Under the headline, “Is this even legal?,” Wesley Donehue shares the above ad being paid for by ReformSC.
Which makes me wonder — surely no one’s pretending this is anything other than a Nikki Haley ad… are they?
Well, maybe there’s one difference… I’m thinking Nikki herself might be embarrassed to pour it on THIS thick. Wouldn’t she?
Oh hell, this happens all the time in politics. Nikki was recorded at a public event, a Tea Party rally at the State House.
It’s just the same as Lee Atwater did with putting together an ad with Michael Dukakis driving around in a tank.
Nikki probably has no control over ReformSC. But groups like ReformSC do not have to reveal who gives them money.
SC deserves transparency in campaign contributions; no more shell companies to hide the person, such as NY real estate mogul, Howard Rich, who has bought politicians in SC for school vouchers.
If Nikki didn’t “approve” the ad, it is worrisome. What’s to stop someone from making an ad that distorts a candidate’s positions unfavorably, but purports to be in support of the candidate? I don’t know what the law is on that-California has some laws protecting right of publicity, but I don’t know about SC.
I’ve yet to hear any detractor say what law ReformSC is breaking and how exactly they are breaking it.
🙁 The U.S. Supreme Court blessed this.
The ad does nothing to make me like her or her politics. With all that money, I would have thought the ad would have been more Nikki-friendly. It actually turned me off. Hate to tell Nikki, that ad was pretty bad. Makes her seem silly and sorta creepy.
I’m gonna guess that Elizabeth was either not a fan of Nikki and/or not a fan of the tea party even before seeing the ad.
It’s a good ad.
Actually, Ralph, ReformSC says they disclose their donors. That could not be checked today because it’s… get ready for this… Confederate Memorial Day.
There is a difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. The wise candidate adheres to both.
Matt–
See the article in today’s The State–it shows that the ad walks a very fine line…