Republicans are funding Independent campaigns in Oregan and Florida!!!! How Low

[World Order]

HOW LOW IS THE ELECTION GOING TO GO

WASHINGTON — A watchdog group says it will file a complaint with federal election officials, accusing two conservative organizations of illegally helping Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, with support from President Bush's re-election campaign.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington planned to file its complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. It says the Oregon Family Council and Citizens for a Sound Economy violated election laws last week by telephoning people and urging them to help Nader get on Oregon's ballot in November.

Spokesmen for both groups denied wrongdoing.
Both groups acknowledge trying to influence Nader's petition drive Saturday in Oregon, in hopes that getting him on the ballot would take votes away from Democrat John Kerry and help Bush win the battleground state.

But Melanie Sloan, the watchdog group's executive director, said Tuesday that the conservative organizations are also corporations that are prohibited by election law from making campaign donations.
Sloan said she also would name the Nader and Bush campaigns in her complaint because of reports that Bush-Cheney volunteers have made similar calls from Bush campaign offices

"If Bush-Cheney was soliciting those corporations to assist the Nader campaign, then that's a violation," she said.
Mike White, executive director of the Oregon Family Council, said there was no coordination with Bush's campaign.

"I had my volunteers call and encourage them to go to the (Nader) convention, but I don't think that's federal election activity," he said.

Chris Kinnan, spokesman for Citizens for a Sound Economy, said an outside lawyer assured him the phone calls were proper. "We're confident that we can answer any charge," he said.
Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said he had not seen the complaint but called it "frivolous."
"We will respond accordingly if and when we receive it," Stanzel said.

Sloan's group also filed an FEC complaint against Nader last week saying the consumer advocate violated federal campaign laws by accepting office space and telephone service from a public charity he created. Nader has called all the complaints frivolous.

[MarkDel]

I'll sign petitions to help Nader if the pathetic dope smoking zeroes who run his campaign in Florida ever find their way to my house...LOL

[12th Doctor]

So?  The story says "Conservative Groups" not "Republicans".  There is a difference.  You are attmpting to imply that this is part of the Bush strategy, when the story doesn't say that these guys have any acctual direct connection to Bush at all.  Like Mark said, if some dope smoking morons can find me (I go to Starbucks a lot, so they just might) then I will sign.

[PBrunsel]

This has been going on for a while:

The 1884 Election was probably the most negative presidential campaign in U.S. history. Despite a negative campaign, the major parties decided to give a "push'" to the third parties.

Kansas Governor John P. St.John was the Prohinition Candidate for President in 1884. He took votes away from the Republicans. Because of this, the Democrats decided to fund St. John's campaign. He was given a lump sum of $500,000, a large sum in 1884, by the Democratic National Comitee. The Republicans feared that St. John would hurt them in the states of New York, Indiana, and New Jersey. The Republican National Comitee offered St. John $1 million to drop out of the race, but he refused. The 24,999 votes for St. John cost the Republicans the state of New York, and the election.

The Greenback Party nominee Benjamin Franklin Butler was expected to take votes away from the Democrats. The Republicans, giddy about Butler's popularity in the midwest and New York, decided to fund Butler's candidacy. They gave about the same amount as the Democrats gave to St. John, $500,000. Butler had more of a following than Governor St. John, so the Republicans felt he would be a spoiler for the Democrats. He turned out to get 175,370 (1.7%) of the vote. It was not enough to give the Republicans the election, but it did stop Cleveland from winning a 50% majority.

[raggage]

I'll sign petitions to help Nader if the pathetic dope smoking zeroes who run his campaign in Florida ever find their way to my house...LOL

I'd help the constitution party if it meant getting rid of Bush.

[MODU]

This is nothing new, nor is it really illegal.  Since this was not done by the GOP party itself, nothing can be done.  From what I've read, the two groups did not misrepresent themselves when contacting potential voters.