Crossroads Gps

An early television war fueled by independent groups is poised to shape the focus and landscape of the 2012 presidential race much as "tea-party"-backed organizations helped set the stage for Republican victories in 2010. This summer — a full 16 months before the general election — television viewers across the country are already confronting hard-hitting commercials jousting over President Obama's record on the economy. Such political ads are usually confined to places such as Iowa and New Hampshire at this point in the race.

The chairman of the Republican National Committee brushed off President Obama's record-fundraising announcement Wednesday, saying no amount of money can make up for the president's shoddy economic record. Reince Priebus, who inherited a national party machine deep in debt earlier this year, said despite the fact that Obama and the Democratic National Committee outraised all the GOP presidential contenders combined, there's little doubt that the eventual GOP nominee will be able to compete.

Likely fundraising front-runner Mitt Romney got an additional boost Tuesday when an outside group formed to support his campaign reported a $12-million haul for the first half of the year. Restore Our Future, a "super PAC" that can collect unlimited donations, was formed by several former Romney aides last year. "There is tremendous support across the country for Mitt Romney," the group's treasurer, Charlie Spies, said in a news release. "Americans are coming out in support of Gov. Romney because they are confident he has the experience to turn our economy around.

Hard-hitting and high-priced political ads are airing around the country this week, an early indication that the coming 2012 election campaign will set records for spending and broadcast acrimony. Crossroads GPS, the conservative-oriented advocacy organization founded in part by GOP strategist Karl Rove, confirmed Friday that it is launching a $5 million advertising buy attacking the Obama economic record. Wednesday morning, the Democratic-oriented group that sees itself as countering Crossroads -- Priorities USA -- announced its plan to buy more than $700,000 in advertising responding to the attack.

President Obama's reelection team has launched an invigorated effort to draw money from wealthy donors, buttressing the campaign against a potential decline in contributions from the everyday supporters who helped fuel his massive take in 2008. A new program called Presidential Partners asks supporters to commit $75,800 to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint project of the campaign and the Democratic National Committee. That would put Democratic contributors at the maximum they are allowed to give national party committees for the entire 2012 cycle — leaving then unable to donate to the party's congressional fundraising entities.

Crossroads GPS, one of the organizations founded by Karl Rove and other well-established Republicans last year to bolster the fortunes of conservative candidates, is launching on Monday a new television commercial (see video below) attacking President Obama’s economic policies – the first part of a staggering $20-million advertising campaign. The sharp-edged spot is slated to begin running Monday as part of an initial $5-million advertising buy that will appear on national cable news channels, as well as on local network affiliates in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada and Virginia.

Two former White House aides launched a pair of independent groups Friday to defend President Obama and fight the array of conservative efforts that poured money into the last elections, adopting the same tactics that have been condemned by the White House. Former White House Press Secretary Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, who served as a top aide to former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, said they were moved to create their own outside groups to fend off efforts by conservatives such as the Koch brothers and the groups American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, co-founded by Karl Rove.

Adopting tactics condemned by President Obama, two former White House aides launched a pair of independent groups Friday to defend him and fight the array of conservative efforts that poured money into last year's election. The move by former White House Press Secretary Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney, who served as a top aide to former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, confirmed the sharp reversal by Democrats on the use of undisclosed political spending. Burton and Sweeney said they were moved to create their own outside groups to fend off conservatives such as the Koch brothers and American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, independent groups co-founded by Karl Rove.

American Crossroads, a conservative group founded by Republican strategist Karl Rove and other party leaders, has raised more than $24 million since it was started this year, including $8 million in the first 13 days of October. Reports filed Wednesday night with the Federal Election Commission shed some light on the group's funding sources. Major donations flowed by way of Texas, the reports show. Bob J. Perry, a Houston home builder known for financing the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, contributed $7 million.

Whatever the outcome of the November congressional elections, the voters are already the losers. They are being inundated by attack ads paid for by organizations with benign-sounding names that refuse to identify their donors. Democracy 21, a campaign-spending watchdog group, estimates that as much as $300 million will be spent anonymously in this election cycle; voters will never know where the money came from. Consider this (misleading) attack on Sen. Barbara Boxer: " California seniors are worried.