Romney Fundraiser Funded Hitler Ad
It’s been quite a week for smooth talking Mitt Romney. First he ignites a firestorm by quoting Fidel Castro in Miami. Now one of his leading fundraisers is linked to a campaign ad featuring Adolph Hitler. According to campaign finance records, Romney backer John Rakolta was one of the primary funders of a Michigan group responsible for hate-filled ads targeting Governor Jennifer Granholm in last year’s election. The ads, purchased by a group called Voice the Vote, featured images of Hitler and a swastika alongside Governor Granholm and Democratic Presidents Clinton, Carter, Johnson, and Roosevelt. Rakolta, who serves as Romney’s national finance co-chair and the co-chair of his Commonwealth PAC, and his wife each gave $5,000 to Voice the Vote last year. [Detroit Free Press, 3/14/07]
The news that one of Romney’s leading fundraisers backed a racist ad in Michigan comes days after the Washington Post reported that Bob Perry, who gave $4.5 million to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth’s campaign in 2004 to distort John Kerry’s military record, is now raising money for Romney. [Washington Post, 3/17/07] Romney’s decision to team up with Perry comes despite the fact that he once championed tough campaign finance proposals that would have limited the influence of people like Perry. In 2002 Romney “proposed taxing political contributions to finance publicly funded campaigns,” and in 1994 he “publicly advocated placing spending limits on congressional campaigns and abolishing political action committees (PACs).” [The Hill, 2/8/07]
With Alex Castellanos, who has been called “one of the fathers of the modern attack ad” heading his media team, it’s not hard to see what kind of campaign Rakolta and Perry are raising money for. [Salon.com, 3/15/04]
“With the voters rejecting his smooth talk, it looks like Mitt Romney’s campaign will take a decidedly nasty and desperate turn,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. “If Mitt Romney is serious about providing the American people an honest debate on the issues people care about, he needs to disavow the attack ads and the divisive, hatemongering campaign tactics championed by people like Bob Perry, John Rakolta and Alex Castellanos.”
Romney’s Smooth Talk Taking a Nasty Turn
Swift Boat Money Man Bob Perry Backing Romney. Bob Perry, a Texas homebuilder and one of the primary funders of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, has signed on to raise money for the presidential campaign of former Governor Mitt Romney. An invite to the Dallas fundraiser for Romney on March 26 includes Perry's name as a member of the governor's "Texas Leadership Team." [The Fix, Washington Post, 3/16/07]
Romney National Finance Co-Chair Backed Ad Comparing Democrats to Adolf Hitler. In 2006, the Detroit-based political action committee Voice the Vote ran an ad in the Michigan Chronicle newspaper that featured photographs of Hitler, Jennifer Granholm and former Democratic presidents. The ad claimed Granholm was the latest of a growing list of Democratic politicians to take the black vote for granted. [Detroit Free Press, 3/15/07]
Voice the Vote Bankrolled by Rakolta Family. Detroit political consultant Adolph Mongo solicited contributions from the families of John Rakolta and Peter Cummings to fund Voice the Vote political action committee. John Rakolta and his wife each donated $5,000 to Voice the Vote. The Cummings each contributed $5,000 to the group. [Detroit Free Press, 3/15/07]
John Rakolta Named as National Finance Co-Chair for the Romney Campaign. Romney named John Rakolta, Jr., as National Finance Co-Chair. Rakolta serves on Romney’s Florida statewide Finance Steering Committee. John Rakolta is also Romney’s former brother-in-law. [MichiganLiberal.com, 3/15/07; Romney Press Release, 2/22/07; Associated Press, 1/5/07]
Romney Ad Man Known for Vicious and Racially Divisive Ads. In 1990, Castellanos produced a racially divisive ad blasting Jessie Helms's challenger, Harvey Gantt, a black man, for his support of racial quotas. “The ad depicted a pair of white hands ripping up a rejection letter from an employer. ‘You needed that job and you were the best qualified, but they had to give it to a minority,’ the narrator says.” In 2000, Castellanos produced an infamous television ad for Bush against Vice President Al Gore’s prescription drug plan. In the ad, the word “RATS” flashes for a split second. Democrats accused Castellanos of using subliminal derogatory messages. Castellanos is “father of the modern attack ad.” He is known as “vicious [and] irresponsible.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/4/07; Boston Globe, 11/16/06; Salon.com, 3/15/04]
Jeb Bush Canned Castellanos Because of Vicious Ad. “In a 1994 spot for Jeb Bush, who was challenging Chiles for Florida governor, Castellanos tried to paint Chiles as soft on crime for refusing to sign a death warrant for the murderer of a 10-year-old girl. But it turned out that Florida courts were still hearing the killer's appeal, and some observers believe the backlash from the ad helped Chiles eke out a victory. Four years later, Bush ran a successful campaign with a different ad man.” [Boston Globe, 11/16/06]
