America's PAC

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This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin.

America's PAC is described by the Center for Public Integrity as a "Conservative 527 organization". [1] The political action committee's sole officer is "'white rightwing male' Richard Nadler of Overland Park, Kansas", who serves as its president and treasurer. [2]

It should be noted that for the 2004 election cycle, America's PAC ranked #9 for political advertisements in America's top markets, with 831 airings, coming in ahead of the Republican National Committee ranking at #10 with 794 airings, according to Nielsen Media Research. [3]

2006 Voter Suppression Radio "Ads"

Just in time for the 2006 midterm elections, radio ads prepared by America's PAC "have the clear message that black voters need to join the Republican cause if they want to enjoy the same success as whites," May Lee Johnson wrote in the October 2, 2006, South Bend Tribune.

"The IRS filing indicates that the America’s PAC ads are running this year in 10 battleground states, including Ohio, New Mexico, and Nevada." [4]

"The campaign discusses issues ranging from warrantless wiretapping to school choice, but the most inflammatory spots pertain to abortion," Josh Gerstein reported in the New York Sun, October 17, 2006.

"'Black babies are terminated at triple the rate of white babies,' a female announcer in one of the ads says, as rain, thunder, and a crying infant are heard in the background. 'The Democratic Party supports these abortion laws that are decimating our people, but the individual's right to life is protected in the Republican platform. Democrats say they want our vote. Why don't they want our lives?'," Gerstein reported.

"Another ad," Gerstein wrote, "features a dialogue between two men.

"'If you make a little mistake with one of your "ho's", you'll want to dispose of that problem tout suite, no questions asked,' one of the men says.
"'That's too cold. I don't snuff my own seed,' the other replies.
"'Maybe you do have a reason to vote Republican,' the first man says.

"Another spot attempts to link Democrats to a white supremacist who served as a Republican in the Louisiana Legislature, David Duke," Gerstein wrote. "The ad makes reference to Duke's trip to Syria last year, where he spoke at an anti-war rally.

"'I can understand why a Ku Klux Klan cracker like David Duke makes nice with the terrorists,' a male voice in the ad says. 'What I want to know is why so many of the Democrat politicians I helped elect are on the same side of the Iraq war as David Duke.'"

Access Advertising of Kansas City, Missouri, is the agency handling the 2006 ads. "Brad Furnish, chief economist at Access, said black voters will benefit from the extra attention," Johnson wrote. "These ads are being sponsored by a political action committee that is conservative but not Republican," Furnish told Johnson.

2004 Voter Suppression Ads

In September 2004, America's PAC, described as a "shadowy Republican-Right outfit", "took to the Black-oriented airwaves", producing "ultra-negative" attack ads "in contested mid-Western states," The Black Commentator reported September 16, 2004.

One such ad, which ran on Dayton, Ohio, radio station WRNB-FM, delivered the following "message through a Black voice on the radio":

"Today one-third of African American pregnancies end in abortion Black babies are terminated at rates triple of white babies.
Under title X Schools can counsel scared kids to abort their babies without even consulting their parents.
Each year the abortion mill diminish the human capacity of our community by another 400,000 souls.
The democratic party support these abortion laws that are decimating our people.
But the individual right to life is protected in the republican platform.
Democrats say they want our votes why don't they want our children.
Learn the racial truth about America's abortion laws.
Don't buy the democratic lie.
Killing unborn babies is no way to help those in poverty."

Confusing the facts to confuse the issues

According to The Black Commentator, Democratic National Committee "African American Media Director William Marshall makes a distinction between the highly obnoxious America’s Pac attack ads, and People of Color United’s/J. Patrick Rooney’s Black voter suppression messages. 'A simple attack ad is probably similar to the Swift Boat ads' that sully a candidate’s character and reputation, said Marshall. 'Whereas, a Black voter suppression ad tries to use African American voices to shift blame… They want you to come away confused. They purposely don’t want you to be clear on the issue, they want to confuse the facts.'" [5]

The "$1 million ad spending [wasn't] meant to specifically depress the African-American turnout," Nadler said in October 2004. "Our ads . . . are reducing the Democratic vote and increasing the Republican vote," he said. "Which part of that equation am I supposed to dislike?"

Republican Backing

In 2006, America's PAC received $900,000 from J. Patrick Rooney for a pro-Republican radio advertising campaign aimed at African-Americans. [6]

In the 2004 election cycle, both Nadler's Access Advertising and Access Communications Group contributed to the PAC. The largest expenditure, $670,000, was to Nadler's Access Communications Group. A small expenditure of $2,000 went to Nadler's Americas Majority. [7]

Additionally, despite Furnish's claim that the PAC is not Republican, the largest contributor in the 2004 election cycle—at $965,000—was the Republican Leadership Coalition, of which Nadler served as political director [8]. Second place belonged to the Common Sense Coalition at a distant $80,000, and Republican-allied Club for Growth was at an even more distant $25,000. Access Communications and Access Advertising were in fourth and fifth place at $7,700 and $3,000 respectively. [9]

Note: The Common Sense Coalition, based in Madison, Wisconsin (www.commonsensemadison.com), appears to have a relationship with the tobacco industry. [10] See the December 17, 2005, "Common Sense Coalition" posting at www.tobacco.org. CSC's executive director, Mike Quigley, worked for George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004.[11]

Profiles

An archived profile for America's PAC states that "America's PAC was founded in 1983 making it one of the oldest conservative political action committees in the United States. The PAC was established by conservative activists who wished to support principled conservatives for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. It was the approach of the founders that the country did not need more Republican senators and congressmen; it needed more conservative senators and congressmen." [12]

Other Websites

The Vote Our Values website states that it is "brought to you by America's PAC." The page is signed by Herman Cain, CEO and President of T.H.E. New Voice, Inc.

Contact Information

8460 Travis Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
Website: http://www.americaspac.com/

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External links

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