Subject: [big campaign] AP: Conservative ties muddy McKenna's moderate appeal (how to tie ALEC to candidates)
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012 15:34:22 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

The Associated Press in WA finally ran our ALEC story on Republican Rob
McKenna that our WA affiliate (Fuse Washington) has been hammering on for
months. All the material in the beginning is from our exhaustive research
and public records requests this spring. The headline alone makes it all
worth it.

THIS is how c4 groups can maximize the heavily tarnished ALEC brand in the
next few weeks.

www.theolympian.com/2012/10/09/2279359/conservative-ties-muddy-mckennas.html
*
Conservative ties muddy McKenna's moderate appeal*

By MIKE BAKER | Associated Press • Published October 09, 2012

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Before casting himself as a moderate in the campaign for
governor, Rob McKenna met last year with members of a conservative group
that has been targeted by activists as being too extreme.

The invitation-only dinner allowed McKenna to speak with a small gathering
of corporate and political leaders, and he focused his remarks on efforts
to combat President Barack Obama's health care law. After the event at an
Olympia restaurant, the Republican sent a note to an organizer for the
American Legislative Exchange Council.

"Thanks again for the opportunity," McKenna wrote to Dann Smith, according
to records obtained by The Associated Press under public records laws.
"Congratulations on the success you're seeing with ALEC in Washington."

Over the past decade, McKenna has portrayed himself as a centrist fit to
lead this Democratic-leaning state. At the same time, he has worked closely
with conservatives who might give some independents pause: He raised money
for President George W. Bush, touted his work for ALEC members and has
attended tea party events to talk about the Constitution.

Now, part of McKenna's quest for governor has been a public relations
battle over whether his views are too conservative for Washington state.

A political action committee funded by unions has been running attack ads
with the message that McKenna is "not who he says he is." A recent ad from
the group tries to tie McKenna - in misleading or incorrect ways - to
Republican positions on abortion, the national budget and health care.

McKenna, meanwhile, has worked to tout the support he has from some
Democrats, a union of public school employees and an independent education
group.

He has also staked out positions that don't align with typical Republicans.
He supports the state's current laws on abortion. He believes illegal
immigrants should qualify for in-state tuition. He believes women should
have access to emergency contraception at all pharmacies. He says more
revenue will be needed to fund future transportation projects. He supports
the state's domestic partnership law - though he opposes gay marriage.

McKenna's campaign declined to comment on his work with conservative
groups, but his work for Bush is detailed in archived records from his
stint at the King County Council. At the time, he touted his work as a
fundraiser for Bush on his resume, saying he raised $15,000 at three
fundraisers before the 2000 election and volunteered at a phone bank,
according to documents reviewed by the AP. Other records indicate McKenna
later raised money in 2002 to support Bush's agenda as president.

ALEC has been the target of liberal activists in recent months for its
support of voter ID laws and so-called "Stand Your Ground" self-defense
laws, coordinating a campaign against the group in the wake of the shooting
of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. The organization brings together
companies and lawmakers to jointly develop model legislation that the
lawmakers then bring back to their states to pass - and that closed-door
coordination irks open government advocates.

Several companies have dropped participation in ALEC in recent months amid
public pressure.

McKenna spoke to ALEC in March at the Waterstreet Cafe in Olympia,
according to documents. ALEC organizers touted that members in attendance
included Walmart, AT&T and Koch Industries - the latter being another
flashpoint in politics because the Koch brothers are major funders for
conservative causes.

Records suggest McKenna focused his remarks on his involvement in a lawsuit
challenging Obama's health care law.

McKenna's appearances at tea party events also focused on the health care
issue and whether it was constitutional. Still, McKenna was never really a
tea party favorite - and another Republican, Shahram Hadian, ran in the
primary with support from the far right side of the party.

Unlike his Democratic counterpart Jay Inslee, who spent more than a decade
in Congress, McKenna lacks a long track record of votes that can help
people discern his political leanings, said Matt Barreto, an associate
professor of political science at the University of Washington. That's left
a sort of information vacuum that opponents are now trying to fill with the
new ads.

Barreto said McKenna needs to have broad appeal. Since Obama is expected to
win the state by a wide margin, McKenna needs to persuade some of the
president's voters to support a Republican later on their ballot. McKenna
has clearly been trying to distance himself from contentious Republican
leaders like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, but Barreto said his ties to
groups like ALEC can create problems.

"That framing of McKenna's politics could end up being extremely
important," Barreto said. "For a Republican to win here in Washington
state, they absolutely have to convince voters that they are a moderate -
that they are centrist."

Read more here:
http://www.theolympian.com/2012/10/09/2279359/conservative-ties-muddy-mckennas.html#storylink=cpy

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

CA: Courage Campaign
CO: ProgressNow Colorado
FL: Progress Florida
GA: Better Georgia
IA: Progress Iowa
MA: ProgressMass
MI: Progress Michigan
MN: Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM)
MO: Progress Missouri
NC: Progress North Carolina
NE: Bold Nebraska
NH: Granite State Progress
NM: Progress New Mexico
NV: ProgressNow Nevada
OH: ProgressOhio
PA: Keystone Progress
TX: Progress Texas
UT: Alliance for a Better Utah
VA: Progress Virginia
WA: Fuse Washington
WI: One Wisconsin Now (OWN)

Twitter: @ProgressNow
Facebook: ProgressNow

www.ProgressNow.org

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group.

To post to this group, send to [email-masked]

To unsubscribe, send email to [email-masked]

E-mail [email-masked] with questions or concerns
 
This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization.