#ncsen: Dallas says NO Rove tie. We beg to differ.
We must have struck a nerve at Carolina RIsing HQ with our earlier post regarding Crossroads Media. Dallas Woodhouse, the boss at Carolina Rising, sent us this note:
As a Conservative I thank you for your work.
However you post about or organization is simply wrong, and I would ask you note the mistake and take down the post.
Crossroads Media is not founded, related or in anyway to Karl Rove and any of his companies. I have never spoke to him or sent any of his organizations money, other than I personally bought his book. One Copy.
I just wanted to correct the record. Crossroads media is not a releated to the Rove groups, it is just a coincidence.
As a former Washingtonian, I know all about these political groups and their spin-offs. I worked for Brent Bozell in the early 90s. In the same building, we had the offices of The Media Research Center, The Conservative Victory Committee, and the PR firm Creative Response Concepts. All three groups had different names on their letterheads, but they were all controlled by Bozell. That’s one example out of hundreds up there.
Dallas says there is no tie whatsoever between Crossroads Media and Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS and American Crossroads group. Here’s what the Sourcewatch web site has to offer:
[…] American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS are the largest customers of Crossroads Media LLC, a consultancy that purchases ad slots for political ads. Crossroads GPS, American Crossroads, and a related 501(c)(6) “trade organization” called Americans for Job Security moved over $133 million through Crossroads Media LLC in 2012 in order to make ad buys for the 2012 election. Crossroads Media was co-founded by former Americans for Job Security president Michael Dubke, who is also a partner at Black Rock Consulting, which he co-founded with Carl Forti, the current political director of American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS. Crossroads Media also shares an office with Americans for Job Security.[20] […]
Oh, and The Huffington Post also has something to offer on this subject:
[…] Crossroads Media was founded more than a decade ago, but since 2010 it has contracted almost exclusively with American Crossroads, its political nonprofit arm Crossroads GPS and their funding recipients. Its founder, Michael Dubke, also runs a consulting firm with Crossroads political director Carl Forti. The liberal watchdog group PR Watch has called Crossroads Media the “in-house ad purchasing agency for Rove’s political empire.” […]
According to The New York Times, Crossroads Media and Karl Rove’s American Crossroads group share office space:
[…]
Sharing a consultant would seem to be an embodiment of coordination between a candidate and an independent group, something prohibited under federal law. But TargetPoint is just one of a handful of interconnected firms in the same office suite in Alexandria, Va., working for either the Romney campaign or the super PAC Restore Our Future.
Elsewhere in the same suite is WWP Strategies, whose co-founder is married to TargetPoint’s chief executive and works for the Romney campaign. Across the conference room is the Black Rock Group, whose co-founder — a top Romney campaign official in 2008 — now helps run both Restore Our Future and American Crossroads, another independent group that spoke up in defense of Mr. Romney’s candidacy in January. Finally, there is Crossroads Media, a media placement firm that works for American Crossroads and other Republican groups.
The overlapping roles and relationships of the consultants in Suite 555 at 66 Canal Center Plaza offer a case study in the fluidity and ineffectual enforcement of rules intended to prevent candidates from coordinating their activities with outside groups. And there has been a rising debate over the ascendancy of super PACs, which operate free of the contribution limits imposed on the candidates but are supposed to remain independent of them. […]
The Campaign For Liberty also has some info on this subject:
One of the proponents of the Internet Tax Mandate is a group called “Americans for Job Security.” Americans for Job Security is located in Suite 55, Canal Street, Alexandria, VA, space they share with a number of media and political consulting firms, such as the Black Rock Group, Crossroads Media, WWP Strategies, and Target Point Consulting.
Americans for Job Security appears to be working with at least one of its neighbors in trying to raise the prices of goods sold over the Internet. Red State recently reported on a pro-National Internet Tax Mandate e-mail from “Americans for Job Security” that linked to a broken Black Rock URL. It should not be surprising that “Americans for Job Security” would work with Black Rock Group, as they share more than an address. One of the co-founders of Americans for Job Security is Michael Dubke, who also runs the Black Rock Group with Carl Forti. Forti is political director of Karl Rove’s American Crossroads, while Dubke also runs Crossroads Media, which does media work for American Crossroads.
It makes senses that Karl Rove’s cronies would be lobbying to pass the Internet Tax Mandate, as the mandate is bad policy and supporting it will further alienate the liberty movement from the GOP establishment. After all, the same people support Karl Rove’s efforts to ensure only establishment-approved candidates win GOP primaries.
And there’s THIS from The Sunlight Foundation:
[…] Crossroads GPS, which does not disclose its donors, reported spending nearly $4 million yesterday opposing eight Democrats in House and Senate races, its biggest day of spending so far. All but one of the targeted candidates — Alexander Giannoulias, who’s running for Senate from Illinois — are incumbents. About half the money spent by Crossroads GPS yesterday went toward ads opposing Giannoulias and Patty Murray, running for re-election to the Senate from Washington. Other targets included Harry Reid, Jim Costa and Ciro Rodriguez. Ninety-nine percent of the money spent by Crossroads GPS yesterday went to Crossroads Media. […]
There’s a lot more. (We can keep going, if you like.)
One wonders who is producing this media campaign? Buying it is one thing, but producing it goes more to the content, and I agree that it is outrageous that this advertising ignores the State Senate. Nominating Tillis had brought a lot more Democrat advertising firepower behind the Blueprint drive to smear the legislature than if we had nominated a non-legislator for US Senate. Attacking the legislature is their way of attacking Tillis. Since Tillis caused this, Tillis’ allies should be obligated to help fix it for all who are under attack due to the horrible mistake our party made in nominating Tillis.
And as to buying media, it would seem someone in North Carolina would know our media better and be more cost effective than an outfit in Washington, DC. I remember the way the Helms campaign got the maximum bang for the buck by having one staff member who got to know the NC media in detail. Jack Hawke, in his political consulting did the same.
Then there is the commission involved, which if memory serves is 15%. I am sure Crossroads Media is raking this off. Having worked in campaigns which bought media in house instead of through an agency, I am well aware that most media will, if asked, rebate that commission to the campaign that is buying the airtime when they are not using an agency.
This buying method is not cost effective and is helping subidize an arm of the Rove empire, but the bigger issue is, again, who is creating and producing the ads.
Agreed, Tillis is the Nightmare on Jones Street candidate for us Republicans. How did we get into this mess with him? Thanks to this publication the Daily Haymaker, we are finally being informed. These are very tricky people and those of us who haven’t really been paying attention are now. Thank you Mr Clifton, you are a hero, you help us common folks see the tricks these people are playing.
It is Big Money that is buys bad candidates. The Citizens United decision must be overturned and strict campaign funding laws must be enacted and enforced. Then Americans will feel better represented by their government.
Your rejection of the First Amendment and Freedom of Speech is duly noted.
I love the Freedom of Speech. I just think that the speech that should run the country is that of the people NOT that of the Corporations. Your rejection of the people is duly noted.
The 1st Amendment says that government shall not regulate speech or the press, and does not differentiate as to whether the speech is by persons, corporations, or talking parrots. Indeed, almost all of the media is owned by corporations, and your rewrite of the 1st amendment would allow government to regulate the speech of the media. Stalinists would likely approve of your rewrite but not freedom loving Americans.
You say you concede political power to the wealthy corporations. The First Amendment says NOTHING of corporations or businesses (or parrots for that matter. It does refer to people/citizens. To concede rule of the country to corporations is to promote the oligarchy.
The protections of freedom of speech and of the press in the First Amendment do NOT NOT NOT limit themselves to who or what is speaking. You must have some doctored leftwing version.
Most media outlets are owned by corporations. Under your revisionist view of the 1st Amendment, the government could clamp down politically on the media because they are owned by corporations. And BTW, the corporations which do the most to sway policial opinon are those which own TV networks and stations, newspapers, and other media. Other corporations are bit players by comparision.
The government DOES regulate corporations. What country are you living in???
The fact that I use the same media buyer as another 501-C4, is a far cry from sending that C-4 money
Can you answer three things?
1) Who is PRODUCING your ads, as opposing to placing the buys?
2) Why are you short-sheeting our State Senate Republicans?
3) Can’t you find someone in state to make your buys? After all, this is an entirely NC ad campaign.
You story still makes an unfair connection to us. The fact we use the same media buyer as someone else, is a car cry of us sending money to Karl rove which we have not and 100% flatly deny.
That said, I don’t understand what your goal here is, why all the hate for Tillis and Karl Rove. Rove has invested millions in trying to help our candidate win rather than pulling him down. The primary is over.
Nerveless your accusation is wrong
You seem to be blind to the all-out war that Rove and others in the establishment have been conducting against conservatives this year. There meddling in our own NC primary brought us one of the weakest candidates in the primary field as shown by the polling as our nominee for US Senate and will therefore likely to cause the loss of a seat that we should be winning with a decent candidate who knows how to campaign on the issues. Rove is more about internal party control for the establishment than he is about actually beating Democrats, and he has a terrible won/loss record on US Senate races.
I coordinate production, direction, oversee the buy. I am very hands on. (I promise you I don’t pay anybody close to 15%)
30 second television ads have limited words. We praise the State Senate and its leadership on our website and other materials. (I would point out the the Governors is the head of the party and his standing effects lots of other folks and the rise and fall of the Speaker will be spun into a narrative of all Republicans in the General Assembly. We simply chose to structure our issue related ads that way
‘Scuse me, Mr. Woodhouse but we all know you didn’t send $ directly to Karl at his house in a birthday card. Don’t use extremes to put a spin on it. I am going to call bs on you.
Mr. Clifton has clearly found irrefutable evidence (lots) that suggest quite an incestuous relationship between these ‘organizations’. Your spin and denial in the face of convincing evidence otherwise is part of what is wrong with our political system. The folks on here are not low information voters. And Mr. Clifton is usually right. And your answer was predictable. Why not just own up to it? Saves a lot of crap and your credibility.
You had better save some of that money to pay off some folks who are about to publicize some of the extramarital affairs going on in Raleigh.
Wait? What? Fine upstanding gentlemen with family values? Surely I jest.
If what I heard comes out, you will have to ‘hands on’ craft an ad about hot seats, not hot lanes.
Lots of Jones Streeters got ‘wife problems’…you know what I mean? Which reminds me…oh yeah…wife problems…
As long as you have your checkbook out, send a little cash to Wesley Meredith. Sounds like he’s had a rough time of it.
Dallas Woodhouse, would you care to disclose where the massive funding to Carolina Rising came from? This group was started during this election cycle is that right? From where does the money come?
I would like to know where all that money came from as well. I have to fill out FEC forms every quarter so I will be anxiously awaiting your monthly/quarterly FEC filing to see the answer to my question! Nikki Rev, it should be filed by Oct 20, but I don’t know how quickly it will show up on the FEC site. Watch for it!
Oops, my mistake. 501c-(4) doesn’t have to show contributors, which is BS in my book. 501c-(4)s are ” ‘social welfare’ groups, these are nonprofit organizations including civic leagues or local volunteer fire departments, for example, that in theory are designed to promote, well, social welfare causes.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/13/what-is-a-501c4-anyway/
So how is this group a “social welfare” group?
501-c(4)s such as Crossroads GPS & Carolina Rising do not have to disclose their donors to the FEC: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/05/13/what-is-a-501c4-anyway/
There are lots of leftwing groups that spend big bucks in this group as well, like the wacky environmental extremists who have been all over the TV with advertising falsely attacking GOP legislators.
Now would probably be a good time to shut up, Dallas. You’re going on record that cannot be scrubbed.
T Bennett
Farmville, NC
Dallas Woodhouse – I call on you to release the information on the hidden financiers and be accountable to the public: http://pundithouse.com/2014/10/coming-from-a-conservative-citizens-united-has-screwed-us/
Timely article from Dan Way at Carolina Journal this morning on the issue of donor disclosure:
http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=11428
Since she seems to respond here more often than at Pundithouse, I would be interested to hear Ms. Revels’ response – or the response of other like minded individuals who are calling on Carolina Rising to disclose all donors.
Exactly what are corporations comprised of? Trees? Monkeys? Lettuce? I believe they are comprised of individuals who do not lose their first amendment protection of free speech – a law of nature – just because they form a corporation as prescribed by law.
The problem is not money or corporations. The problem is Karl Rove and everything bad he represents in the GOP. He only wants candidates who stand for nothing except doing the bidding of DC lobbyists such as himself. He and Haley Barbour are destroying the Republican Party.
Spot on!