HUFFPOST FUNDRACE -- Swift Boating Obama

Meet the new group looking to Swift Boat President Barack Obama. Mother Jones looks at Veterans for a Secure America, "Veterans for a Strong America describes itself 'a grassroots action organization committed to ensuring that America remains a strong nation by advancing liberty, safeguarding freedom and opposing tyranny.' Founded in 2010, the ostensibly nonpartisan group kept a low profile until earlier this week, when it posted a splashy online ad that uses statements from President Barack Obama to suggest that the commander-in-chief boasted about his role in killing Osama bin Laden, dishonoring America's military in the process. 'Heroes don't politicize their acts of valor,' the ad declares amid shots of American soldiers and quotes criticizing Obama's 'shameless' and 'despicable' attempt to claim credit for bin Laden's death. Not all of those quotes are in context: The video flashes 'Obama Spikes the bin Laden Football,' a headline from a post in which Mother Jones' Kevin Drum wrote that the bin Laden raid proved Obama's 'leadership.'"

$12 million. That's the amount a fundraiser featuring George Clooney and organized by Jeffrey Katzenberg could net for Obama's reelection campaign. It would be the biggest haul from a single fundraising event in history. Guess Hollywood didn't follow Chris Dodd's advice and cut off contributions after the president spiked SOPA.

Stephen Colbert tells David Letterman that, "There's almost nothing that's against the law when it comes to spending political money."

Ron Paul was the least reliant on super PAC money for advertising of all the GOP presidential hopefuls from January through March.

The super PAC backing Mitt Romney had not provided a secure space for online credit card donations until the Washington Times' Luke Rosiak pointed it out. Shows that they aren't really looking for grassroots donors, but what super PAC is?

The Vermont legislature failed to pass a new campaign finance law after their public financing system was invalidated by the Supreme Court.

AD WATCH

Help us populate our list of campaign videos. Send any notable TV, radio or web ads that you see to Fundrace. Send your submissions to [e-mail].

Committee: Republican National Committee
Candidate Opposed: Barack Obama
Spot: "Hype and Blame"
Market: Unknown.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Majority PAC
Candidate Opposed: George Allen
Spot: "Remember"
Market: Virginia.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Richard Mourdock for Senate
Spot: "America's Future"
Market: Indiana.
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Committee: Dick Lugar for Senate
Spot: "Spirit"
Market: Indiana.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: Don Stenberg for Senate
Spot: "The Right Thing"
Market: Nebraska.
Buy: Undisclosed.

Committee: House Majority PAC
Candidate Supported: Julia Brownley
Spot: "Only One"
Market: California's 26th District.
Buy: ~$155,905.

TRACKING INDEPENDENT SPENDING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:

These numbers represent spending by independent groups, like super PACs and non-profits, to support or oppose a particular candidate for the presidency in 2012. Fundrace will update this spending daily to help show which candidates are gaining from the proliferation of independent groups in this coming election.

Newt Gingrich (R), $13,017,772 to support, $18,885,161 to oppose.
Rick Santorum (R), $7,548,235 to support, $20,923,379 to oppose.
Mitt Romney (R), $3,317,306 to support, $8,676,753 to oppose.
Rick Perry (R), $4,167,697 to support, $1,404 to oppose.
Ron Paul (R), $3,748,218 to support, $214,158 to oppose.
Jon Huntsman (R), $2,453,204 to support, $0 to oppose.
Barack Obama (D), $298,856 to support, $1,121,699 to oppose. (+$50,000)
Herman Cain (R), $501,717 to support, $954 to oppose.
Gary Johnson (R), $518 to support, $0 to oppose.

RECENT INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES

FreedomWorks for America, $25,000 to support David McIntosh for Congress in Indiana's 5th District.
Conservative Renewal PAC, $125,000 to support David Dewhurst for Senate in Texas.
FreedomWorks for America, $60,449 to oppose Dick Lugar for Senate in Indiana.
FreedomWorks for America, $26,554 to support Richard Mourdock for Senate in Indiana.
Life And Liberty PAC, $50,000 to oppose Barack Obama for President.
Citizens for Conservative Leadership, $6,614 to oppose Jim Pendergraph for Congress in North Carolina's 9th District.
American Dental Association Independent Expenditures Committee, $21,190 to support Scott Keadle for Congress in North Carolina's 8th District.
American College of Radiology Association PAC, $12,000 to support John McGoff for Congress in Indiana's 5th District.
Citizens for Prosperity and Good Government, $52,000 to support Doug LaMalfa for Congress in California's 1st District.
Committee to Elect An Effective Valley Congressman, $81,099 to support Howard Berman for Congress to California's 30th District.
The American Foundations Committee, $15,000 to oppose Paul Coble for Congress in North Carolina's 13th District.
Hoosiers for Jobs, $64,141 to oppose Richard Mourdock for Senate in Indiana.
House Majority PAC, $155,905 to support Julia Brownley for Congress in California's 26th District.

RECENT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REGISTRATIONS

Concerned Moms and Dads of America, Kent, Wash., Treasurer: Sharon R. Peetz. (Super PAC)
Buck Up To Beef Up America, Kenmore, N.Y., Treasurer: Patrick E. Johnson. (Super PAC)

Send tips, hints, submissions, rumors to HuffPost Fundrace at [e-mail].

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Comments

[brnstb007]

02:52 PM on 07/17/2012

Why does HuffPost filter out posts that are not favorable to Obama?

[brnstb007]

02:51 PM on 07/17/2012

Please post three lies that are being said about Obana.
Keeping in mind that Obama is the original birther, stating that he was born in Kenya.

[repugnicansfearme]

10:50 PM on 05/08/2012

This one man show is disgusting. Probably never served. And, if they did, they never saw any combat.

[liberaldawg]

11:49 AM on 05/06/2012

I like Sen. Kerry. He would have been an infinitely better president that Bush. It would have made a huge difference to the country if there was no 2nd W term. With that said, Kerry was totally impotent in responding to the 'swift boating". President Obama won't stand by and let these attacks go unanswered.

[teatwerp]

11:41 AM on 05/06/2012

the milehightrill is here gathering all the pennies in her purse.

[teatwerp]

11:39 AM on 05/06/2012

what new and ridiculous accusations will they make against president O? haven't they used up all their material?

[Joe The Nerd Ferraro]

09:58 AM on 05/06/2012

"Veterans for a Strong America describes itself 'a grassroots action organization committed to ensuring that America remains a strong nation by advancing liberty, safeguarding freedom and opposing tyranny.'"

President Obama fulfilled that mission statement by taking out bin Laden.

NEXT

[booker52]

09:55 AM on 05/06/2012

President Obama will not roll over for the hate groups.

[tck29]

10:19 AM on 05/06/2012

He's rolled over to republicans non-stop since 2009.

[MileHighhvr2011]

10:40 AM on 05/06/2012

"ROLL EM" "ROLL EM" "ROLL EM" ... keep that jerk a "ROLLIN'"

[wall1969]

09:09 AM on 05/06/2012

Obama's counter ad is No, heroes dress up in a pilot costune and land on an aircraft carrier and declare victory when there is none. Or no, heroes desappear during the Vietnam area and reappear years later to run for president in which they attack a real war hero.

[Stephen Stafford]

08:53 AM on 05/06/2012

There was an article on a weekend filthy rich Republicans had recently. It was another one of those do what you have to do to get rid of Obama weekends. They passed the plate and came up with $100 million dollars in donations.

Wouldn't that be the fundraising record? At least for an ignoble choice.

Spiking the football? The man says a few words about something that actually happened due to his actions. But you know what? You can only spike the football if a touchdown has been scored.

[MaryK2924]

08:48 AM on 05/06/2012

Does anyone care?

[region219]

08:02 AM on 05/06/2012

The most famous " spiking the football " would have to be:"Mission Accomplished "

[MileHighhvr2011]

10:40 AM on 05/06/2012

A 'real' hero and leader accepts NO credit and ALL blame. OBAMA, you lose?!?! LMAO

[feelingdisposable]

07:59 AM on 05/06/2012

Not all voters are so lowly educated & informed. Most people know that President Obama has been giving & continues to give credit to the SEALS. If Bush (I don't know where Osama is. To tell you the truth, I just don't spend that much time thinking about him) had gotten Osama when he had the chance in Tora Bora, it would still be on the front page of every newspaper in the country - if nothing else, Bush/Cheney would have been paying to have it out there. "Swiftboating" the President is not going to do anything other than make the people running the ad look like the juveniles they apparently are.

[Doreen1960]

07:41 AM on 05/06/2012

A Romney as President scares the heck out of me.. Why? PNAC -- they are his adviser's - they are the same group who advised Bush into invading Iraq. This group wants war with Iran, Syria and North Korea.. Romney states he wants to cut programs, spending- however he wants to
increase our ground troops by 100,000 and give the US Navy 5 more ships than it was asked for. More war isn't what this nation needs, it has cost us dearly not in just spending, but lives.. Cohen - one of Romney's adviser's is the guy who claimed up in the day we invaded Iraq- that they had weapons of mass destruction... I do not want to travel down this road again and I don't think this nation can afford it...

[Rissa64]

12:19 AM on 05/07/2012

In early 2002 when the drums started beating for an invasion into Iraq, a little known organization with lots of big names came into notice. Evidently this organization had been around for a few years because a letter addressed to Pres Clinton (circa 1997-98) was on their website advocating for the invasion of Iraq years before 911.

I ask anyone who truly loves this country to visit the Project for a New American Century and look up the letters this group has written and take note of all who signed it. If you are conservative and believe any of the ideas that PNAC advocates then you can't be conservative. No true conservative would bleed this country of blood and treasure. PNAC is definitely not a small government advocate either.

[Doreen1960]

07:17 AM on 05/07/2012

Thanks for the information, I will go check out some of those letters

[westral]

07:40 AM on 05/06/2012

Before it was "Obama is doing nothing about Bin Laden", now it is "Obama is claiming all the credit for getting Bin Laden". The truth is Bush tried and failed and Obama (and the brave men and women the military) succeeded.

[pakaal]

08:27 AM on 05/06/2012

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority" -- GWB 3/13/02