CA-36

NRCC Wades Into CA-36 With Messaging From Shocking Web Ad

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 23, 2011, 7:00AM

CA-36 candidates Craig Huey (R) and Janice Hahn (D)

The National Republican Congressional Committee may not be a fan of the way the shocking web ad targeting Democratic candidate Janice Hahn delivers its message in the CA-36 special election, but they've made it clear they approve of the attack behind the startling imagery.

Now they've put their money where their mouth is, launching an internet campaign that sells a toned-down version of the viral web video that had even Republican candidate Craig Huey's campaign crying foul.

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CA-36

NRCC: 'Give Us Your Cash, B--tch!' Web Ad Is A Bit Much, But It Makes A Great Point!

Ryan J. Reilly | June 16, 2011, 12:50PM

Republicans say Democratic congressional candidate Janice Hahn has hit "a new low" by alerting supporters to a conservative ad portraying her as a demonic stripper who is sexually assaulted by "gangsters" with automatic weapons.

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Anthony Weiner

No Win: GOP Tell Dems To Return Weiner Donations, Slams Them When They Do

Benjy Sarlin | June 14, 2011, 9:56AM

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY)

If you're a Democrat hoping to get Republicans off your back by returning a donation from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), it's best not to get your hopes up. After demanding a number of Democratic members wash their hands of the "tainted" cash, the NRCC is slamming those who actually take their advice for being spineless flip floppers.

The NRCC has made a big deal of pressuring Democrats to cough up the Weiner cash. Or, more precisely, emailing the press to demand the contributions be returned. For example, last week the NRCC put out a release calling on Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) and a number of other lawmakers to give up the money, saying they must choose between "returning the scandal-tainted donations [they] received from Congressman Weiner or silently condoning his colleague's lewd and bizarre behavior that could lead to a potential ethics violation."

The very same day, Sutton announced she was doing just that. Not good enough, NRCC spokesman Tory Mazzola said.

"It's clear that Rep. Sutton is only ridding her campaign coffers of this tainted cash because she's worried about her reelection," Mazzola wrote in e-mail to reporters. "She may have caved to GOP pressure as it relates to Rep. Weiner's scandal, but voters shouldn't count on her to do the right thing and oppose Nancy Pelosi's partisan, tax-and-spend agenda that amounts to more government and debt, instead of real job creation."

On Monday, the NRCC went after Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), saying he hesitated too long before giving back the money.

"After waiting a week, it's clear that he's not doing this because it's the right thing to do but instead because he's feeling the political pressures of the reelection fight ahead of him, especially when combined with his out-of-touch record of tax hikes and reckless spending," Mazzola said in a statement.

It wasn't the first time Democrats had been trapped in a no-win situation by the NRCC. Last month, Republicans blasted out emails slamming House Democrats who voted for a bill that would raise the debt ceiling -- and another batch targeting the Democrats who sided with the GOP and voted against it.

Asked about its practice of criticizing Democrats for following through on the GOP's own requests, NRCC communications director Paul Lindsay told TPM: "Democrats make a lot of bad decisions, and we hold them accountable for all of them."

Anthony Weiner

Republicans Look To Tar Democrats With Weiner Scandal

Benjy Sarlin | June 6, 2011, 5:35PM

Capitalizing off of Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-NY) shock press conference admitting to sending lewd tweets to a college student, Republican officials are trying to tar Democrats with the lawmaker's scandal.

"It's time for Democratic leadership to explain why Congressman Weiner's actions never aroused any suspicion, and why they rushed to his defense while so many Americans were shocked and confused by his bizarre and disturbing behavior," Paul Lindsay, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.

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Medicare

PCCC Ad On Medicare Not Getting Pulled, Despite NRCC Complaints

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2011, 6:15PM

The liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee has won a round against the National Republican Congressional Committee -- with the liberal group turning back an effort to get an ad targeting Republican proposals on Medicare pulled from broadcast.

As Greg Sargent reported, the NRCC wrote a letter to WMUR in New Hampshire and Comcast, complaining that a PCCC ad attacking Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) for having "voted to end Medicare" was false and demanding that it be taken down.

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