McCain adviser produced the Ford ad...supervised Tobin during NH phone jamming.

[madfloridian]

You think McCain might have some 'splainin' to do to all the folks who still respect him? Guess he's just one of the gang now.

This goes under the heading of stuff we already know but need to be reminded of daily. A man who is going to run for president has an advisor that ran a racist ad and supervised the guy who got convicted for NH phone jamming.

http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2006/10/26/link_creator_of_controversial_ford_ad_unmasked

"Terry Nelson, a Republican political strategist who previously served as political director of the 2004 Bush/Cheney re-election efforts, has been identified by the Austin American-Statesman newspaper as the creator of the controversial ad that attacked Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. for attending a party sponsored by the adult entertainment company Playboy, while at the 2004 Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.

Nelson is currently an advisor to possible 2008 presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona). He is the founder of a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, Crosslink Strategy Group.

In an interesting sidebar that is sure to fan the flames of the contoversy, an employee of Nelson's is a former staffer of Sen. Bill Frist, Chris LaCivita. LaCivita served as Frist's political director at the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee."

And there's more.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/25/mccain-defends-hiring-of-political-operative/

"Did White House Direct Phone Jamming Scheme?

http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/06/03/ale06035.html

relevant paragraphs for McCain…

The Union Leader today reported that “court records show Ken Mehlman’s office received more than 75 telephone calls from now-convicted phone-jam conspirator James Tobin from Sept. 30 to Nov. 22 of that year.” At the time, Mehlman–the current RNC Chair–was White House political director. This raises the disturbing question of whether Tobin, who worked for the RNC and the NRSC at the time and has since been convicted on two criminal charges for his role in the scheme, discussed the plan with one of the President’s most important political strategists.

Today’s news also has important implications for other national Republican figures. At the time the phone jamming scheme was devised and implemented, Tobin’s supervisor at the RNC was Terry Nelson, who Arizona Republican Senator John McCain recently hired as a senior strategist for his Political Action Committee. This means that McCain may have hired one of the key figures in the phone jamming scheme

“Each new development in this case raises troubling questions about the extent to which key national Republicans had knowledge of or were involved in a criminal scheme to keep New Hampshire voters from getting to the polls,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. “The revelation that, in the days leading up to the phone-jamming campaign, Ken Mehlman spoke regularly with a man who has been convicted of criminal charges in this case raises deeply disturbing questions about the Bush White House’s commitment to protecting fundamental right of Americans to vote.

McCain Strategist Terry Nelson Supervised James Tobin During NH Phone Jamming Scandal; Tobin Convicted of Federal Telephone Harassment Charges. Tobin worked for the RNC and the NRSC during 2002, and was supervised by RNC Political Director Terry Nelson. On Election Day, a telemarketer hired by the New Hampshire GOP jammed the telephones of five state Democratic and one firefighters union get-out-the-vote phone banks. James Tobin was found guilty in December of federal telephone harassment charges for his role in the scandal. "

McCain is just part of the gang now.

Edit to clarify from the original source about Nelson and Howell, the Austin American Statesmen:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/washington/entries/2006/10/26/mccain_adviser_1.html

"McCain Adviser Linked to Anti-Ford Ad
By Julia Malone | Thursday, October 26, 2006, 12:43 PM

Terry Nelson, who heads up the Republican National Committee unit responsible for a widely denounced TV ad against U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr., also serves as a senior adviser to Republican Sen. John McCain.

Nelson, who served as political director for President Bush’s 2004 re-election, runs the RNC’s independent expenditure unit, RNC spokesman Josh Holmes confirmed Thursday."

Late Thursday afternoon, CBS-NEWS reported on its Web site that the TV spot had been produced for the Republican independent expenditure unit by media consultant Scott Howell.

Among Howell’s best known campaign work has been for Saxby Chambliss in his successful 2002 race to unseat Sen. Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat."

[ramapo]

1. I had a brief bout of McCain respect

Long gone but I actually thought he might be a bit worthy during the early days of the Straight Talk Express. He has long since proven himself to basically be nothing more than a political whore.

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. I'm confused...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2908927

CBS News) NASHVILLE, Tenn. A protege of White House political guru Karl Rove produced the controversial Republican National Committee ad targeting Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Harold Ford Jr., that some have called racist, CBS News has learned.

The ad, in which a white woman with blonde hair and bare shoulders looks into the camera and whispers, "Harold, call me," and then winks, was produced by Scott Howell, the former political director for Rove's consulting firm in Texas.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

3. McCain hired Rove for his 2008 campaign...

... a few months ago, as I recall.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. You have to wonder if he hasn't been on loan to McCain

for a while now. Perhaps a deal over torture?

[madfloridian]

4. Austin Statesman says Nelson "responsible" for the ad. Heads up unit.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/washington/entries/2006/10/26/mccain_adviser_1.html

"McCain Adviser Linked to Anti-Ford Ad
By Julia Malone | Thursday, October 26, 2006, 12:43 PM

Terry Nelson, who heads up the Republican National Committee unit responsible for a widely denounced TV ad against U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr., also serves as a senior adviser to Republican Sen. John McCain.

Nelson, who served as political director for President Bush’s 2004 re-election, runs the RNC’s independent expenditure unit, RNC spokesman Josh Holmes confirmed Thursday."

Late Thursday afternoon, CBS-NEWS reported on its Web site that the TV spot had been produced for the Republican independent expenditure unit by media consultant Scott Howell.

Among Howell’s best known campaign work has been for Saxby Chambliss in his successful 2002 race to unseat Sen. Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat."

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Thanks

Trying to stop my head from spinning. More coffee, please!

(Geez! You go to bed for a few hours and...)

[madfloridian]

7. Confusing. Looks like one headed the unit and one produced it?

That's how I read it.

McCain should be ashamed for keeping this guy on.

[madfloridian]

8. Terry Nelson: John McCain's aid fired from Walmart for producing racist TV ad

http://mydd.com/story/2006/10/27/16250/005

Terry Nelson: John McCain's aid fired from Walmart for producing racist TV ad
by Jerome Armstrong, Fri Oct 27, 2006 at 04:25:00 PM EST

Following up on the Republican admakers post:

"Huffington Post has learned that Terry Nelson, a second producer of the racist Corker ad and a consultant to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Wal-Mart, is to be fired by Wal-Mart for his role in producing the ad. Developing...

Scott Howell was the other ad producer. The maker of the radio ad for Bob Corker was LA-based Jim Davis.

What is John McCain going to do?

UPDATE FROM MATT: Yes, it's that Terry Nelson. The unindicted co-conspirator in the TRMPAC case and James Tobin's boss in the NH phone-jamming scandal.

[madfloridian]

9. AAR talking about this right now.

:kick: