Cleta Mitchell Battles Obama Over NRA Ads
Former Oklahoma House member Cleta (Deatherage) Mitchell is in the middle of a battle between Barack Obama and radio and television stations airing anti-Obama commercials placed by the National Rifle Association.
Mitchell, who as a Norman Democrat in the State House once chaired the powerful appropriations committee, moved to Washington to practice law years ago. She now represents the NRA and is on the organization's board of directors.
The Obama campaign has written radio and television stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, pressing them to refuse to air the NRA commercial.
"This advertisement knowingly misleads your viewing audience about Senator Obama's position on the Second Amendment," says the letter from Obama general counsel Bob Bauer. "For the sake of both FCC licensing requirements and the public interest, your station should refuse to continue to air this advertisement."
The ad, "Hunter," compares Obama's anti-gun stances of the 1990s with his current, more pro-gun, stand, and was chided for inaccuracy in The Washington Post (which has long criticized and belittled the NRA), an item to which Bauer's letter refers.
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam, who provided the letter, said it shows clear evidence that the ads are "hurting him," and stood by their substance. He also provided a copy of the NRA's own letter to the stations from Mitchell and a memo disputing The Post story. He also said the radio ad is running only in Pennsylvania at the moment.
Mitchell, who as a Norman Democrat in the State House once chaired the powerful appropriations committee, moved to Washington to practice law years ago. She now represents the NRA and is on the organization's board of directors.
The Obama campaign has written radio and television stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, pressing them to refuse to air the NRA commercial.
"This advertisement knowingly misleads your viewing audience about Senator Obama's position on the Second Amendment," says the letter from Obama general counsel Bob Bauer. "For the sake of both FCC licensing requirements and the public interest, your station should refuse to continue to air this advertisement."
The ad, "Hunter," compares Obama's anti-gun stances of the 1990s with his current, more pro-gun, stand, and was chided for inaccuracy in The Washington Post (which has long criticized and belittled the NRA), an item to which Bauer's letter refers.
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam, who provided the letter, said it shows clear evidence that the ads are "hurting him," and stood by their substance. He also provided a copy of the NRA's own letter to the stations from Mitchell and a memo disputing The Post story. He also said the radio ad is running only in Pennsylvania at the moment.
Labels: Andrew Arulanandam, Barack Obama, Bob Bauer, Cleta Mitchell, NRA
posted by Mike McCarville @ 12:26 PM
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