GOP Senators Who Denounced McCain Robocalls Are Employing Same Firm

Two of the four Republican Senators who have condemned John McCain's robocall campaign attacking Barack Obama are currently employing the telemarketing firm behind them for their own reelection efforts.

Sen. Norm Coleman, who criticized the automated call-efforts to tie Obama to Bill Ayers, has paid nearly $1.7 million for consulting services (including nearly $200,000 in the third quarter of 2008) to the firm FLS Connect, the same firm used by McCain. That total doesn't include the nearly $300,000 that Coleman's Northstar Leadership PAC has paid FLS-Connect for additional services.

The ties between Coleman and FLS go beyond the political. Coleman rented an apartment on the cheap from firm head Jeff Larson (the same man who reportedly bought Gov. Sarah Palin's expensive clothes on behalf of the RNC). And the two worked together closely to help bring the Republican convention to Minneapolis.

Sen. Gordon Smith, too, has criticized McCain's robocalls despite employing the same exact firm. The Oregon Republican paid FLS-Connect nearly $100,000, according to FEC reports, for services described as "telemarketing." This past week, Smith for Senate press secretary Lindsay Gilbride told the Huffington Post:

"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."

It is unclear what services FLS Connect is providing in each of these Senate races. In Minnesota robocalls are prohibited. However, the company could contract out the telemarketing effort -- as it has done for the McCain campaign -- to firms that employ live callers, or simply do live calls itself. In Oregon, there have been reports of robocall efforts against Smith challenger Jeff Merkley. But none have been tied directly to Larson's firm.

It should also be noted that FLS Connect is a powerhouse within Republican circles, having been employed by the 2000 Bush campaign to run some of its robocall efforts. As such, their ties to individual GOP Senate campaigns are not, in and of themselves, surprising. But as Coleman and Smith call, sanctimoniously, for McCain to end his robocalls it may rub some voters as hypocritical for them to be making payments to the same exact firm.

Comments

[Manx]

Sen. Gordon Smith is a hypocrite on many issues. While he says he supports gay rights, he tithes to the Mormon Church which is spending millions of dollars in California to deny equal rights to same-sex couples. On the one hand he pretends to favor gay rights but he is subsidizing the fight against gay marriage in California. And although the Portland newspaper, The Oregonian, refers to him as a "moderate," he is not - he has voted with George W. Bush 90 per cent of the time.

[desertbloom]

After this election, the word "Republican" will be synonym for "Hypocrisy­."

[naeldwyck]

After it? Why wait?

[Scarlet Fire90]

Jeff Larson is also a lobbyist for the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, who continue to sponsor negative (false) ads against Al Franken. They are anti-union ads that make bogus claims about "card check" organinzing.

Add to the fact he said that he was "suspending" his own negative ads, while these continue is hypocrisy writ large. Quite a bit of a stretch to belive Norm's claims that these attacks where out of his control and can't be stopped. All he needed to do was subtly mention it while asking Larson to pass the sugar over breakfast.

Let's help Al send Droopy off to Minnesota Republican Purgatory along with Michelle Bachmann and John Kline.

https://secure.alfranken.com/page/contribute
http://www.stevesarvi.org/
www.tinklenberg08.com/

[princessk]

The Strib just published a weird and puffy piece on Jeff Larson:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/33193749.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUec7PaP3E77K_0c::D3aDhUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

In it, he denies any involvement in robocalls, just live calls. Says he's just the messenger, complain to the campaign if you have issues with the calls. Only Republicans are interviewed in this piece, it seems. They refer to him as a Republican "Clark Kent." Like I said, it's just a strange article that left me scratching my head.

[ohmetoo]

cha-ching, cha-ching, another donation!!!! Geez just 11 days to go before I go to the poor house! It's top ramen tonight. We prefer beans and noodles to bs.

[SatinPanties]

OMG!!

When I read "GOP Hypocrisy" I said to myself, "this is a must read because these sort of things are rare!" ... NOT!

[longingforla]

Questions are now being raised about the $150,000 ostensibly spent for clothes - the receipts at the stores don't match the claims to the RNC. Could there be some as-yet-unreleased hyper-nasty robo-calls coming from Larson's company that that money went to pay for? Or maybe something else - even worse than clothes?

[sacrebleu]

Buh-bye Gordon Smith. Have fun back in Clodhopolis--I mean Weston--playing with your frozen peas. Please do your best to stay out of Portland. We don't like you.

[franklin opt]

I'm donating to Democratic campaigns for Senate -- starting today!

[HC4BO]

It's called "Pulling the wool over the sheep's' eyes" ...

They feign outrage and engage in the same slimy tactics immediately after to balance out the outrage ...

Repubs are adept at swindling ...

That's why we need to work even harder to THROW THE BUMS OUT ...

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Gordon Smith should consider working for a Mental Health Foundation full time

[Lagniappe]

COLEMAN LITERALLY SLEEPS IN FLS-CONNECT´S WASHINGTON OFFICE IN A SWEETHEART RENT DEAL IN LARSON´S MILLION-DOLLAR TOWN HOUSE

FLS-Connect Employee Uses Apartment To Work And Take Calls. In June 2008, National Journal reported, "Coleman has a bedroom and a bathroom in Larson´s town house and shares the remaining living space, with FLS Connect. A company employee uses a portion of the apartment to work and take calls on some days, according to Larson." [National Journal, 6/28/08]


Coleman Is Paying Just $600 Per Month To Live The Basement Of Jeff Larson´s "Simply Divine" Million-Dollar House. In June 2008, National Journal reported, "In July 2007, Coleman began paying Larson $600 a month in rent for a portion of a one-bedroom basement apartment in a Capitol Hill town house that Larson owns." In February 2007, (Larson´s house) was placed on the market . According to District of Columbia records, Larson paid $989,900 for the house. [National Journal, 6/28/08; ; District of Columbia Public Records]

Coleman Missed Two Months´ Rent; Retroactive Rent Paid Only After Press Inquired. According to National Journal, "Earlier this month, after National Journal questioned Coleman and Larson about the living arrangement, the senator said he discovered that his rent for last November and January had not been paid. In mid-June, Coleman covered the back rent with a personal check for $1,200 made out to Larson and signed by the senator´s wife." [National Journal, 6/28/08]

[Whinger]

So, was it all false posturing after all, maybe they're looking at the bigger picture, thinking ahead!

[Val49]

Oh my God are they all desperate. Can't they see how WELL its working for McCain? or are they all just STUPID.

[lejman]

lotta slop in the pig sty and they all feed together from the same trough. hypocrites. buh bye bushniks.