“IE” being shorthand for “independent expenditure” groups, the various 527, 501(c)4, and other noncoordinated political messaging groups that can walk right up to the line of express advocacy in candidate races. In the last couple of weeks, there’s been a flurry of activity targeting freshman Rep. Scott Tipton–quickly emerging as the most vulnerable Colorado Republican.
After obligatively hitting the bill’s primary sponsor Rep. Doug Lamborn, the “Checks and Balances Project” is much more productively going after Tipton (ad above) over his support for Lamborn’s oil-shale legislation and associated silly-talk of revenue potential in an online ad campaign on targeted local media websites–a subject that will play more effectively in actual oil shale country against Tipton than it was worth against the very safe Lamborn.
In related action, the Colorado Wildlife Federation ran a radio ad recently highlighting “risks Congressman Scott Tipton is taking” on water policy by supporting oil shale.
And this past weekend, DC-based Public Campaign called on Tipton to return donations made to him by SG Interests–an energy company fined by the Department of Justice for antitrust actions, also party to a dispute over drilling in Tipton’s district that Tipton says he is “mediating.”
“The people of Colorado need to know that their elected officials are working for them and not big donors trying to defraud taxpayers,” said David Donnelly, national campaigns director at Public Campaign. “Scott Tipton should immediately return contributions from the company or donate them to charity.”
…Tipton has close ties to SG Interests and has faced criticism for taking contributions from company donors while simultaneously working to address a local dispute between landowners and the company. He received $8,100 from donors at SG Interests based in Houston in 2011 and has taken $15,300 from company donors since 2009, according to Public Campaign analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.
We’d call this a notable quantity of activity for mid-February, wouldn’t you? It’s the best proof we can think of that national strategists consider Tipton’s seat the ripest of pickup opportunities.
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The video was uploaded to YouTube two days ago and has all of THREE views. I’m sure Tipton is quaking in his boots.
He’s polling, sending out e-news letters to people like me that were unceremoniously dropped by the tea party types running his campaign two years ago and courting Pueblo like never before. I can tell you there are people who contributed to his 1st campaign that have told me they have yet to give a dime and not sure they will.
I doubt Tipton’s folks are worried about YouTube; they are more worried about the latest poll and the fund raising.
Their press release went out yesterday afternoon, and this morning is the first I’ve seen of their online ads. They’re up now, Give ’em a chance.
How is Compass Colorado’s latest web ad doing, Ed?
http://www.coloradopols.com/di…
I just sent an E-mail to everyone I could think of, asking them to watch this youtube.
Every one of George Soros’s dollars gets a vote.
You’re ruining the moment, Ed! 🙂
Did you read the diary? The title suggests that more than one group is targeting Tipton early. It’s early and they cited several examples. Nowhere did they state anything about how well it was working, or how well it will work in the future.
The only thing they ask is if you agree that this much opposition is uncommon so early in the election year. Do you? Any examples of a candidate being targeted by so many groups so early?
I’m sure everyone is all eyes. Maybe not. You don’t often answer direct questions, do you? 🙂
Pols is writing about DC based Soros funded astroturf targeting Tipton much too early.
😉
So you admit that posted without reading the diary at all.
You still haven’t answered a direct question. You have proven (I’m sure not for the first time) that you are a partisan hack. Do you speak for the Party, or are you just misrepresenting yourself?
But I speak only for myself when I am here.
Speaks to your credibility.
Nothing good, but it speaks.
🙂
. . . on your budding sense of humor, BOT; by far the funniest thing you’ve ever written!
There IS oil in the rock, so to say otherwise is wrong. The problem with oil shale, though, is that the oil that is rendered is a sludgy substance called kerogen, which takes expensive upgrading before the product can be shipped to a refinery for more treatment. Companies have been trying for nearly 100 years go get the stuff out of the rock and make a buck doing it, so far without success.
current status of the nuclear power industry. Scientifically uranium is a great source of power to generate electricity. But there are so many problems with waste (all along the fuel cycle) and never-ending problems with the power plants, that the industry is heavily subsidized by taxpayers and would not exist without taxpayer-funded insurance (the private sector will not take on that level of risk).
We wouldn’t know that it’s almost impossible to get oil out of oil shale if the taxpayer hadn’t already subsidized $billions in research and development.
electricity from sunlight, too, and we wouldn’t be where we are on that front without billions in subsidies. There’s more to it than the question whether it’s difficult or expensive.
immediate, or even at some future time, revenue source is a stretch. As to the other problem cited, Tipton taking contributions from an entity involved in a dispute he himself says he’s mediating? Gee, what could be wrong with that?
there could be a big problem that he’s not getting
greasedcontributions from both sides? Right now, he’s missing half the fun that a shakedown is supposed to provide. When the topic is “immediate revenue” it’s always good to bekingprincesenatorcongressman . . .and the nuclear power industry. Nuclear power was developed during/after WWII, and has been subsidized — in all areas (research, development, mining, milling, fuel enrichment, operation of power plants, disposal of waste AND insurance of every aspect of nuclear power — since soon after WWII. That’s more than 60 years! And there is NO reason to believe the nuclear power industry will ever stand on its own, subject to the full determination of a “free market.” Simply no comparison in time or cost to the development and use of practical solar energy.
the maker of IE (Internet Explorer) picking on Scott Tipton?
The short answer, it’s all wasted effort until Labor. Ed’s note about the number of views the video Pols is hyperventilating about is proof.
When I make a nerd’s attempt at humor, the least you could do is play along.