From The Hotline Latest Edition for Friday, May 9,2008

OREGON

Is Smith Dabbling In The Dem Primary?

Fri. May 9, 2008


Sen. Gordon Smith (R) is up with a new TV ad by Chris Mottola. Full script "Banned":

ANNCR: "Jeff Merkley banned fundraising while the legislature is in session. But when he needed money for his faltering campaign he broke his rule and took thousands from special interests, from lobbyists. The Albany Democrat Herald said 'Merkley sets a poor example by flouting the rules as soon as they hurt him.' Jeff Merkley more of the same, when it is time for a change." ANNCR: "I am Gordon Smith and I approved this ad" (Hotline sources, 5/9).

Meanwhile, the DSCC has spent $100K on its own TV ad which takes on Smith (see 5/8's Hotline). DSCC spokesperson Matthew Miller: "We think that he is one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country, and the fact that he is already on the air attacking his opponents is a sign of that." Smith spokesperson R.C. Hammond said Smith has "a fundamental belief that cutting taxes is good for families, that leaving money in people's pockets will do more good most of the time than sending it to Washington, D.C. It is a fundamental black-and-white difference between Senator Smith and his opponents."

"Elsewhere on the airwaves," the Merkley camp on 5/7 began airing an ad "jabbing" at ex-DoJ enviro atty Steve Novick (D) "for blog postings criticizing prominent Democrats, written before he was a Senate candidate. The ad also portrays Merkley as a bridge-builder." Merkley spokesperson Matt Canter: "As a political consultant, he tears people down in order to change their views. Jeff Merkley has a very different leadership style, of bringing people together to make change." Novick manager Jake Weigler "said the ad pulls a few words from lengthy blog postings, and presents them out of context. For example, Novick's query about whether Obama could be classified as a 'captive-of-special-interests fraud' came during an examination of Obama's support for the corn-based ethanol industry, which has come under fire for its high environmental price tag." Weigler: "The Merkley campaign is so desperate that they have decided to launch a full-scale negative barrage against us" (Silverman, AP, 5/8).