Outside groups help Obama's bid

[goku2008]

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama, who criticized big spending by outside groups that boosted his rivals in Iowa and New Hampshire, is getting some help of his own these days as the campaign moves on to delegate-rich Feb. 5 contests.
ADVERTISEMENT

Two related San Francisco-based groups headed by an Obama supporter are running ads and mobilizing voters in California and a handful of other Feb. 5 states, aiming to build support for Obama among black voters and young people.

Vote Hope and PowerPac.org, founded by San Francisco lawyer Steven Phillips, have reported spending about $350,000 on Obama's behalf. Of that, $245,000 was devoted to radio ads in South Carolina, which has its primary Saturday, and in the Super Tuesday states of California, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

They also plan ads in Maryland, which votes on Feb. 12.

The amount does not include a new television ad that began airing this week in California on cable television and some broadcast stations. Obama, who has criticized spending by outside groups, unsuccessfully asked Phillips to halt the effort in December.

Separately, Phillips is undertaking a $3 million voter registration drive in 11 states aimed at increasing the number of black voters. Phillips said the voter effort is nonpartisan, does not promote Obama's candidacy and is consistent with the groups' goal of increasing voter participation and advocating for social justice.

Obama, aiming to be the first black president, has broad appeal within the African-American community and any effort to increase the number of black voters would naturally benefit him.

Outside groups have already made a mark in this presidential campaign. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards each had about $3 million in help in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests. Such groups cannot coordinate their efforts with the campaigns.

An independent campaign that is geographically or demographically targeted could be especially effective going into the Feb. 5 campaign when campaign resources are stretched.

Phillips' groups are a mix of organizations that operate under different campaign finance rules. Vote Hope is a political action committee, which can only receive limited financial contributions. Many of its donors have contributed the maximum to Obama's campaign. Vote Hope has an affiliated 527 organization, named after a section of the Internal Revenue Service code, that can raise unlimited amounts of money but must disclose its donors. PowerPac is a 501(c)4 organization that can air issue ads and can raise unlimited amounts of money.

Vote Hope and PowerPac aren't the first outside groups to assist Obama. Last week, before the Nevada caucuses, the labor union Unite Here ran a Spanish language ad in the state that promoted Obama's candidacy and called Clinton "shameless" and said she "does not respect our people."

In December, Obama complained bitterly about the outside help his rivals were getting from union-backed groups. He was especially critical of Edwards.

"John said yesterday, he didn't believe in these 527s," Obama said on Dec. 22 in Iowa. "You can't say yesterday, you don't believe in it and today three-quarters of a million dollars is being spent for you. You can't just talk the talk."

Now, as outside groups come to Obama's aid, the other camps are raising cries of hypocrisy.

"When Senator Obama says turn the page, he obviously means turn to whatever page is most convenient," Edwards' deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince said. "He loudly and repeatedly attacked independent groups in Iowa as special interests. But when a different outside group with ties to his campaign starts raising and spending money on his behalf, there's not a peep from him or his campaign."

Obama's campaign on Friday released a letter dated Dec. 28 written to Phillips by his campaign lawyer, Robert Bauer, asking Phillips to stop their efforts to help Obama.

"And independent effort such as yours ... is simply not consistent with the senator's clearly stated commitment to complete accountability and transparency in the financing of campaigns for public office," Bauer wrote.

Phillips, in an interview Friday, said he planned to continue promoting Obama's candidacy.

"I am aware that the senator has been a leading voice in trying to restrict outside money and we appreciate that," Phillips said. "Yet we're equally aware that close to $6 million has been spent by outside groups in support of his opponents. So we have no qualms about evening the playing field."

Phillips is the son-in-law of Herb and Marion Sandler, a major California Democratic donor. Phillips said the Sandlers are not actively involved in the Vote Hope and PowerPac efforts.

"My wife and I have been driving this whole process," he said, placing his financial involvement at "six figures."

(This version CORRECTS SUBS grafs 3-4 to correct that Maryland votes on Feb. 12.)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080125/ap_on_el_pr/obama_outside_help

[Inspired]

1. Interesting n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Obama asking them to quit is certainly interesting. I wonder if Hill or Edwards has asked their

outside groups to cease?