A new 60-second TV ad released by Accountable America today confronts the closing argument from Republicans that Democrats shouldn't be allowed to control all of government. The ad argues that "Americans Don't Want Government Hand Outs, Just Government in Good Hands."

The ad was produced by ZOON POLITIKON LLC, a newly founded ad company based in Louisville, Kentucky. Principally Elliot Greenebaum and Gabriel Wrye, two experienced feature filmmakers who draw on a talent pool of professional writers, actors and creative technicians, Elliot and Gabriel were in Kentucky when Hurricane Ike hit the coast. In the wake of the storm which disabled Louisville for a week, and Elliot and Gabriel saw the opportunity to make this ad, staging the action on an actual site of storm devastation, and use the real residents of the location as actors.

ZOON POLITIKON has already produced spots for statewide campaigns and national political organizations. ZOON POLITIKON aims to move political advertising away from the traditional 1950's informational, power-point model and replace it with real experiences. Their work can be seen at ZoonPolitikon.com.

For two months Accountable America has run our project aimed at deterring funding of conservative and business-oriented groups that violate election and tax laws in order to block progressive change and attack progressive political candidates.  And, even while we head into the final stretch of the election when spending by these groups will most likely hit their peak, it is clear our work has been successful.

To date the media spending by outside groups is about $106 million less in 2008 than comparative spending in the 2004 election, according to reports by the Campaign Media Analysis Group.

A headline in The Politico notes: "Where are the third-party groups?" The author, Jonathan Martin, continues: "I wrote in June that there was an absence of third-party activity on the right but that most GOP operatives thought an anti-Obama effort would eventually, somehow, materialize. Today is October 6th."

Chris Cilizza in The Fix for The Washington Post writes, "a series of attempts to organize efforts on the right and left have failed to get off the ground due to a lack of interest on the part of major donors to fund the efforts." 

CNN's Mark Preston writes, "At this time four years ago, independent groups had spent $120 million on commercials for the presidential race compared to the $13.2 million invested so far in this race, according to an analysis of political television ad spending conducted for CNN by TNSMI-Campaign Media Analysis Group."

He continues, "So far this election cycle, spending by anti-Obama and anti-McCain groups is dead even with each totaling $6.6 million so far this election cycle. In the last two weeks, Republican issue groups have spent $2.3 million, while Democratic issue groups have accounted for about $1 million."

Even if independent groups wage an all-out-bench-clearing-knock-down-drag-out fight in the next four weeks, it will be too late for new groups to arise and make a significant impact. These projects take time, money and legal fortitude. And, even after 2007's WRTL Supreme Court case, which made it easier to run candidate-referential broadcast advertising before elections, running a 527 is actually still harder than people might imagine. (Trust me, I've done it.) 

It is a little known fact that while 527s can seek to influence the issue debate in an election year, they risk everything if they focus on outright personal attacks on candidates for federal office. That means Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko and whatever other phony non-policy matter conservatives want to air is almost entirely off-limits to a 527.

Interestingly, at the same time their efforts to affect the race for the White House have been small, conservative and business groups fueled by oil companies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are spending like crazy in Senate races.  And casino mogul Sheldon Adelson's Freedom's Watch is still spending a little in House races. (Albeit far short of the $250 million they threatened in January.)

As for Accountable America, our mission has always been broader than our work aimed at exposing and explaining the financing, leadership and objectives of conservative and business groups. That work serves our greater goal of achieving sound, progressive public policies on the big issues like the economy, energy and national security.

We will begin new projects over the next month focused on these and other issues. After the election, the transition will be the critical point to push for policy commitments by the next president and Congress. We will be actively involved in that effort, and we expect the same groups on the right that now are talking about candidates to turn their attention to blocking real progress on all fronts.  Election Day isn't the end--it's the beginning.

Until then, we expect conservative and business groups to spend most of their budgets in these last four weeks, but those efforts will be well shy of what they and their allies spent in 2004. That is a win for Accountable America and for all of us.

We will remain vigilant. And the $100,000 reward offer is still on the table.

In what one report called a "mirror image" of Accountable America, the conservative group Americans for Limited Government (ALG) is sending letters to liberal donors warning them about the risks of their contributions.

The letter is signed by ALG's chairman Howie Rich. In the letter he writes:

Your name has been put in our database. We are monitoring all reports
of a wide variety of leftist organizations. As your name appears in
subsequent reports, it is our intent to publicize your involvement in
your local community. Should any of these organizations be found to be
engaged in illegal or questionable activity, it is our intent to
publicize your involvement with those activities. You should know that
instances of coordinated voter fraud are surfacing all across America
and investigations into possible criminal coordination are underway.

ALG's president, Bill Wilson, told The Politico that: 

"We've looked at it as fair warning. A number of these groups have
had no problem stepping over the line with the FEC in the past," said
Wilson. "The people funding them should be aware of what's going on."

ALG's Chairman Howie Rich is a New York millionaire real estate developer who has spent his fortune on various ballot measures and other conservative
activity. He is sometimes described as a libertarian.

Attached to the letter is a memo to Howie Rich from attorney Frank Northam of the firm Webster, Chamberlain & Bean. In the memo, which was made public when it was attached to ALG's letter to thousands of people, the conservative-allied law firm lays out many of the risks for groups and donors engaged in the sort of activity conducted by Freedom's Watch, the American Issues Project, Veterans for Freedom, American Futures Fund and other conservative groups. The memo describes the investigatory powers of the FEC and some of the consequences of election law violations.

As for Accountable America, well, all we've got to say is "Thanks for the legal memo from a conservative law firm. It will work well in our next mailing to conservative donors."

Download and read the Americans for Limited Government cover letter >>

Download and read the full Webster, Chamberlain & Bean legal memo >>

UPDATE: The website www.howierichexposed.com
by the progressive Ballot Initiative Strategy Center has been hounding
Rich for his advocacy. If you want to send a message to Howie Rich you can contribute online to BISC by clicking here.