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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Right Change
Purpose: Though claiming to be nonpartisan, the group has run all anti-Obama ads.
Executive Director: Tim Pittman
Funding: According to IRS reports, the group received almost $5.5 million from its president, Fred Eshelman, who is also the CEO of PPD, a pharmaceutical research firm in North Carolina.
Cost of the Ad: $500,000
Where It Ran: Washington, D.C., and North Carolina through the middle of this week.
Claims: Fighting terror has cost America almost $1 trillion. The ad implies that Sept. 11 was responsible for the current economic crisis. After quoting Joe Biden's much-repeated remark about a crisis early in an Obama presidency, the ad says Obama's policies undermine counterterrorism efforts.
Accuracy: Congressional Research Service puts the price tag for the war on terror at $864 billion since Sept. 11 (PDF). Although Biden predicted an international crisis, he made no mention of the crisis being related to terrorism. There have been many reasons given for the probable cause of the economic crisis (Alan Greenspan, globalization, Wall Street). Sept. 11 fails to make the short list. Experts on terrorism agree that Obama's counterterrorism policy is actually very similar to current U.S. policy.
Background: Eshelman has been donating to the Republican cause for years. Two other board members are Republican legislators from North Carolina. The group's first ad made no mention of Obama's name but clearly referred to his tax plan. Until now, the attack ads have focused on Obama's tax plan being bad for Americans.
Swift Boat Rating: 
Invoking the Sept. 11 attacks is a cheap scare tactic. The ad also implies that Sept. 11 caused the financial crisis (unfounded) and that Obama's policy on terrorism would leave the United States vulnerable but offers no reasoning for this claim.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Public Campaign Action Fund
Purpose: To promote publicly financed elections and hold politicians accountable for their sources of campaign money.
Director: David Donnelly, co-author of Are Elections for Sale?
Funding: MoveOn.org contributed $400,000 for this ad.
Cost of the Ad: According to IRS reports, the group paid a little more than $1 million to a political consulting firm in October for media production and placement. The group's press release says that the media buy was six figures.
Where It Ran: Tallahassee, Fla., Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., and national cable through Nov. 3.
Claims: John McCain loves gambling and has gambled with lobbyists in their own casinos. Gambling interest groups have contributed $1 million to McCain.
Accuracy: The Las Vegas Review Journal wrote an in-depth analysis about McCain's ties to gambling, personal and campaign-related. An investigative piece by the New York Times reported that McCain gambled with a lobbyist of a casino he oversaw while he was on the Senate Indian affairs committee. The Center for Responsive Politics reports that the casino/gambling industry gave $276,276 to McCain and $178,094 to Obama. According to the Review Journal article, a liberal watchdog group estimates McCain has received $951,000 in donations. Wynn Resorts, one company mentioned in the article, contributed $158,500 to the RNC in 2008, according to the Center For Responsive Politics.
Swift Boat Rating: 
The claims made in the ad are accurate. It's hard to pinpoint an exact amount of contributions or fundraising from the gambling industry, but $1 million seems like a fair estimate.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Let Freedom Ring
Purpose: To promote a conservative agenda and to counter liberal messaging. In this election, they support John McCain.
President: Colin A. Hanna
Funding: NPR reports that John Templeton, a physician and wealthy Republican donor, is a contributor.
Cost of the Ad: $5 million for the whole campaign.
Where It Ran: Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., starting Oct. 24.
Claims: Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Frank Gaffney says that candidates who are determined not to use force or invest in a strong military convey "weakness" that "invites aggression." (He doesn't explicitly name Obama.) The ad then quotes Joe Biden's statement that "it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama."
Accuracy: Frank Gaffney writes editorials theorizing that Islamist groups are using Obama to take over the United States. The ad implies that Obama is determined not to use military force or to maintain a strong military. Both of these claims are false. In fact, both Obama and McCain want to expand the armed forces. In a 2007 speech, Obama said, "I will not hesitate to use military force to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to America. ... I will ensure that our military becomes more stealth, agile, and lethal in its ability to capture or kill terrorists." The Biden statement, made at a rally in Seattle, is accurate.
Background: The group's Never Find Out campaign features individuals addressing Obama's tax plan, energy plan, and use of the present vote in the Illinois Senate. Other ads have attacked Obama on his comments about small-town Pennsylvanians, his position on the Employee Free Choice Act, and offshore drilling. Ronald Reagan nominated Gaffney for assistant secretary of defense; Gaffney served for seven months until the Supreme Court blocked the nomination.
Swift Boat Rating: 
Biden did warn Americans that an international crisis would test Obama. But the ad's implications—that Obama would not use force and would weaken the military—are inaccurate. The ad gets an extra boat for featuring Gaffney, who is not the most credible spokesperson.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Republican
Jewish Coalition PAC
Purpose: To
advocate for issues relevant to Jewish Republicans. In this election, they
oppose Barack Obama.
Executive Director:
Matthew Brooks, who also directs the Jewish Policy Center.
Funding: Individual
donations.
Cost of the Ad: More
than $1 million.
Where It Ran: Florida, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania
through Election Day.
Claims: Obama
would meet with leaders of unfriendly countries during the first year of his
administration. Hillary Clinton said she would not. She also said Obama's stance
was irresponsible and naïve.
Accuracy: Obama
and Clinton's responses are taken from the July 2007 CNN/Youtube Democratic
Primary debate in South Carolina.
(Watch their complete responses here.) As some have pointed
out, Obama never explicitly said he would meet with Ahmadinejad-only that
he would consider sitting down with unnamed leaders. (The questioner did not
specifically name the leaders, but a picture of Ahmadinejad was shown.) Clinton, in an interview
with the Quad City Times, called
Obama's comments "naïve and frankly irresponsible."
Background: Formerly
the National Jewish Coalition, the RJC lobbies on behalf of Jewish interests. The
PAC has contributed
heavily to state candidates in the past. They were responsible
for some pretty nasty attacks on Howard Dean in 2005. Last month, the group received
sharp criticism for a poll that asked Jewish voters to respond to negative
statements about Obama. One polled voter happened to be a writer for the New Republic
and blogged
about his experience.
Swift Boat Rating:
Obama has reiterated his intention to meet with leaders of
anti-American countries. The ad leaves interpretation up to the viewer.
-
See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are:
Health Care for America
Now
Purpose: To
support quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
Director: The national campaign manager is
Richard Hirsch, previously executive director of Citizen Action, an
organization that helped the poor find insurance in New York state.
Funding: The
organization has received a $10
million dollar grant from the Atlantic Philanthropies as well as $500,000 a
piece from their 16 steering
committee members, which include MoveOn.org,
the Center for American Progress
Action Fund, and the recently
targeted community-organizing group ACORN.
Cost: $1 million,
part of a larger $4.3 million dollar ad buy that will air similar ads against
congressional candidates.
Where It Ran: The
ad aired on national cable and major markets in Ohio for two weeks starting Oct. 8.
Claims: The ad is
narrated by a woman with cancer who says that John McCain’s health care plan
could cause 20 million people lose their employer-provided health insurance
plans. Those with existing conditions like her, she says, would not be able to
get a new plan.
Accuracy: John
McCain’s health care
plan would give families a $5,000 dollar tax refundable tax credit to
purchase health insurance while reducing incentives that encourage employers to
provide their employees with coverage. The main thrust of the ad – that 20
million people would lose their insurance if John McCain’s plan were instituted
– is supported by a recent
paper published in the journal Health
Affairs and a follow-up
report (PDF) by the Economic Policy Institute. These studies argue that, with
fewer tax incentives, fewer businesses will offer insurance plans. The
Commonwealth Fund has documented
the difficulty of finding health care individually after losing an
employer-sponsored plan and the Kaiser Family Foundation including in the case
of breast-cancer
survivors (PDF) and other individuals with pre-existing conditions. However,
another
recent study (PDF), by the health system consultant HSI, argued that McCain’s plan would in
fact reduce the number of uninsured people by 20 million. And a Tax
Policy Center report (PDF) lands in the middle, agreeing that McCain’s proposal
would cause 20 million to lose or leave their employer-sponsored program but
saying also that overall the proposal would decrease the number of uninsured by
one million as 21 million bought non-employer-sponsored plans, including some
of those who lost their employer-sponsored plans.
Factcheck.org
has examined McCain’s proposal and found a consensus among health care experts
that McCain’s proposal would most likely cause employers to reduce the coverage
offered. Their report also stated that while some would benefit from the
adjustment of incentives, the old and unhealthy would probably get the short
end of the stick, as Jane Bryant Quinn argued in Newsweek.
Swift Boat Rating:
Several studies state that around 20 million people could
lose their employer-sponsored coverage, though the ad doesn’t mention that many
would likely get non-employer plans. That being said, many health care experts agree
with the assertion that McCain’s plan would make it harder for people like the woman
portrayed in the ad to secure health insurance.
Background: Health
Care for America Now is a coalition of non-profits and public officials. Obama
has signed their statement of
principles.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: MoveOn.org Political Action
Purpose: To elect progressive candidates. In this election, they support Barack Obama.
Founders: Joan Blades and Wes Boyd
Funding: Federal PACs cannot accept donations greater than $5,000, so MoveOn.org relies mostly on small donations. The group has deep pockets, though. According to FEC reports, it spent $1,152,073 to oppose John McCain and another $4,008,667 to support Obama as of Oct. 19, 2008.
Cost of the Ad: The ad is part of a $7 million fall campaign.
Where It Ran: Las Vegas on Oct. 20, plus other cities the day before Sarah Palin visits them until Election Day. A $25,000 ad buy was purchased for Cleveland, Toledo, and Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 21 and 22.
Claims: Sarah Palin doesn't have any national-security experience. Even though she supports the war, she can't explain Bush's war policies. Palin has claimed to be an expert on Russia because she can see it. Because McCain is 72, Palin could end up in charge.
Accuracy: Palin regularly dodges questions related to her foreign-policy or national-security experience. The campaign has pushed her position as commander of the Alaskan National Guard as important foreign-policy experience, but a closer look reveals that any decision to deploy the Guard would not fall under her jurisdiction. In an interview with Charles Gibson, Palin was unable to say whether she supported the Bush Doctrine. (That said, Gibson's definition of the Bush Doctrine was challenged.) Palin has voiced support for the Iraq war and even said it was a "task from God." When asked by Gibson to talk about her experience with Russia, she said that she can see Russia from Alaska. At 72, McCain would be the oldest president elected to a first term, and his health has been a topic of concern in the campaign.
Background: MoveOn.org is no newcomer—it spent $30 million in the 2004 election, the fourth largest amount spent by a PAC. So far in this election, it has spent just more than half of its 2004 total. The FEC fined the group in 2004 for not properly reporting donations and expenditures to the FEC even though it was acting as a political action committee. Jonathan Cranin, responsible for the E*Trade "Baby" and MasterCard "Priceless" commercials, produced the ad.
Swift Boat Rating:
The McCain campaign has tried to equate Palin's energy and Alaska National Guard experience with foreign-policy experience. The truth is, they have a hard time nailing down anything she has actually done.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: pH For America
Purpose: To persuade Americans that Barack Obama is not a good Christian.
Director: Stephen Marks, opposition researcher and self-described "political hit man."
Funding: Small donations
Cost of the Ad: Less than $1,000 to produce. The latest ad buy was $2,500.
Where It Ran: Starting Oct. 17 in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Missouri.
Claims: Obama "insulted small-town Americans" when he said they are bitter and cling to guns and religion. He also "mocked and ridiculed" the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy and the Sermon on the Mount by taking passages "painfully out of context." Obama "condescendingly" implied that Americans don't read the Bible.
Accuracy: In an event in San Francisco, Obama did say that some Americans, such as small town Pennsylvanians, "cling to guns and religion."*
As for the Bible, the clips in the ad come from Obama's 2006 "Call to Renewal" address, in which he responded to opponent Alan Keyes' claim that Obama was not a true Christian. Obama did mock Biblical verses, but he was trying to prove his point that literal interpretation makes no sense. And the problem isn't "context," as the ad suggests. Leviticus creates a set of rules regarding slavery. (Slave is used in some translations, and servant is used in others.) Deuteronomy suggests that a rebellious son be brought to the town's elders to be stoned to death.
At the end of that same paragraph, Obama says, "Folks aren't reading their bibles." But it's pretty clear that he's not talking about the American people—he's talking about Americans who interpret scripture literally.
Background: The pH in the group's name stands for "political hit man." This group clearly had the infamous Swift Boat ad of 2004 in mind when they created this ad: "pHForAmerica.com is hoping to become the ‘Swiftboat' 527 of 2008," states the group's Web site. Stephen Marks has created political ads in the past. The group's videos (there are one-minute and two-minute versions), which have been on Youtube for months, garnered a direct response from the Obama campaign, which called Marks a "scam artist" and said the ad would never be aired on TV. The group bought time earlier this month in Michigan and Pennsylvania but pulled the ad after it became clear those states were leaning Democrat.
Swift Boat Rating:
Obama did mock Bible verses, but only the literal meaning of them. By suggesting that Obama is not a true Christian, the ad plays to people's fears that he might be something else entirely. It's this insinuation that earns the spot an extra boat (although apparently that's what the ad's makers want).
Correction, Oct. 16, 2008: This piece originally said that Barack Obama made his "guns and religion" statement in Pennsylvania.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Service Employees International Union
Purpose: To promote the interests and values of laborers. In this election, they support Barack Obama.
President: Andy Stern
Funding: According to FEC reports, a lot of funding comes from group employees themselves, including Anna Burger and Andy Stern, who each contribute around $300 a month. Other funding comes from the union's two million members.
Cost of the Ad: $1 million
Where It Ran: Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Oct. 6 through Oct. 10, 2008.
Related Groups: To see SEIU connections, check out this graphic from the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Claims: John McCain's health care plan will raise taxes and deny coverage for pre-existing conditions such as cancer. McCain will also tax health benefits.
Accuracy: The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that McCain's health plan would not raise taxes for most families and that it would most negatively affect high-income earners. McCain's Web site states that those with pre-existing conditions will "get the high-quality coverage they need." But it doesn't say how that will happen. The McCain plan will encourage people to buy health insurance plans from private companies instead of through their employer, and these private companies would all have different rules about pre-existing conditions. McCain proposes a family tax credit of $5,000; the average cost of health care for a family of four was $12,100 in 2007. If an employee does not purchase an employer-sponsored health care plan, employers could opt to pay the health benefits—an average of $8,800—to the employee as wages. Families could use this extra income to make up the difference between the tax credit and insurance premium. But McCain would remove the tax exemption from this amount, which would then be taxed as income.
Background: SEIU has historically been one of the most active groups in presidential elections, and spent $12 million in 2004. According to the FEC, SEIU has spent nearly $20 million to support Obama and almost $2 million to oppose McCain as of Oct. 9.
Swift Boat Rating:
It's fair to say that McCain will tax health benefits, but the other two claims are a bit off. McCain's plan does not regulate private companies' stances on covering pre-existing conditions—it would leave that up to each individual company. Nor would his plan raise taxes for middle-class families—the $5,000 tax credit would be enough to subsidize the majority of health care plans.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Judicial Confirmation Network
Purpose: The group supports conservative nominees to the Supreme Court. In this election, they oppose Barack Obama.
President: Gary Marx, former coalitions director for Bush-Cheney 2004 and Mitt Romney.
Funding: The group is a registered 501(c)4, funded through individual donations.
Cost of the Ad: $550,000 in a $1 million campaign.
Where It Ran: Michigan, Ohio, and nationally on the Fox News Channel through Friday, Oct. 10.
Claims: Tony Rezko, a slumlord who was convicted on 16 counts of corruption, donated money to Obama. Obama also associated with William Ayers, a member of the Weather Underground who planted a bomb in the Pentagon in 1972 and later said he "didn't do enough." The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for years, blamed the U.S. for the Sept. 11 attacks. If Obama "chose" these people as associates and backers, the ad suggests, how can we trust him to choose Supreme Court justices?
Accuracy: The majority of the facts in the ad are correct. Rezko started to donate to Obama's state senate campaign in 1995, although Obama recently gave Rezko donations to charity. Obama and Ayers worked together on the board of the same Chicago anti-poverty foundation for three years. Ayers, when he was a member of the Weather Underground, planted a bomb and later said it wasn't enough. Wright did say in a sermon that African Americans should not sing "God Bless America" but "God damn America." But the ad is wrong to equate this statement with blaming the U.S. for 9/11. It was another controversial Wright statement—"America's chickens are coming home to roost"—that suggests the U.S. is partly to blame.
Background: The group was created in 2004 to help President George W. Bush's nominations get confirmed in the Supreme Court. The group campaigned heavily for Samuel Alito's confirmation.
Swift Boat Rating:
Although the facts in the ad are essentially correct, suggesting that these associations have anything to do with Supreme Court nominations is a stretch.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: WakeUpWalMart.com
Purpose: To change Wal-Mart's business strategy and the way the corporation treats employees. In this election, they oppose John McCain.
Campaign Director: Meghan Scott
Funding: United Food and Commercial Workers International Union
Where It Ran: Aired three times during the vice-presidential debate on CNN and MSNBC in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
Related Groups: UFCW
Claims: 1.6 million women are charging Wal-Mart with pay discrimination. When equal-pay legislation came to the Senate, McCain "helped defeat it."
Accuracy: In the largest class action suit to date, 1.6 million women sued Wal-Mart for discrimination regarding pay and promotions in 2004. McCain opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in April that would have made it easier for people to sue their employees on the basis of discrimination. McCain did not vote on the bill but voiced his opposition on the campaign trail.
Background: UFCW created the group in 2005 to directly challenge Wal-Mart. Although the group has aired one previous ad attacking McCain's economic plan, it has focused almost exclusively on Wal-Mart in the past. According to the Federal Election Commission, UFCW has spent $596,570 in support of Obama so far this election cycle.
Swift Boat Rating: 0 boats
The facts in the ad are all correct: 1.6 million women sued Wal-Mart, and McCain opposed the bill that would have made it easier for women to sue employers on the basis of discrimination.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
Purpose: Protecting endangered species by promoting the election of pro-environment lawmakers
Senior Director: William Lutz
Funding: According to the WSJ, the group is funded mostly by small donors.
Cost: The group says it spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for airtime but would not specify an exact amount.
Where It Ran: The ad has run in Florida, Ohio, and Michigan and will expand into Colorado and Northern Virginia.
Claims: The spot crosscuts between images of Sarah Palin and footage of aerial hunting, stating that Palin supported aerial hunting and also proposed a $150 bounty fee for the foreleg of any killed wolves in order to encourage the practice.
Accuracy: The ad describes the basics of Palin’s record correctly but fails to mention the rationale for aerial hunting, which supporters refer to as “predator control.” These proponents argue that killing gray wolves, which are abundant in Alaska though they have been on and off the endangered species list in the continental United States, is necessary to maintain sufficient levels of moose and caribou for subsistence hunters that rely on those animals for their food. Whether the policy really helps these hunters is another question. Various groups of scientists have also questioned the logic of the policy, saying it didn’t consider the imperative of maintaining predator populations. Critics have also said that predator-control operations should be limited to fish and game agents.
Swift Boat Rating:
The ad gets the essentials of Palin’s record right. While some may disagree with its characterization of aerial hunting, the characterization is not blatantly unfair.
Background: After Palin proposed the bounty on wolves’ forelegs, Defenders of Wildlife themselves filed a lawsuit that forced her to back off the policy.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Winning Message Action Fund
Purpose: A 501(c)4 nonprofit affiliated with NARAL Pro-Choice New York. The group advocates for reproductive rights. In this election, it opposes John McCain.
President: Kelli Conlin
Funding: Individual donors. Although they share staff with NARAL Pro-Choice New York, their finances are separate.
Cost of the Ad: Less than $10,000.
Where It Ran: Ran 92 times through SaysMeTV on various networks and markets. Airtime was never purchased for this ad. Instead, Winning Message Action Fund uses a company called SaysMeTV that allows individuals to pay to air the ad on networks ranging from BET to Animal Planet. For example, one ad in the Indianapolis suburbs on CNN between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. costs $45. Airtime for this ad was mostly purchased in Pennsylvania.
Related Groups: NARAL Pro-Choice New York and National Institute for Reproductive Health.
Claims: McCain opposes Roe v. Wade and thinks it should be overturned. If it were overturned, 21 states would immediately start to ban abortions, making them illegal. The ad asks the question, “How much time should she serve?”
Accuracy: McCain explicitly states on his Web site that Roe v. Wade was a “flawed decision that must be overturned.” The Center for Reproductive Rights released the “What if Roe Fell” report (PDF) in 2007. On Page 10 of this report, it states that 21 states are at high risk for banning abortion. But only four states—Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota—have enacted bans-in-waiting that would outlaw abortion as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned. Bans-in-waiting don’t violate federal law because they don’t go into effect unless Roe v. Wade is overturned and therefore wouldn’t require legal action to be enacted. The report lists jail time as the punishment for many of the states’ statutes. But in all four ban-in-waiting statutes, the punishments are for the person who performs the abortion, not the woman who receives it.
Background: The ad started as an Internet campaign in August, funded for TV by individuals. But the organization will start purchasing its own airtime this month. The organization is still unsure if it will use the “How Much Time" ad or create a second one.
Swift Boat Rating:
John McCain opposes Roe v. Wade, but the group’s 21-state estimate is a bit exaggerated. There is evidence that these 21 states could move to ban abortion, but nothing implies that action would be immediate. No statutes currently in existence would send a woman to prison for having an abortion—it’s an idea that’s commonly used as a scare tactic.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Citizens for Open and Responsive Government
Purpose: To combat what they see as unfair attacks on candidates or unacceptable campaign activity. The group has opposed state-level Republican candidates in the past, but in this presidential election they support McCain.
Director: Carlton Saffa
Funding: Small individual donations.
Cost of the Ad: Prefer not to release.
Where It Ran: Colorado, Sept. 22-26
Related Groups: None
Claims: John McCain cannot use a keyboard or computer because of war injuries sustained in Vietnam. This is in response to the Obama campaign’s "Still" ad, which mocks McCain’s inability to use a computer or send an e-mail. The spot also quotes Joe Biden calling the initial Obama ad “terrible.”
Accuracy: The claim that McCain cannot use a computer because of his war injuries isn’t entirely true. In an interview with the New York Times, McCain said he is learning how to use a computer, which suggests he can use one, at least to a limited extent. (Plus, many people physically worse-off than McCain manage to use computers.) Biden did call the ad “terrible,” but later issued a follow-up statement saying that he had been reacting to press accounts without actually seeing the ad.
Background: Saffa says CORG decided to film the ad because it felt the issue was being ignored by the mainstream media. Lt. Col. Mike Fairhead, the veteran in the video, was also injured in the Vietnam War.
Swift Boat Rating:
Using a veteran who also sustained war injuries is a bit melodramatic. Does he even know McCain? Obama’s ad did mock John McCain’s inability to use a computer, but it didn’t mock his disabilities. The ad was using his computer illiteracy, along with other examples, to argue that McCain is out of touch with Americans.
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See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: The American Issues Project
Purpose: Promoting conservative values
Founder: Ed Martin, former chief of staff to Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt
Funding: The organization recently named Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons as its sole funder, to the tune of $2.87 million. IRS reports show that Simmons gave $3 million to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004.
Cost: $2.87 million
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Click here for the first installment of Swift Boat Watch.
Who They Are: Brave New PAC
Purpose: Brave New Films, which produces the PAC’s ads, is a 501(c)4 nonprofit. In the 2008 presidential election, it opposes John McCain.
President: Robert Greenwald
Funding: Democracy for America paid for half of the ad.
Cost of the Ad: $50,000, according to the group and an FEC report (PDF) listing expenditures by both Brave New PAC and Democracy for America.
Where It Ran: Nationally on MSNBC and CNN, for three days.
Related Groups: Brave New Films, Democracy for America
Claims: A former POW and colleague of McCain’s states that being a prisoner of war is “not a good prerequisite for a president.” He then talks about McCain’s “volatile” temper. McCain “is not somebody I’d want to see with his finger near the red button,” he says.
Accuracy: The ad is mostly opinion, so there isn’t a whole lot of fact-checking to be done. Butler wrote an opinion piece for the military back in March in which he explains his relationship with McCain at the Naval Academy and at the Hanoi Hilton and why he won’t be voting for him come November. But McCain’s temper has made more than a few appearances in the media during his campaigns. (See here, here, and here.)
Background: This ad began as a four-minute video but was trimmed down to a palatable 30-second spot for TV. The group mostly relies on viral videos, rather than big TV buys, to get publicity .
Swift Boat Rating:
It’s reminiscent of the Swift Boat ad four years ago that challenged candidate John Kerry’s war record. The statements made in the anti-Kerry ad, however, were found to be false or exaggerated. It’s hard to fact-check one guy’s opinion.
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Every campaign season, independent groups on both sides drop huge sums on attack ads targeting the presidential candidates. Sometimes, people even notice. (See: Boat Veterans for Truth, Swift.) But, for the most part, they sail under the radar.
So in case you’re not living in a swing neighborhood of a swing district of a swing state, where these ads air constantly, Trailhead will be tracking the latest ads from these 527s—so named for their tax-code status—and other independent groups, such as 501(c)4s, that are diving into the fray. We’ll tell you who’s behind them, what they want, and just how sneaky their claims are. Depending on this last part, we assign between one and four Swift Boats.
Who: BornAliveTruth
Founder: Jill Stanek, former nurse and anti-abortion activist.
Funding: Raymond Ruddy, pro-life philanthropist from Massachusetts, donated $350,000 for the ad after Stanek contacted him.
Cost of the Ad: $350,000
Where it ran: Ohio and New Mexico
Claims: Barack Obama voted “no” on the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois, which would have provided legal protection to infants born alive during abortions and unlikely to survive.
Accuracy: Obama opposed the bill in 2001 and 2002 as a backdoor attack on abortion. He said, though, that he would vote for it if it included a “neutrality clause” that would prevent it from affecting Roe v. Wade. But when a version with a neutrality clause came to the floor in 2003, Obama again voted “no.” The ad is correct about Obama’s voting record, but the group takes some liberties with the reasoning behind his votes. (Check out Factcheck.org’s analysis here.)
Background: Gianna Jessen, an abortion survivor, narrates the short spot. Her story is corroborated with her birth certificate, which says she was born during an unsuccessful third-trimester saline abortion. Jill Stanek, the group’s founder, worked as a registered nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill. After discovering that the hospital performed “partial birth abortions,” she began publicly advertising the fact. Stanek and Jessen both testified before Congress in 2000 and lobbied heavily to get the 2002 federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act passed.
The group originally listed its purpose on IRS forms “informing the public of Barack Obama's support of infanticide,” but after talking to lawyers this summer, Stanek says, they changed their description to "inform the public about issues related to laws concerning infants who are born alive after unsuccessful abortions." Stanek says the group’s core goal is still the same. (See the group’s original filing here and the amended filing here.)
Swift Boat Rating:
While in the Illinois State Senate, Obama did vote “no” four times to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, even when the bill contained the neutrality clause. The ad’s claims are accurate even if the logic is a bit off.