New loophole allows anonymous attack ads

I think the worst type of conservative today must be the ones who go around flapping their gizzards about how everyone else is stuck in a "pre-9/11" world. These are the conservatives who endlessly accuse dissenters of supporting terrorism.

This type of conservative is commonly known as a liar. (And a Bushist.) They're the real terrorists, because they're letting terrorists win by taking away our freedom.

But a brand-new loophole issued by the Federal Election Commission seems tailor-made for them. The new rule implements a Supreme Court ruling that gives more power to groups to run campaign ads without revealing donors. These groups are known in the tax code as 501(c)(4) groups. They're tax-exempt nonprofits, but now they can run anonymous attack ads at whim, if they have the money.

The Swift Boat liars were what's called a 527 group - which had to identify donors. But 501(c)(4) groups are even less restricted. Although both conservative and liberal groups are making use of the new loophole, it appears to be of more benefit to conservatives of the worst sort, because they have all the big money behind them.

A 501(c)(4) group called Defense of Democracies is using the new rule to run idiotic TV ads against 15 Democratic members of Congress for failing to support Bush's spying program or retroactive immunity for telcoms' lawbreaking. If the maker of TV Brick doesn't see an increase in business this week, it'll be a miracle. If you live in or near one of these 15 House districts, these ads are the sort of scuzzomouth lies you have to look forward to. And Defense of Democracies won't even disclose who's funding the ads, because it doesn't have to.

The Defense of Democracies group used to be bipartisan, but Democrats bolted from it because of the hopeless direction it was taking.

A hate group known as Freedom's Watch plans to use the new loophole to run ads against the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, accusing them of being soft on Iraq. Another right-wing group, Citizens United, plans to use the new rule to make a feature-length propaganda film making bogus, ridiculous charges against Barack Obama. Ironically, Citizens United had filed an FEC complaint against 'Fahrenheit 9/11' in an effort to ban that movie. The hypocrisy is overpowering.

Get ready for the smears, because they're coming! And this time, you won't even be able to find out who's behind them!

(Source: http://www.newsweek.com/id/117848;
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/dems_jump_ship_from_bipartisan.php)