Bluestem has been following the coverage of the NRCC's ads linking George Soros to Minnesota First Congressional District Democratic candidate Dan Feehan in our posts Letter: So. MN clergy, 'In wake of shooting, Hagedorn must denounce anti-semitic campaign'; Strib: Hagedorn's fearmongering and bombast wrong for district; Feehan right choice for MN01 and MN01: NRCC head defends anti-Semitic ads demonizing Soros and Dan Feehan.
Now the campaign of his Republican opponent, Jim Hagedorn, defends the ads that leaders in Minnesota's Jewish communities are condemning, John Molseed reports in Hagedorn campaign defends anti-Soros ad at the Rochester Post Bulletin:
In portraying Soros as a controlling hand, the ad plays into far-right conspiracy theories that spring from anti-Semitic prejudices, according to national spokespeople for groups including the Anti-Defamation League.
“This ad and all of our ads are made irrespective of religion, [Gregg Peppin, spokesman for 1st District Republican candidate Jim Hagedorn] said. “Our ads are policy-based.”
Rabbi Michelle Werner, of B’Nai Israel Synagogue in Rochester, said the depiction in and of itself is reminiscent of historic anti-Semitic campaigns.
“The depiction of a rich Jew radicalizing the world, that in and of itself is unconscionable,” Werner said. “It harkens back to other times in history when similar imagery was used, leading to campaigns of violence against Jews.”
Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas responded that the ad mars a campaign between two honorable candidates.
“The 1st Congressional District race features two honorable and hardworking candidates. Marring this spirit is the arrival of a television ad from an outside source using George Soros to invoke anti-Semitic stereotypes,” said Steve Hunegs, executive director of JCRC. “This week and for all time, there is no place for this in Minnesota politics.”
Those who might wish to engage in sketchy conspiratorial thinking of their own about the JCRC as being partisan pawns of the left should bear in mind that the group is anything but; indeed prominent Republican attorney Andrew Parker is on the group's board.
It's also interesting that the Post Bulletin reports that the Hagedorn campaign has control over the ad, which is paid for by the NRCC:
Peppin didn’t say whether Hagedorn and his campaign have specifically considered stopping the ad but said the campaign’s ads and its message are continuously reviewed.
That's a bit peculiar, in that the ad states that the NRCC is responsible for the ad. This language is required by FEC rules for independent expenditures:
Specific requirements for radio and television communications
In addition, for a radio or television communication that is not authorized by a candidate or the candidate’s authorized committee, a representative of the individual or group paying for the communication must state that “XXX is responsible for this communication,” where “XXX” is the name of the political committee or other person who paid for the communication.
In the case of a televised ad not authorized by a candidate, the disclaimer must include a statement that is conveyed by a full screen view of a representative of the political committee or other person making the statement, or a voice-over by the representative.
Both authorized and unauthorized television communications must also contain a “clearly readable” written statement that appears at the end of the communication. The written statement must occupy at least four percent of the vertical picture height, and it must be shown for a period of at least four seconds, with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the statement and the background.
Are the Hagedorn campaign and the NRCC coordinating on an independent expenditure? That would be one heck of a contribution from the NRCC. MPR's database Who is spending in your district? includes NRCC's spending in the First, including
$358,838.34 | October 12, 2018 | Media
$4,800.00 | October 12, 2018 | Media
$25,262.39 | October 11, 2018 | Media
Since Peppin states that the Hagedorn campaign can review the ads, we're surprised the spending isn't showing up in the campaign's campaign finance numbers at the Federal Election Commission.
This isn't the first time the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas reacted to anti-Soros attacks in Minnesota. In 2015, we reported #MN07 GOP Party Facebook page deletes post calling George Soros a "Nazi National Socialist":
Tonight on Facebook, [Jeremy] Kalin posted the screenshot along with this headnote:
Earlier today, the Minnesota 7th Congressional District Republican Party posted the following link and commentary on their Facebook page, calling a holocaust survivor a "Nazi" simply because they disagree with his politics.
This is despicable. I say this not as a former Democratic elected official but as an American, and as a Jew.
Clearly someone realized their error because the post has been removed. But all Minnesotans - particularly Minnesota Jews - deserve an apology. Enough already.
Ht to Sally Jo Sorensen and thanks to the Jewish Community Relations Council for responding as well.
We trust the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas to know anti-Semitism when it rears its ugly face. It's un-American.
Peppin, meanwhile, should review federal campaign finance rules. The JCRC is condemning the ad, after all, not the candidates. Sheesh.
Photo: screengrab of the offensive ad.
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