretins. Goodbye now.

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Qwack-Qwack

[nana4g]

I want them all gone, too. They need a "Time Out".
These past 8 years have been the most destructive to our country and our democracy and the Republicans in Congress for 6 of the 8 years and continuing to obstruct for the last 2 years, have sat silently by, enabling a dysfunctional and incompetent President and a crook of a Vice President.

People like Michelle Bachmann poisoning the Congress, probably more like her. See what the people across the country did for democracy in Minnesota!!

We are taking our country back to decency, honor, respectability, equality, and peace, at home and abroad. If people want to join, they need to drop the slime; there is no place for that anymore in America. We need to work together to repair our economy.

Drop it; all the smears have gotten too old: birth certificates, religion, preachers, skin color, terrorist, socialist, communist, pigs with lipstick, and even assigning Joe The Plumber's notoriety on the Democrats. We had nothing to do with him; he was made and manufactured and displayed by the Republicans, with his own consent. It's just another gimmick that did not work.

It has been said that McCain's own colleagues do not like him because he sounds like a bully. I can see why. The Gov of Florida does not have time for him. It's over.

We are in for a long winter, getting started on repairs, but, there is Hope.

[marsgeek]

Just another rat jumping off a sinking ship.
I want them all gone. "Moderate" Republicans have sat around condoning this stuff with their silence.
I throw them in with the rest of the wingnuts.

Thanks but no thanks, for the too little, too late comment.
Bye Bye Gordon.

[doober]

I agree..The rats are jumping ship into the lifeboats and to hell with the women and children first nonsence..I hope there is a hole in the lifeboat..

[harriettubman]

No honest person in the GOP, which are hard to find, can deter McCain. He's sold his soul and determined to win at all costs.

[MizLiz]

Well, this is his very last chance, and he knows it.

[grata2ude]

It doesn't matter how many call McCain out on this, that man thinks he's right about everything. Now who does that sound like? Bush. God I can't stand this man and his sidekick anymore. If he wins the Presidency I just may go lock myself in a room and never come out.

[rdiaz921]

and they are voting Repubs out of office like it was going out of style.

[eugenemyst]

Smith has been hammering the state with negative television ads since June. In comparison, Merkeley didn't even get started until late August (at least that's when I first started seeing his television ads.) And in a few months of ads, Merkeley's topped Smith in state polls.

Smith sunk to the lowest of lows when he re-victimized a sexual assault victim by convincing her to go on television saying Merkeley voted against longer sentences for the rapist in that case. "Soft on sexual predators." Of course he twisted the facts and used the manipulation to convince this poor woman to do that ad. Disgusting.

We've heard it all in Oregon: Up is Down, Right is Left. Smith equals liberal causes. It's topsy turvy world in politics this year. Smith now is for gay rights, prochoice, and working with Democrats to support the physically challenged. Good riddance to old rubbage in the guise of Gordon Smith.

(and the scariest part is...he's not a neo con.)

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Qwack-Qwack

[gplain]

A powerplant owner in springfield, thought to be very republican, has been getting tired of these robobcalls as well: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RmjPSPVmACc

[Ozy]

Gordon Smith will say aything to get votes!

Oregonias are wise to this fraud!

[MsYellowDog]

"Oh,what tangled webs we weave,when first we practice to deceive"...it seems to me that the American people generally are finally waking up from an 8 yr. nap,and discovering that they have been duped.Payback is a bitch.

[Totto]

We Oregonians are used to this. After supporting every right-wing Bush position for years, just before an election Gordon plays "moderate". Time to retire and play golf with his $2 million golf clubs.

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Qwack-Qwack......he is not welcome here in C.O.

[whoissilvia]

Oh, for the love of pizza. Can we please vote this guy out and hear from him no more? Gordon Smith is a fasc ist for 5 years out of 6. When he's up for re-election he touts his centrist ideology, makes a few votes against the neocon agenda, but otherwise can't get the fencepost out of his a$$. SOB is even putting ads up on the Huff Po.

I've already voted...thank you, Oregon. Go Merkley!