* The Southern…
The nonprofit arm of an organization founded by GOP operative Karl Rove is spending handily — to the tune of more than a half-million dollars — for attack ads that began Tuesday against U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart, who quickly responded with a message of his own.
Enyart faces Republican state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, in the Nov. 4 election.
Crossroads GPS, which is a tax-exempt 501 (c) (4), plans to spend $565,000 to fund attack ads against Enyart, according to the D.C.-based insider publication, Politico.
* The ad is kinda cookie cutter…
* Lynn Sweet…
Crossroads GPS, a spinoff of a group founded by Karl Rove — the conservative strategist Democrats despise — is running an ad ripping Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., for opposing the repeal of Obamacare, a message potentially hindering the comeback bid of former Rep. Bob Dold, R-Ill.
I hear the Dold team — seeking to portray Dold as an independent-minded moderate Republican — was not pleased with the Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies ad.
Crossroads GPS is sinking a whopping $640,000 into a cable buy for a spot or spots running since last Sunday through Sept. 3 in a bid to bolster Dold in the north suburban 10th Congressional District contest.
The Crossroads ad now in play may be more of a headache than help to Dold, in a rematch after Schneider narrowly defeated him in 2012. President Barack Obama won the district with 58 percent of the vote in 2012. Obamacare by no means is a pejorative in this Obama-friendly district.
So why go there? Repealing Obamacare is a priority of Crossroads GPS.
That ad hasn’t been posted yet, but it’s apparently similar to the Enyart ad.
- yo - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:11 pm:
Rove and Bost, talk about two people who deserve each other…
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:15 pm:
Interesting.
No. Not the ad.
The fact that the money is coming in now and the ads are showing up. Who even sees these ads?
- John Boch - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:16 pm:
There’s plenty of folks on the conservative side of things that despise Karl Rove too.
John
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:21 pm:
Rove is done. He’s shaking down some rich “Conservatives” so he can waste their money while skimming plenty for himself.
Republicans moaning about debt is BS on a normal day.
But to put responsibility for federal spending on freshman Democrats…
That might make sense to stupid people.
- walker - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:31 pm:
Running on repeal of Obamacare, isn’t the best winning message for Dold.
Both ads show lack of local knowledge.
- Old Shepherd - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:31 pm:
I saw the anti-Enyart ad on tv last night.
- Ahoy! - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 2:32 pm:
Why do we continue to allow these tax-exempt 501 (c) (4) organizations to continue their blatant political ads? The IRS was only wrong for targeting some of the groups; they should all be audited on an annual basis to ensure compliance with the law. We should also look at changing the rules to help keep political activity out of tax exempt organizations like this. We have PAC’s, Super PAC’s and other political organizations; we need to crack down on these political organizations masquerading as tax exempt organizations.
- À guy - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 3:39 pm:
Says something that he picked these 2 races here.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 3:39 pm:
==The fact that the money is coming in now and the ads are showing up. Who even sees these ads?==
People watching television. Saw the Schneider one last night.
- Arizona Bob - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 3:52 pm:
Rove is to Bush as Axelrod is to Obama. Both led their guy to success far better than they deserved.
- jerry 101 - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 3:55 pm:
Dold might think that anti-obamacare ads will hurt his chances, but Dold has only seen some polls and electoral results.
Rove, on the other hand, has seen THE MATH. Rove knows things that are beyond the ken of mere mortals.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 3:56 pm:
–Says something that he picked these 2 races here.–
What’s that?
Yeah Lynn, I’m sure Dold is mortified that $640K is being spent on negative spots against Schneider. Who would want that?
Lynn, be sure to cover the press conference when Dold denounces the spots.
Trolling for a job post S-T or something?
- Amalia - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 4:16 pm:
Rove is just awful.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 4:30 pm:
In other civilized countries, there would be a law against Karl Rove.
- illini - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 4:36 pm:
Citizens United will go down in history as the most damaging Supreme Court decision in the past 100 years. Thank the Roberts Court for this unwarranted intrusion, or should I say obstruction, into true citizen participation in our national elections. Unlimited, private money, does not equal free speech and has corrupted the entire electoral process.
- À guy - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 4:41 pm:
Slinger, there are plenty to pick from. He’s in 2 very different places. To me, that’s interesting. We agree on Ms. Sweet.
- FormerParatrooper - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 4:52 pm:
When either Republicans or Democrats put together theses adds they are targeting the least educated of the voters. They don’t target educated voters because they are too few to win elections.
- Springfield Merc - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 6:25 pm:
Garbage ad. Serious lack of local politics. The attack ad could be so much better. Attack Enyart on being pro-Choice/anti-Gun/pro-gay marriage. Attack the fact that he is funded by Chicago Democrats who want to take away everyone’s guns, taxpayer funded abortions, and that Enyart’s Chief of Staff is gay and so is most of his staff! Rove is weak, where did his balls go?
- Anon III - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 7:41 pm:
“… the Dold team — seeking to portray Dold as an independent-minded moderate Republican — was not pleased with the Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies ad.”
Not surprising. “Independent expenditures” cannot be coordinated with the candidate.
One angle is that while the ads may not tell you much about the candidate, they tell you something about some of the people supporting the candidate.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 21, 14 @ 10:49 pm:
that turd blossom sure is a stinker
- Anonymous - Friday, Aug 22, 14 @ 7:56 am:
a convicted felon in illinois politics (i`m shocked)