Obama Trying To Suppress Free Speech Of Critics
Say Anything — ... A Texas billionaire is running ads tying Obama to domestic and international terrorists and Obama himself wants the Department of Justice to take the ads off the air. ...

Obama Aggressively Moves Against Smear Ad
Taylor Marsh — BY TAYLOR MARSH Reporting from Denver It’s already airing in Roanoke, Va. on WFXR. Via Ben Smith: ...

Obama Asks DOJ to Investigate Critical Political Ad
Patterico's Pontifications — ... The Politico reports Barack Obama has requested the Justice Department to begin a criminal investigation of Harold Simmons (a donor to the Swift Boat Vets) and the American Issues Project, its officers and directors, and its anonymous donors for airing negative ads about him: ...

Obama Asks DOJ To Block Terrorist Ad, Investigate Donors
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed — ... addressing Simmons' attempt to link him to domestic terror. The project is "a knowing and willful attempt to violate the strictures of federal election law," Obama general counsel Bob Bauer wrote to Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Keeney last week in a letter provided to Politico. Bauer argued that by advocating Obama's defeat, the ad should be subject to the contribution limits of federal campaign law, not the anything-goes regime of issue advocacy. Read the full story here The Huffington Post's Seth Colter Walls ...

Unity
Belmont Club — ... the face of John McCain’s attacks along his seams. With Obama losing momentum in the past few weeks, the game seems to have switched, to use a basketball metaphor, to defense. Although Obama is sure to use the Denver convention as a platform to attack his opponent and his policies, he is not neglecting measures to keep his troops in line. One priority is to blunt any attacks before they open up a gap that can be exploited. If sweet talk won’t work, then threats will be employed. The Politico reports that Barack Obama’s campaign ...

Obama Campaign: Just Say No To Political Speech
Rhymes With Right — Democrats told us if George W. Bush were reelected in 2004, there would be attempts to use the Justice Department and the FCC to punish dissenting political speech. And they were right. Only it is the Obama campaign seeking to have the government punish political speech . Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads. Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the ...

The Ad Obama Doesn't Want You To See
Classical Values — The Ad Obama Doesn't Want You To See Senator Obama has some associations he is not proud of. He wants to keep the above ad off TV. So obviously it is time to make the ad go viral. Email it to a friend. Heck. E-Mail it to an enemy. You can never get too much exposure for this sort of thing. Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire's efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads. Obama's campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the "American ...

Obama To DOJ: Block Terrorist Ad
Crooks and Liars — This is how you respond to Swiftboaters.   Politico:  Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads. Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign - and ...

Obama to DOJ: Block Terrorist Ad (Ayers Smear)
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News — ... patriotism and commitment to the rule of law.” Airing the ad “is inconsistent with your station’s obligations under Federal Communications Commission regulations,” the letter continues, saying Simmons’ group lacks formal incorporation. One large group of network affiliates, the Sinclair Broadcast Group – which aired an documentary attacking John Kerry in 2004 — has been running the ads, Obama aides said. The campaign has launched a special effort to pressure Sinclair. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12816.html

American Issues Project Ad That Obama Doesn't Want You to See
The Jawa Report — August 25, 2008 American Issues Project Ad That Obama Doesn't Want You to See Geesh Barack, don't you know the harder you fight to keep people from seeing something , the more plays it gets? Unless you are a Jawa that is ;) By Howie at August 25, 2008 10:07 PM | | l ...

The DOJ is the new FEC
The Corner — ... ] The Politico: Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads. Obama s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project, the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign and tens of thousands of supporters also is pressuring television networks and affiliates to reject the ads. The effort has met with some success: CNN and ...

Obama campaign calls on DOJ to pull Ayers ad off the air
Sister Toldjah — What the hell? Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads. Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign — and tens of thousands of supporters — also is pressuring television ...

Is this a smart strategy?
QandO — On the one hand you have the Obama campaign pulling out all the stops to have a 527 ad prevented from airing. The ad, by the American Issues Project, links Barack Obama with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. ...

Unforced Error
Blue Crab Boulevard — ... I've called the Obama campaign the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight recently. This is the biggest, glaring example I have seen of that. Obama's campaign has gone on the offensive on ads that discuss Obama and his association with Bill Ayers, the unrepentant 60s radical who believes his group didn't set enough bombs. What disturbs me the most is that the campaign is officially planning to coordinate economic attacks on television stations that air the ad: Bauer s letter called on the Justice Department to open an investigation of the American Issues Project; its officers and ...

Barack Obama and the exercise of free speech
Hot Air » Top Picks — ... and then demanded that the Department of Justice investigate American Issues while pressuring television stations to reject the ad: Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign — and tens of thousands of supporters — also is pressuring television networks and affiliates to reject the ads. The effort has met with some success: CNN and Fox News are not airing the attacks. Obama has also ...

OBAMA PLAYING HARDBALL - THE CHICAGO WAY
Right Wing Nut House — ... he hired the best election law attorney in Chicago who showed up at the elections board one fine day and proceeded to systematically challenge the signatures on the nominating petitions of every one of his rivals. In the end, he had them all thrown off the ballot thus allowing him to run unopposed in the Democratic primary which was tantamount to being elected. It shouldn’t surprise us then to see Obama take the gloves off and try a little political kneecapping of his opponents: Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a ...

Obamachrist Our Lord Swiftboated!
Cold Fury — And in the correct sense of the word, too — somebody’s daring to tell the truth about him and his cozy relationship with despicable American terrorist Bill Ayers. And apparently, the King of Kings can’t handle the truth : Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads. Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is ...

Should Obama not respond to attacks based on his association with Bill Ayers?
Althouse — ... Rush Limbaugh talks about this story often. Back to Rubin: ... about Obama’s connection to former terrorist Bill Ayers, put it in his own ad, and then filed a claim trying to force the third-party 527 ad that first brought up the Obama-Ayers connection off the air. In the next 24 hours thousands if not millions of voters who never heard of or didn’t understand the extent of the Obama-Ayers relationship are going to get a full education.Here's the story about the effort to block the 527 ad: Obama’s campaign has written the ...

"Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol and is proud of it?"
Classical Values — ... during a speech in Venezuela in 2006, "La educacion es revolucion!" Obama worked for five years with Bill Ayers on education reform while they were both with the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Are we being asked to believe that, just as Obama initially claimed to have been unaware of Jeremiah Wright's views, he was also unaware of Ayers current radicalism? Yes. We are not merely being asked to believe it, we are being told to believe it. Or else. Those who ask questions may face a Justice Department investigation .

Obama Threatening TV Stations For Airing Ayers Ad
Nice Deb —

Obama Reveals Fascist Heart: Tries to Censor Ayers Ad
Tammy Bruce — ... Intimidation. Barry, you see, doesn't like the American Issues Project ad reminding Americans of his documented and admitted-to relationship with unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. And how does a leftist respond to painful truth? Calls for "criminal" investigations, mass email harassment, FCC threats to stations who dare to run the ad, and threats to sponsors and advertisers of stations that also do what they are legally, and constitutionally, allowed to do. Obama to DOJ: Block terrorist ad Obama’s campaign has written the Department of ...

Obama's Fascist Heart: Tries to Censor Ayers Ad
Tammy Bruce — ... Intimidation. Barry, you see, doesn't like the American Issues Project ad reminding Americans of his documented and admitted-to relationship with unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. And how does a leftist respond to painful truth? Calls for "criminal" investigations, mass email harassment, FCC threats to stations who dare to run the ad, and threats to sponsors and advertisers of stations that also do what they are legally, and constitutionally, allowed to do. Obama to DOJ: Block terrorist ad Obama’s campaign has written the Department of ...

The Ayers Ad Obama Doesn’t Want You To See
Electric Venom — ... Only problem is, if you aren’t plugged in to the internet you might never hear about those ties because Obama’s campaign has launched a letter-writing campaign to stop television networks from airing the ad while ...

Obama’s goes after 527s
The Moderate Voice — ... 3. He’s taking legal action. Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of American Issues Project. The ...

Barack Obama vs. Free Speech
Brain-Terminal.com — If Senator Barack Obama becomes president, will he use the power of government to stifle speech he doesn’t like? The answer clearly seems to be yes, considering he is now asking the Justice Department to investigate a political ad—one that I cited on Monday—that highlights his multi-year connection with unapologetic domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. The Politico reports (emphasis mine): Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to ...

Meet Harold Simmons: the sole Obama-Ayers attack ad contributor
BuzzFlash.org - Progressive News and Commentary with an Attitude | Fight Ignorance: Read BuzzFlash — ... plan to preserve a capital gains tax break while renegotiating the sale of one of his businesses. And in doing so, Mr. Clinton highlighted the sort of special benefits that have long found their way into the nation's tax laws, often to the benefit of only a handful of wealthy or influential people. The Obama campaign believes Simmons' ad is illegal because it violates election law for this type of group because it advocates Obama's defeat and there is no policy in question. The Politico reported : The project is "a knowing and willful attempt to violate the strictures of ...

Obama: champion of freedom of speech—except if that speech is against him
neo-neocon — ... But the Obama campaign is going beyond that. In a letter to the Justice Department, Obama’s general counsel Bob Bauer wrote that: ...

Obama, Ayers and the Media
QandO — ... to Ayers. In addition, conservative reporter Stanley Kurtz has been digging through old files seeking to unearth more information about collaboration between the two. Tom Maguire wryly notes how the dealings between Obama and Ayers have been minimized by the MSM. However, far from just minimizing, Ben Smith wrote two pieces on the topic over the past three days that are little more than Obama talking points, including unfounded accusations. The first dealt with the Obama camp’s reaction to an ad put out by the American Issues Project ...

O'Reilly Convention Jackpot Segment
News Hounds — ... After O'Reilly showed the Ayers ad and Obama's response, Carpenter went after Obama for trying to take legal action to stop the swift-boating attempts. O'Reilly tried to incriminate George Soros for a change and also defended the ad claiming it was all true. ...

Meyer: Americans, feel pride re Obama!
The Anchoress — ... he does not like, or how he is trying to not simply dodge questions, but silence the questioners, even if it means using the Justice Department to do so. I also worry about his tendency toward the grandiose displays. These things matter, and they have nothing to do with race. (By the way, when this idiot called me a racist, I ...

The Progressive Fascists Strike Again
The Sundries Shack — ... I have tossed the word “fascism” around and I’ll apply it here, too. I don’t do it idly. If you look at any well-researched history of fascism you will find that one of the things that defines a fascist movement is that it uses force to hound any dissenting opinion out of the public square. It can use the power of government, but it also uses the power of the mob. ...

Hemingway: Fundamentally Biased
National Review Online — ... Palin a religious extremist? When the mayor of a small town asks rhetorically about the process for banning a book and then doesn t actually ban any books , it s incredibly irresponsible to suggest she s a censor and that she s motivated to ban books by her religious convictions. (And why are the Republican vice-presidential nominee s alleged attempts to censor a library book years ago all that relevant, when the Democratic campaign tries to shout down critical authors , files complaints with the Justice Department against groups that run ads against them, and has ...

Hans Von Spakovsky Claims Obama Would Have A ‘Partisan And Politically-Biased’ Justice Department
Think Progress — ... for the right-wing Human Events today, Spakovsky criticizes efforts by Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) presidential campaign to get attack ads by the “American Issues Project” off of TV, saying that the “actions should cause every American to ask, ...

Free Speech in the Era of Obama
The American Spectator — ... the American Issues Project for allegedly violating the Federal Election Campaign Act after it ran attack ads linking Obama to the 1970s domestic terrorist William Ayers. AIP's lawyers, for their part, say their group is a "qualified non-profit corporation" and thus within its legal rights. It is perhaps no coincidence that AIP's Martin is based in St. Louis. It's not just Republicans that have to fear for the First Amendment in the era of Obama. As the Politico reports: It's worth noting that this isn't the first time [Obama general counsel Bob] Bauer has called for ...

The Fairness Doctrine: What You May Not Know
Stop The ACLU — ... , Michael Ortiz’, statement, it not reassuring: He [Obama] considers this debate [Fairness Doctrine] to be a distraction from the conversation we should be having about opening up the airwaves and modern communications to as many diverse viewpoints as possible. When it comes to “fairness” in media, we have nothing to feel good about in an Obama administration. Team Obama attorneys: 1) asked the Department of Justice to remove TV ads produced by American Issues Project 2) threatened individual TV and radio stations airing ...