As Roll Call reports this morning:

Grassley’s meeting with Reid comes the wake of the Majority Leader’s decision to more directly insert himself into the health care reform negotiations. Reid on Tuesday strongly urged Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to stop chasing Grassley’s vote on a health care bill, saying that the price for the Iowa Republican’s support was too high because it would cost critical Democratic support.

CBS News picked up the story and, under the headline “Health Care Bipartisanship Falling Apart?”, added some context:

The change in strategy also corresponds with stepped-up efforts from progressives in Congress to put their foot down on what they consider to be critical components of reform, like the public option. Liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has gone so far as to say he will start a “Coalition of the Unwilling” — a group of progressives unwilling to compromise on the public option – formed in response to Baucus’ bipartisan-minded “Coalition of the Willing.”

Yesterday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus sent a letter to Mr. Obama restating that “its members cannot support final passage of any health care reform bill that does not include a robust public plan option, akin to Medicare, operating alongside the private plans.” The CPC is the largest non-party caucus in Congress and has nearly 80 members.

The letter was sent in response to questions that arose yesterday as to whether the Obama administration would be willing to negotiate on the public option, after White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel indicated as much in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Obama, however, quickly put out a statement — all the way from Moscow — reaffirming his support for the public option.

The Roll Call story also reports that Reid opposes any plan to tax employer-provided health benefits in order to pay for a public health insurance option. That’s one idea Grassley and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) had mentioned as a possibility to help pay for reforms, but other Democrats in the senate are reportedly wary of anything that could be perceived as a tax increase, especially since President Barack Obama used the idea against Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on the campaign trail last year.

The American Future fund has been tied to the 1988 "Willie Horton" ad and the 2004 "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ads. (Sources: AmericanFutureFund.com, Wikipedia, SwiftVets.com)

The American Future Fund (AFF), operating out of Des Moines, is sponsoring advocacy advertisements in closely contested congressional races from New York to Louisiana to Minnesota and Colorado. It is one of the most ambitious conservative independent expenditure groups to emerge in 2008. Most observers expect AFF to begin increasing its role in elections around the country, stoking speculation that it will spend heavily to prop up lightly funded Republican campaign committees.

Because of the way the group is organized under Internal Revenue Service guidelines for nonprofit organizations it does not have to disclose its donors and is not governed by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

But an Iowa Independent investigation has found the group has deep roots in state Republican politics. And, unlike MoveOn.org, a similar group advocating liberal causes, it’s hard to determine who is actually behind the AFF. The key players include:

Nicole Schlinger, the group’s president, the former executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa.

Tim Albrecht, a former spokesman for Republicans in the Iowa House who worked for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and spent a short time this year working for the Republican Party of Iowa, is the group’s communications director.

David Kochel, another former state GOP executive director and a senior adviser to the Romney campaign, who has served as spokesman for AFF, although Albrecht said he is no longer associated with the group.

The Washington Post reported in March — and Albrecht confirmed to Iowa Independent — that Ben Ginsberg, of the high-powered D.C. law firm Patton Boggs, is the group’s legal counsel. Ginsberg resigned as chief outside counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaign in August 2004 when it was revealed that he was also providing advice to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group that sponsored error-laden attacks on the military service record of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

Larry McCarthy, president of D.C.-based media firm McCarthy Marcus Hennings, is AFF’s media strategist. In 1988, McCarthy produced the infamous, racially tinged Willie Horton television ad that helped then-Vice President George H.W. Bush bury Michael Dukakis under charges that he was soft on crime.

Public records show the AFF also has connections to Iowa businessman Bruce Rastetter, who is widely believed to be considering a run for governor in 2010. Rastetter is a regular donor to the Republican Party and founder of Hawkeye Renewables, the fourth largest ethanol producer in the nation. Eric Peterson, business manager at Summit Farms, another of Rastetter’s companies, is listed on documents filed with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office as president, secretary and director of Iowa Future Fund, a conservative nonprofit that essentially morphed into American Future Fund.

The address listed on an AFF ad buy in Minnesota is a post office box used by Nick Ryan, a Des Moines lobbyist who works primarily for Rastetter’s companies and who served as campaign manager for 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle. In February, Ryan was acting as spokesman for Hawkeye Renewables when 29,000 gallons of ethanol was accidentally spilled at the company’s Iowa Falls plant.

The many faces of AFF

The Iowa Future Fund, technically the first incarnation of AFF, gained public attention in March when it ran a series of television and radio ads accusing Gov. Chet Culver of increasing spending by 20 percent over the past two years and raising taxes and fees by $100 million.

“Culver raises taxes and spends more money and wants to use your tax dollars to benefit Microsoft,” the ad’s narrator said, referring to a tax package that Culver backed and that the legislature passed geared to lure companies like Microsoft Corp. and Google to the state.

The Iowa Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board to determine whether the ads constituted political advertising, which would require disclosure of the group’s donors.

Charlie Smithson, executive director of the Iowa Ethics Campaign and Disclosure Board, said the complaint has not yet been fully settled.

“It is still under investigation,” he said. “The determination was made that it did not violate the state campaign laws because it did not ‘expressly advocate’ for or against Gov. Culver or a clearly identified candidate for office. The issue the Board is now looking at is whether any of the state lobbying laws were triggered.”

The next Ethics Board meeting is Aug. 28.

In April, Iowa Future Fund effectively split into two groups: AFF, which focuses on federal races around the country, and the Iowa Progress Project, which puts its resources toward state issues.

Albrecht said AFF and Iowa Future Fund “are completely unrelated.” But they share an organizational history. AFF and IFF were incorporated on the same day by the same Virginia law firm. David Kochel served for a time as spokesman for IFF and AFF before becoming president of Iowa Progress Project.

In March, an ad run by AFF in the race between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Sen. Norm Coleman for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat caused the state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to file a formal complaint with the FEC alleging that the group violated federal election law and that its ads constitute blatant electoral advocacy.

“The American Future Fund is a shadowy nonprofit organization,” the complaint said. “It purports to be exempt from tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. But its notion of ‘promoting the social welfare’ is to send valentines to electorally troubled Republican Senate candidates. The Commission should take immediate steps to enforce the law and expose this group’s secret financing to light of day.”

Under federal election law, the organization is prohibited from engaging solely in “express advocacy,” which would include asking voters to vote for or against a certain candidate. But so long as the ad hasn’t been coordinated with a campaign and doesn’t outright say “œvote for” or “vote against,” it is not considered express advocacy, according to Paul S. Ryan, FEC program director for the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C.-based organization.

“An organization that is careful about how it writes the script of its ad can fly under the radar or stay outside of the net of campaign finance activity,” he said.

The ad in question didn’t ask voters to vote for Coleman, but rather asked voters to “call Norm Coleman and thank him for his agenda for Minnesota.”

In 2004, several groups filed complaints against so-called independent expenditure committees saying they ignored campaign finance law. It took the FEC two years to rule on the complaints. In the end, the groups had to pay less than 2 percent of the fund they illegally raised and spent.

Brad Smith, a former chairman of the FEC and currently a professor of law at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, said that if a group’s “major purpose” is not trying to affect elections, “they are not regulated by the FEC.” But Smith added the definition of “major purpose” is not clear, which could open the door for some nonprofit groups to face a challenge on their tax status.

“I think there would be an opening for someone who wanted to prosecute a group who is spending millions of dollars on advertising,” said Smith, a Republican who has been a vocal critic of campaign finance reform.

Albrecht said there is no validity to claims that AFF is anything but an issues-focused organization.

“We are an issues organization,” he said. “That is evident by the things that are prominently displayed on our Web site and in our work.”

Ads without expenditures

Since running the Coleman ad in Minnesota, AFF has been busy.

In July, ran radio ads in Nevada, asking voters to “call [Democratic] Sen. Harry Reid and tell him to allow a vote” on expanded domestic oil drilling.

Also in July, it ran radio ads asking Colorado voters to call U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and “tell him to stop delaying energy exploration.” Last week, AFF launched a television ad critical of Udall’s stance on domestic oil exploration.

The group also released a series of three Web ads, asking voters to call U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., to tell them they “shouldn’t get sweetheart deals,” referring to accusations that they profited from the mortgage crisis.

In May, AFF officially filed a statement of organization for its own political action committee, called American Future Fund Political Action. Ryan said this is a standard procedure for many nonprofits as it allows them to solicit donations for exclusively “express advocacy” work.

The AFF PAC has used YouTube to distribute a series of ads against Franken in Minnesota (in May), Senate Majority Leader Reid in Nevada (in June), U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in Louisiana (in May and July), and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (in May).

However, according to reports filed with the FEC on July 13, the group has raised no money and has had no expenditures, a fact that Ryan called “odd.”

Albrecht said AFF is simply a reaction to liberal groups like MoveOn.org who have dominated this realm of politics for years.

“For far too long the left has been on the field with no opposition,” he said. “American Future Fund has said it’s time to play ball. We’re not going to sit on the sidelines any longer. It’s important for free market, conservative principles to be highlighted in public, and that’s what we intend to do.”

The difference is that MoveOn.org, a decade-old liberal group, identifies its leadership on its Web site, boasts more than a million members and never shies away from the spotlight as a means for amplifying its message. AFF is decidedly lower-profile, disclosing nothing about its leaders, history or membership on its Web site, and it makes little or no effort on public appearances, press conferences and media bookings.

The potential impact that groups like AFF could have on this year’s elections will be difficult to gauge until the votes are in on Election Day. In 2006, independent expenditure committees for both parties spent about $430 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Despite objections to such groups from both major parties’ presumptive nominees for president, many experts expect that number to be higher this year.

To view selected ads from the American Future Fund, click here.

On one hand, Gold Star mom Debbie Lee and military mom Deborah Johns told participants at a rally in Cedar Rapids that they were tired of hearing about “red and blue” states. On the other hand, both made a point of calling out specific Democratic leaders by name.

The two were a part of the “Fight for Victory Tour” promoted and hosted by Move America Forward. The tour is a cross-country, pro-troop caravan featuring 27 stops between Sept. 3 and 15.

Johns, who is completing her fourth bus tour across the nation, says she’s learned a lot about American government while she has traveled.

“In going across the country I’ve learned a lot from Democrats, Republicans and Independents,” she said. “I’ve learned even more from the hearts of the American people who continue to say that they support the United States of America, our troops and our efforts to win the war in Iraq and the greater war on terror.”

When politicians talk about ending the war in Iraq, Johns says she wants to tell them “not now, not ever, no retreat, no surrender.”

“And, I want to tell them that if they don’t understand that message… then my words back to the politicians who want to continue to divide the United States, instead of support the United States, is to tell them ‘hasta la vista, sayonara, so long, goodbye, and see you later.’ Because this is the United States of America — our red, white and blue — the land of the free and the home of the brave, and what part of that does Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and John Murtha not support and do they not get? If they do not want to support the American people and our troops then they should go live somewhere else.”

Johns went on to discuss the current controversy surrounding the MoveOn ad featuring Gen. David Petraeus. She said that when Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was asked to renounce the full-page ad that appeared in the New York Times, “the best he could muster was ‘Gen. Petraeus is a good soldier.’”

“It is time for us to call for the resignation of the likes of Harry Reid, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi,” she said. “Enough is enough. If they cannot support our leaders and support our troops, then they’ve got no business trying to serve our country in Congress. They need to step down, and they need to resign.”

Our enemies, says Johns, don’t differentiate between Republicans and Democrats.

“You know the terrorists that are trying to kill our brave men and women overseas didn’t stop to ask if the person in their cross-hairs was a Democrat or a Republican before they pulled the trigger,” she said. “Nor did those evil men who flew the plane into the Twin Towers stop that day to inquire if their innocent victims voted for George Bush or not. To our enemies we are all the same. We are all Americans. So, I don’t want to hear any more about red states and blue states, because we are not a collection of 50 red and blue states. We are one country — the red, white and blue — one nation under God, and these colors don’t run.”

Gold Star mom Lee, who spoke with many pauses as she was overcome by emotion, also believes the war in Iraq must continue until democracy flourishes and victory is claimed.

“I remember that day — why that flag is flying at half-mast today — when we were attacked,” she said. “We came together as a nation. We were on our knees again and we were one nation under God like our founding fathers desired for us to be. I remember watching the news and, on the bottom, across the screen would scroll verses from the Bible of hope and encouragement.”

Lee says that because of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the United States again became a nation of givers.

“That’s what Marc did,” she said. “Many people have said that terrorists took my son’s life. But you can’t take something from someone who gives it to you. That’s what all of our troops are doing. They’ve signed a blank check to America.”

Lee says she’s also upset that politics are playing such a major role in the outcome of the war.

“I am so sick and tired of the people in Congress — whether they are on the Democratic side, the Republican side or the Independent side — who continue to try to divide this nation,” she said. “That’s not what we’re about. And, just like Deb, I call for those people in Congress who have defamed the character of David Petraeus … they need to apologize to him.”

Above all else, she says, she continues to use her voice because her son cannot use his and because she believes good is coming from the work the troops are doing in Iraq.

“Because of our troops who have served in the past, who are currently serving and who are willing to go back for four tours — just like Deborah’s son — we are making a difference,” she said. “The surge is working.”

Johns, who serves as the organization’s director of military relations, was the lead spokesperson for the “You Don’t Speak for Me, Cindy” tour, which crossed the nation in 2005 and ended in Crawford, Texas, near Camp Casey. Her son, William, a Marine, has served three tours of duty in Iraq.

Lee’s son, Marc Alan, was the first Navy Seal to lose his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died Aug. 2, 2006 while on patrol in Ramadi. She appeared at the 2007 Country Music Awards, where Tim McGraw presented her and other Gold Star parents a song, “I’m Already Home.”

Harkin, who served in the military during the Vietnam War, was surprised by Coburn’s hold and steadfastness and took the Senate floor to fight for his fellow veterans. “The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act has received intense scrutiny, including two hearings in the House and three in the Senate. The bill has been strongly endorsed by the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled Veterans of America, and other veterans groups,” Harkin said. “So it is a travesty to have this bill held up, now, by a single Senator for reasons that are completely bogus.”

The aim of the bill is to reduce the shocking rate of suicide among our men and women retuning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA estimates that more than 5,000 veterans take their lives each year. Suicide rates are 35 percent higher for Iraq veterans than for the general population. And the Department of Defense recently reported that the Army is now seeing the highest rate of suicide since the Vietnam War.The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention bill was first introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, a Democrat who named the bill after a soldier from his district in Grundy Center, Iowa. The soldier took his own life after returning from Iraq.

The bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to step up screening, counseling and other mental health services for returning war veterans by mandating this process. The House bill overwhelmingly passed in March by a vote of 423-0.

Harkin’s version of the bill, which is supported by fellow Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, appeared to be on the fast track before the August recess, but hit a snag over the recess with Coburn’s hold.

“Out of the blue, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma objected to the unanimous consent request,” Harkin said. “And his principal reason for doing so is completely baseless. He speculates that if we have mandatory screening of all veterans for suicide risk, the resulting medical data might be used to deny a veteran the right to purchase handguns.”

Harkin refuted Coburn’s claim on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon. “No medical professional can refer an individual to the background check system that would limit access to firearms. This can only be done through the judicial system,” Harkin argued. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked Harkin to yield the floor during his speech to offer additional support for the bill and serve notice that bill will be moved before Congress before they adjourn. “We are not going to let one or two senators stop us from moving forward on this,” said Reid, who, citing his father’s suicide years ago, made a personal plea to help prevent any more suicides.

To help build his case, Harkin shared pieces of a New York Times editorial, “Locked, Loaded, and Looney” (Aug. 30, 2007):

]]> http://iowaindependent.com/965/harkin-sen-coburns-hold-on-veterans-suicide-prevention-bill-bogus/feed 0 http://iowaindependent.com/571/harkin-wants-to-stay-up-late-with-senate-to-debate-iraq http://iowaindependent.com/571/harkin-wants-to-stay-up-late-with-senate-to-debate-iraq#comments Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:11:45 +0000 Chris Woods http://iowaindependent.com/571/harkin-wants-to-stay-up-late-with-senate-to-debate-iraq On the floor of the U.S. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said that Senate Republicans were “protecting the president rather than protecting our troops” by denying a vote on an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that would require troop redeployment in Iraq.

As a result, Reid threatened that if Republicans continued to filibuster the Reed-Levin redeployment amendment Monday or Tuesday he would pull the Senate into an all-night session on Tuesday, using his power as majority leader to keep the Senate open and let the debate continue, essentially forcing Republicans to prove and show their filibuster.

“But now, Republicans are using a filibuster to block us from even voting on an amendment that could bring the war to a responsible end,” Reid said.  “They are denying us an up or down – yes or no – vote on the most important issue our country faces.”

Iowa’s Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin supports Sen. Reid’s move, said Harkin spokeswoman Jennifer Mullin in an e-mail exchange with Iowa Independent.

“Every day Republicans delay on changing course in Iraq, they are endorsing a failed strategy,” Mullin said.  “Through procedural maneuvering, [Republicans] have forced the Senate to waste hours upon hours debating meaningless motions, wasting Congress’ time and the American people’s time.”

Mullin noted that during the 108th and 109th Congress, which were under Republican control, there were only four total cloture motions filed on motions to proceed.  Since January, when Democrats took over control of Congress in the 110th session, there have already been 13 cloture motions filed on motions to proceed.

Only three Republicans – Sens. Chuck Hagel, Olympia Snowe and Gordon Smith – have said they will vote with the Democrats. A fourth Republican, Susan Collins, says she’s considering voting for the Reed-Levin amendment.

The authors of the amendment, Sens. Jack Reed and Carl Levin, recognize the vote on the amendment will likely fail but want to show the American people how Republicans are stymieing the efforts of Congress to bring American troops home and end the war in Iraq.

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