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

[Republican Distortion]

Gordon Smith = fraud. Jeff Merkley = change. Simple, yet effective...

Obama/ Biden 08"

[ElBruce]

So he's denouncing the company he's paying. Great. Glad I'm an Oregon voter.

[bygollymissmolly]

Poor Gordo. He knows that there's a good chance he is going to lose. He loves to come out at the last minute and prove what a good guy he is. Unfortunately for him, we the voters in Oregon are on to him. He has played this game one too many times.

[Pancake]

Smith is running ads in the Western side of the state saying how much he works with the Democrats. He is running ads on the Eastern side of the state blaming the "liberal Democrats" in the cities for all of the states problems. Meanwhile he hires illegal workers to work in his frozen food business and buys million dollar golf clubs.
Time to take a hike Gordon.

[deeppeace]

Ditto. Do they think we're stoopid? Hey, Gordo, when you change your mind on Roe v Wade, let me know, huh?

[margardner]

McCain is listening to the wrong people and the polls are showing it.

[marsgeek]

Has nothing to do with who is listening to.
Americans have finally made a calculation that they can no longer worry about BS wedge issues (pin flags, code words for "them" and etc....) because the consequences of 30 plus years of Reagan's Trickle up economics where we pay more taxes so that millionaires and billionaires can keep more of their wealth.
I think the last straw was the bailout of these people by the rest of us for their greed and irresponsibility. When the top finally boiled off of this witch's brew they no longer could hide the truth about Voodoo Economics or Screw You Economics.

For the first time in decades it appears the American public is going to vote for their own best interest and not an Ideology dressed up in the flag and phony hyperbole about "Free Enterprise".

[worldview47]

OBAMA/BIDEN YEAAAAH!!!!!!

HOW DID THESE PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH THIS FOR SO LONG? PEOPLE ASLEEP?

HOPEFULLY WIDE AWAKE NOW...

[plafayette]

I called Christopher Shays office in CT and asked him if he supported McCains use of negative robocalls to smear Obama in this election. The aide that answered the phone said Shays has not spoken to this issue directly - but he did not use negative campaign tactics or robocalls in any of his own campaigns. I will be watching him!

[lagumbo]

Gordon Smith need to be voted out too.

[bygollymissmolly]

We're working on it and it's looking pretty good right now.

[sacrebleu]

I wish to chime in with all the other Oregonians here in the Peanut Gallery and announce that I mailed my ballot at the Gus Solomon Courthouse post office in beautiful downtown Portland this very afternoon after meticulously filling in the little oval next to Jeff Merkley's name with my #2 pencil.

Have fun playing with your vegetables, Gordon. Buh-bye.

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Qwack-Qwack

[Stilts9]

Smith is a Bushbackstabber. He supported Bush every step of the way into Iraq, but when the public rendered it's opinion of the war in 2006, Smith SUDDENLY started aping Democrats and stabbing his former boss in the back.

[bygollymissmolly]

Gordon Smith, when it is time to run for re-election, moves to the middle. But, he is all talk and no do. If you look at his voting record, it is probably equal to McCain's as far as voting with Bush. Once he is re-elected, he goes back to his hard right neocon agenda.

In a lot of ways, he reminds me of McCain. They talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.

[whoissilvia]

Exactly. Go Merkley!

[MaryHuff]

Why do they say "negative" robocalls? Why don't they call them what they are - outright lying, completely dishonest and misleading robocalls. Smearing robocalls. We should form a class-action lawsuit against McCain and Co. and sue them all for slander and libel. And for misleading the American nation. And for false advertising. People go to jail for these very same things out in the real world. Time these corrupt Republicans are taken to task for the cancer they bring to society.

[Bubba Gump]

You got that right!

[worldview47]

can you say "above the law"

[KOisGod]

Is there a way to send an electro-magnetic pulse of extreme high frequency and force back out your phone to the machines that dial these calls, causing them to smoke and catch on fire?

That would be a neat invention.

[Bubba Gump]

You want a scalpel EMP? Sorry, the Bush/McCain team only know how to use hachets. One EMP for everybody! Kind of like a meltdown. Seems they know all about that, too....Wonder what Putin's up too in that arena? Maybe we can have 007 "borrow" it. LOL!

[Raster]

Hopefully, El Gordo will lose his Senate seat, courtesy of the conscientious voters of the Great State of Oregon!

[Kiabell04]

He must be up for re-election.

[katocat]

Gordon Smith is trying to kiss everyone's rear to remain in office.

Too late Gordo... I already voted for Merkley.

Back to pickin' peas for you.

[sagcat]

Gordon Smith was one of W.'s 2004 "Pioneers," meaning he raised over $100,000 or $150,000 (don't recall the exact requirement) for W.'s reelection campaign. I remember looking up which Pioneers were here in Oregon on Bush's reelection campaign website.

For him to pretend he's not lockstep with Bush is a joke.

I placed my vote yesterday and very happily voted for Merkley. I hope Smith goes down in flames.