WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Republican National Committee is warning television stations across the country not to run ads from the MoveOn.org Voter Fund that criticize President Bush, charging that the left-leaning political group is paying for them with money raised in violation of the new campaign-finance law.Now, okay. The jury is out on ads by these new groups like Moveon.org. The FEC is working its way through the issue right now, and might rule against them (though the head of the FEC is pro leaving them alone).
But, c'mon. The Republican National Committee? Couldn't they even create a shallow veneer of independence on this one?
Sheesh. The Republicans are way off their game.
UPDATE: Beyond the snarkiness, I have a couple more thoughts on this. First of all, the RNC can't possibly think that an independent (or even an owned-and-operated), local station would be prosecuted because it aired something that later turned out to be against campaign finance rules. If anyone were to suffer, it would be Moveon itself. So it's clearly a ploy.
But beyond that, it seems that this letter might be hinting at a new Republican strategy born of the post-Janet Jackson media skittishness. Frankly, I have been surprised at the depth of antipathy toward the broadcast media since Jackson's stunt. But as recently as last night I figured it was just an election-year wedge issue for the Republicans to trot out (they love trashing Hollywood and making the Democrats squirm). Now I'm thinking it might actually be part of a grander strategy of making station owners so gun-shy (which they certainly are) that they will flinch at any hint of impropriety.
Any local media outlet, whether independently owned or owned by a network, will be extremely cautious about raising any political hackles, what with the FCC actually threatening to pull licenses. It honestly wouldn't surprise me to see half the stations who were planning on running Moveon's adds pull them.
Which is hideous, of course. But consequential.
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