Or are they simply being unethical?
I can't be sure, but consider this:
The National Republican Senatorial Committee
(NRSC) has ads produced by and paid for by the
American Taxpayers Alliance on their website attacking Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
Ronnie Musgrove.
Coordination in Federal Campaigns is illegal if I remember correctly.
The
American Taxpayers Alliance has a history of shady behavior and only supporting Republican candidates.
They receive millions from corporations and business groups, but refuse to reveal their donors allowing them to anonymously attack. (We're guaranteed free speech; We weren't meant to have anonymous attack speech)
They also have CLOSE ties to Republican Governor
Haley Barbour:
The ATA is led by Scott W. Reed, a lobbyist and Republican operative. Reed managed Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, served as executive director of the Republican National Committee under Haley Barbour (who received ATA's assistance in his 2003 Mississippi gubernatorial bid)...
After Barbour defeated Musgrove for Governor in 2003 the legislature passed a law that would have required groups like the American Taxpayers Alliance to reveal their donors. Barbour, who had benefited from those shadowy groups most, vetoed the bill. Now his hand-picked Senator, Senator Roger Wicker, is soon to be up for election against his old opponent Ronnie Musgrove. I suspect we will see more of the same.
So are they in coordination? If so, is that illegal?
If not, is it an in kind contribution? If it is wouldn't that be a soft money contribution? Wouldn't that be illegal according to most recent campaign finance law?
It sure seems as though that could be the case.
