Anti-McAuliffe "Documentary" Continues Citizens United's Long History Of Dishonest Propaganda

If the Citizens United “documentary” on Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe looks like a right-wing hack job, don’t be surprised. The group, known primarily for the Supreme Court decision that helped pave the way for the proliferation of outside spending in elections, has churned out viciously dishonest propaganda for years.

The very film that spawned the landmark campaign finance case was a transparent attempt to trash Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primary by calling her a “congenital liar” and “the closest thing we have in America to a European socialist” – and it isn’t even the most inflammatory Citizens United production in recent years. “Celsius 41.11,” a response to Fahrenheit 9/11, juxtaposed images of Hitler, 9/11, and dead children with Michael Moore, John Kerry, and anti-war protesters. The group’s 2008 Obama hit job claimed that Obama “thinks infanticide is acceptable.” And “America At Risk,” Newt Gingrich’s Islamophobic film warning that a “war will go on until the entire world either embraces Islam or submits to Islamic rule,” was also a Citizens United Production.

That kind of incendiary rhetoric is the norm for Citizens United and its leaders, co-founder Floyd Brown and president David Bossie, whose resumes are full of panned ad campaigns and electoral strategies. Brown was behind the behind the infamous 1988 “Willie Horton” ad, which exploited racial fears by linking crimes committed by Horton, who is African-American, to a program authorized by Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis when he was governor of Massachusetts. Two decades later, Brown was still putting together controversial ads, including a 2008 spot drawing a connection between then-candidate Obama and Chicago gang murders. He also authored a “vicious” book on Bill Clinton, accusing the Democrat of “promoting witchcraft and fostering blasphemy,” in which Brown gave special thanks to segregationist and White Citizens Council leader Jim Johnson.

Bossie has been president of the organization since 2001, a position he assumed after nearly a decade as the group’s director of political affairs, during which time he relentlessly sought to undermine President Clinton. A former investigator for the House Oversight Committee, Bossie was dismissed in 1998 after releasing transcripts of phone calls that had been edited to implicate Hillary Clinton in a scandal at her former law firm. Together, Brown and Bossie co-authored Prince Albert, a 192-page hit job on Al Gore.

In addition to its films and ad campaigns, Citizens United consistently lends financial support to extreme right-wing candidates through its political action committee. Among the recipients of Citizen United contributions in recent years are Reps. Michele Bachmann, Allen West, Steve King, and Todd Akin. Furthermore, one of Citizens United’s affiliates has endorsed McAuliffe’s opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, and given him over $100,000 since 2008 – not including the cost to produce Citizens United’s anti-McAuliffe movie.

Highlights

Citizens United Founder Floyd Brown Was Behind Racially Incendiary “Willie Horton” Ad Attacking Michael Dukakis. According to McClatchy, “Brown is among the nation’s best-known conservative political knife throwers. This is the fellow responsible for the ‘Willie Horton’ television ad that helped derail the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign in 1988. […] It came as Dukakis was competing with George H.W. Bush for the presidency in 1988. The television ad showed a menacing mug shot of Willie Horton, who is black. A narrator then said that Horton ‘murdered a boy in a robbery, stabbing him 19 times. Despite a life sentence, Horton received 10 weekend passes from prison. Horton fled, kidnapped a young couple, stabbing the man, and repeatedly raping his girlfriend. Weekend prison passes – Dukakis on crime.’ Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts and had allowed the furlough program. Critics said the ad preyed on racial fears. Even some Republicans were offended.” [McClatchy, 7/12/07]

Brown Wrote “Vicious” Anti-Clinton Book “Slick Willie” That Gave Special Thanks To White Citizens Council Segregationist. According to Salon, “Soon Brown found a new cause in the destruction of the Clintons — and a new mentor in the person of Jim Johnson, the Arkansas segregationist whose hatred for the progressive young Southern governor dated back to the ’60s. Known as ‘Justice Jim’ because he had served on the highest court in the state, Johnson earned permanent status as a symbol of unreconciled racism for his role in the 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School, where ‘patriots’ like him brought worldwide shame to the United States. For years he sought to intimidate blacks and liberal whites in Arkansas as the leader of the White Citizens Council, a country club version of the Ku Klux Klan, whose official newsletter unashamedly referred to ‘niggers’ and threatened violence against integration. […]When Brown’s Presidential Victory Committee published ‘Slick Willie,’ a vicious ‘biography’ of Clinton that accused him, among other sins, of coddling Arkansas blacks, promoting witchcraft and fostering blasphemy, the acknowledgments included a ‘special thanks’ to the aging segregationist.” [Salon, 4/25/08]

Brown Is Behind 2008 Ad Seeking To Tie Obama To Chicago Gang Murders And International Terrorism. According to Salon, “There is nothing remarkable in the sudden reappearance of right-wing con man Floyd Brown, whose latest venture is an inflammatory television ad now airing in North Carolina that attempts to blame Barack Obama for gang murders in Chicago (and international terrorism, too).” [Salon, 4/25/08]

Citizens United President David Bossie Was Fired As House Oversight Committee Investigator After Leaking Phone Conversations Edited To Implicate Hillary Clinton In Scandal. According to the Washington Post, “Bossie was fired as an investigator for the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee after overseeing the release of recordings of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s phone conversations with Whitewater figure Webster L. Hubbell. The tapes were edited to create the impression that Clinton was involved in billing irregularities at the Arkansas law firm where she and Hubbell worked.” [Washington Post, 8/29/06]

Bossie Was Involved With Conspiracy Theories About Vince Foster And Bill Clinton Affairs. According to Esquire, “Citizens United was launched by a guy named Floyd Brown in 1988 to race-bait Michael Dukakis with the face of Willie Horton. Bossie signed on in 1992, just in time for the rise of Bill Clinton He prospered — and truly made his bones — in the fragrant anti-Clinton underworld of the 1990’s. It was Bossie who pursued the mother of one alleged Clinton paramour into a hospital where the woman was visiting her sick husband. He got fat on the corpse of Vince Foster, hiring on as an investigator to crackpot conspirator Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana, the guy who shot a melon in his backyard in an attempt to prove that Foster could not have committed suicide.” [Esquire, 8/27/12]

Citizens United Movie “Celsius 41.11” Juxtaposes Images Of Michael Moore, Hitler, And John Kerry. According to the New York Times, “If you didn’t know where the new film ‘Celsius 41.11’ was coming from you certainly get the picture when the filmmakers cut from an image juxtaposing Michael Moore with Hitler straight to an image of John Kerry and John Edwards. If the juxtaposition weren’t so shameless, if the political climate were not so scurrilous, if the country were not actively at war and men, women and children were not dying in that war, this composite triumvirate of Moore-Hitler-Kerry might be easy to laugh off. As it is, it’s a depressing indicator of our political discourse and what passes as nonfiction film these days.” [New York Times, 10/22/04]

Citizens United Production “Hillary: The Movie” Film Features Woman Suggesting Clintons Had Her Cat Assassinated. According to Mother Jones, “An alleged victim of the former president’s sexual advances, Kathleen Willey, appears in the film a decade after her moment on the national stage. Willey shows extensive signs of plastic surgery and paranoia and reprises some of the material from her recent book, Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton. In a taut-lipped interview, she suggests that after her name surfaced in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against Bill Clinton, the Clintons arranged to have her kitty assassinated. Willey, who attended last night’s screening, says she got an anonymous phone call taunting her about her missing cat and later discovered a cat skull on her porch. She says a private investigator tipped her off that the White House was having her investigated. (The investigator, a pockmarked Jared Stern, also appears in the film like some sort of Deep Throat, interviewed in a parking garage.)” [Mother Jones, 1/15/08]

In Anti-Obama Movie “Hype,” Abortion Opponent Claims Obama “Thinks Infanticide Is Acceptable.” According to the Huffington Post, “‘Hype: The Obama Effect’ is a new movie attacking the Democratic candidate from David Bossie and Citizens United, a far-right group which was started in 1988 to run the infamous racist “Willie Horton” ads against Michael Dukakis. […] The usual lies about Obama’s stand on abortion are offered by Jill Stanek, who claims that ‘Obama is so extremely radically supportive of abortion that he thinks infanticide is acceptable…’ Of course, that’s nonsense. Obama objected to an Illinois bill banning infanticide after botched abortions (which was already illegal) because it might endanger abortion rights. When provisions to protect existing abortion rights were finally added in 2005 (after Obama left the state senate), the bill was passed. Obama has never regarded infanticide as acceptable.” [Huffington Post, 9/26/08]

Citizens United-Produced “America At Risk” Is Newt Gingrich’s Alarmist Film About The “Threat Of Radical Islam.” According to the Guardian, “Gingrich is ‘realistic’ about the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, according to Adelson. He has endorsed the conspiracy theory that Muslim organisations are using a strategy of ‘stealth jihad’ to infiltrate sharia law into US institutions. Speaking to the American Enterprise Institute in July 2010, Gingrich said: ‘I believe sharia is a mortal threat to the survival of freedom in the United States and in the world as we know it.’ He favours a federal law to ban sharia from US courts and has said he would require American Muslims to make a loyalty declaration before serving in his administration. With his wife Callista, he produced and narrated a 2010 film on the threat of radical Islam, entitled America at Risk: The War With No Name. Bernard Lewis, who coined the phrase ‘clash of civilisations’, appears in the film, saying: ‘This war will go on until the entire world either embraces Islam or submits to Islamic rule.’” [The Guardian, 1/28/12]

Background

Citizens United Professes To Be “Dedicated To Restoring Our Government To Citizens’ Control.” According to the Citizens United website, “Citizens United is an organization dedicated to restoring our government to citizens’ control. Through a combination of education, advocacy, and grass roots organization, Citizens United seeks to reassert the traditional American values of limited government, freedom of enterprise, strong families, and national sovereignty and security. Citizens United’s goal is to restore the founding fathers’ vision of a free nation, guided by the honesty, common sense, and good will of its citizens.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Is A 501(c)4 With Multiple Affiliates. According to the Citizens United website, Citizens United “is a non-profit company organized under Section 501(c)4 of the federal tax code” and affiliated with the Citizens United Foundation, The Presidential Coalition and the Citizens United Political Victory Fund. [Citizens United.org, accessed 7/25/13; CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Foundation, A 501(c)3, Is “Dedicated To Informing The American People About Public Policy Issues Which Relate To American Values.” According to the Citizens United website, “Citizens United Foundation (CUF) is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit dedicated to informing the American people about public policy issues which relate to traditional American values: strong national defense, Constitutionally limited government, free market economics, belief in God and Judeo-Christian values, and the recognition of the family as the basic social unit of our society. CUF does not involve itself in any political campaigns, lobbying, or other activities.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

The Presidential Coalition, A 527, “Exists To Educate The American Public On The Value Of Having Principled Conservative Republican Leadership At All Levels Of Government.” According to the Citizens United website, “The Presidential Coalition exists to educate the American public on the value of having principled conservative Republican leadership at all levels of government. The Presidential Coalition achieves this mission through issue advocacy campaigns and candidate contributions.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Political Victory Fund, A PAC, “Exists To Support True Conservative Candidates Running For Federal Office.” According to the Citizens Untied website, “Citizens United Political Victory Fund exists to support true conservative candidates running for federal office through direct candidate advocacy and contributions, based on our in-depth candidate research and surveys.” According to the Citizens United Political Victory Fund website, “Citizens United Political Victory Fund (CUPVF) is registered with the Federal Election Commission as a separate, segregated fund of Citizens United. Its mission is to support conservative candidates running for federal office who share Citizens United’s vision of reducing the size and scope of government, lowering taxes, cutting spending, promoting traditional family values, and winning the war on terror.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13; CUPVF.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Formed Its Own Super PAC In 2011. According to the Sunlight Foundation, “Citizens United, whose court challenge to rules barring political spending by corporations has led to far-reaching changes in the campaign finance landscape, has formed its own Super PAC, allowing it to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. Paperwork for the new committee — Citizens United Super PAC LLC — was received by the Federal Election Commission on … Friday and posted on its website this morning.” [Sunlight Foundation, 6/14/11]

Citizens United Productions “Is The Documentary Film Production And Marketing Arm Of Citizens United.” According to the Citizens United website, “Citizens United has a variety of different projects that help it uniquely and successfully fulfill its mission. Citizens United is well known for producing high-impact, sometimes controversial, but always fact-based documentaries filled with interviews of experts and leaders in their fields. Citizens United Productions (CUP) is the documentary film production and marketing arm of Citizens United. CUP has produced films with Newt & Callista Gingrich, Dick Morris, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Fred Thompson, and many other stars of the conservative movement.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Was Plaintiff In Supreme Court Case That Overturned Longstanding Campaign Finance Rules. According to Common Cause, “During the 2008 election, a conservative non-profit organization named ‘Citizens United’ produced Hillary: The Movie, a documentary critical of then-Sen. Hillary Clinton. Because of the political nature of the movie and the fact that Citizens United intended to purchase airtime on a video on-demand service on cable television, the movie was deemed an ‘electioneering communication’ by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and was therefore subject to the rules governing the production of political ads, including limitations on who may fund them. Citizens United sued in federal court to overturn the decision, lost and appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held two hearings on the case and its ruling ultimately went far beyond what the plaintiffs had sought. The 5-4 decision permits corporations, unions and other special interests to spend as much as they like to advocate the election or defeat of political candidates. Laws that bar those interests from contributing directly to candidates remain in place but the ruling lifted controls on political giving that had been in place for decades.” [CommonCause.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Floyd Brown, Founder

Brown Founded Citizens United In 1988. According to McClatchy, “Citizens United is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that Brown founded in 1988.” [McClatchy, 7/12/07]

In Late 1980s, Brown Ran Lucrative “Americans For Bush” Political Group. According to Salon, “Meanwhile, Brown and his cronies became rich as well as infamous, operating as an independent political committee called ‘Americans for Bush’ and hauling in millions of dollars from direct-mail and telemarketing appeals. Between 1986 and 1988, the committee’s parent organization, known as the National Security Political Action Committee, raised over $9 million, far more than it spent on the cheapo Horton ad or any of its other activities.” [Salon, 4/25/08]

Brown Was Behind Racially Incendiary “Willie Horton” Ad Attacking Michael Dukakis. According to McClatchy, “Brown is among the nation’s best-known conservative political knife throwers. This is the fellow responsible for the ‘Willie Horton’ television ad that helped derail the Michael Dukakis presidential campaign in 1988. […] It came as Dukakis was competing with George H.W. Bush for the presidency in 1988. The television ad showed a menacing mug shot of Willie Horton, who is black. A narrator then said that Horton ‘murdered a boy in a robbery, stabbing him 19 times. Despite a life sentence, Horton received 10 weekend passes from prison. Horton fled, kidnapped a young couple, stabbing the man, and repeatedly raping his girlfriend. Weekend prison passes – Dukakis on crime.’ Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts and had allowed the furlough program. Critics said the ad preyed on racial fears. Even some Republicans were offended.” [McClatchy, 7/12/07]

Brown Chaired Independent Presidential Victory Committee Working To Reelect George H.W. Bush In 1992. According to Dennis W. Johnson’s book No Place for Amateurs, “Floyd Brown’s aggressive research tactics during the 1992 presidential campaign illustrate the seamy side of opposition research. Brown was involved in the creation of the Willie Horton commercials in 1988; in 1992, he headed the Presidential Victory Committee, and independent group that backed George Bush.” [Dennis W. Johnson, No Place for Amateurs: How Political Consultants are Reshaping American Democracy, 2001]

In 1992, Brown Set Up 900 Number To Play Tapes Of Bill Clinton Talking To Gennifer Flowers. According to Seattle Times columnist Erik Lacitis, “In 1992, you might remember news stories about a $4.99 phone line in which you got to hear the infamous tapes of Gennifer Flowers talking on the phone with Bill Clinton. That was another Floyd Brown creation. The cable companies that were supposed to run the ads refused, but Brown accomplished his goal. He put Gennifer Flowers back in the news.” [Seattle Times Column, 8/4/96]

Bush 41 Called Phone Line “Sleaze That Diminishes The Political Process.” According to Seattle Times columnist Erik Lacitis, “George H.W. Bush, the Republican president at the time, repudiated the Flowers phone line ‘as the kind of sleaze that diminishes the political process.’ Clinton press secretary Mike McCurry once accused Brown of being ‘personally responsible for some of the sleaziest politics this country has seen.’” [Seattle Times Column, 8/4/96]
Bush Filed An FEC Complaint Against Group. According to Salon, “Also in 1992, President George H.W. Bush, repudiating Bossie’s tactics, filed an FEC complaint against Bossie’s group after it produced a TV ad inviting voters to call a hot line to hear (almost certainly doctored) tape-recorded conversations between Clinton and Gennifer Flowers.” [Salon, 7/20/04]

Brown Wrote “Vicious” Anti-Clinton Book “Slick Willie” That Gave Special Thanks To White Citizens Council Segregationist. According to Salon, “Soon Brown found a new cause in the destruction of the Clintons — and a new mentor in the person of Jim Johnson, the Arkansas segregationist whose hatred for the progressive young Southern governor dated back to the ’60s. Known as ‘Justice Jim’ because he had served on the highest court in the state, Johnson earned permanent status as a symbol of unreconciled racism for his role in the 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School, where ‘patriots’ like him brought worldwide shame to the United States. For years he sought to intimidate blacks and liberal whites in Arkansas as the leader of the White Citizens Council, a country club version of the Ku Klux Klan, whose official newsletter unashamedly referred to ‘niggers’ and threatened violence against integration. […] When Brown’s Presidential Victory Committee published ‘Slick Willie,’ a vicious ‘biography’ of Clinton that accused him, among other sins, of coddling Arkansas blacks, promoting witchcraft and fostering blasphemy, the acknowledgments included a ‘special thanks’ to the aging segregationist.” [Salon, 4/25/08]

Brown Co-Authored Hit Job Book “Prince Albert: The Life And Lies Of Al Gore.” According to Salon, “The inimitable Floyd Brown, former political director of Americans for Bush, for instance, co-wrote a scathing paperback indictment of Bush’s opponent, ‘Prince Albert: The Life and Lies of Al Gore.’ […] Brown funds a Washington state conservative group, Citizens United, which is run by David Bossie, ‘Prince Albert’ co-author and former investigator for Republican Rep. Dan Burton. ” [Salon, 8/25/08]

Brown Started A Site Dedicated To Impeaching Obama. According to the Huffington Post, “He also started a site dedicated to impeaching Obama, writing in 2009 on a right-wing website, ‘Barack Hussein Obama a very dangerous man and one of the greatest threats to your personal liberty today.’ ‘For the international socialist movement of which Barack Obama is a card-carrying member,’ said Brown in September, ‘the U.S. must be brought to its knees, and I guarantee you that Barack Hussein Obama is doing everything he can to bring the country to its knees. He wants to bring it to its knees.’” [Huffington Post, 11/12/10]

David Bossie, President

Bossie Has Been President Of Citizens United And Its Affiliated Foundation Since 2001. According to Citizens United’s website, “David N. Bossie has served as president of Citizens United and Citizens United Foundation since 2001.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Bossie Is Also Chairman of the Board. According to Citizens United’s website, David Bossie serves as Chairman of the Board. [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/29/13]
Bossie Started At Citizens United As Director Of Political Affairs In 1992. According to Salon, “Bossie joined Citizens United in 1992 as its director of political affairs, which he quickly transformed into a full-time job of hounding the Clintons.” [Salon, 7/20/04]

Bossie Is Also President Of Citizens United Productions. According to Citizens United’s website, “As president of Citizens United Productions, Bossie has produced 21 documentaries since 2004, including the award winning Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous With Destiny, Broken Promises: The United Nations at 60 with the late Ron Silver, and Perfect Valor, a documentary narrated by Senator Fred Thompson about the service and sacrifices of our troops in Iraq. More recently Citizens United Productions has done films with Governor Mike Huckabee, The Gift of Life, and Senator Rick Santorum, Our Sacred Honor.” [CitizensUnited.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Bossie Founded The Presidential Coalition, A Citizens United Affiliate. An archived version of The Presidential Coalition’s website identifies David Bossie as the group’s founder. In addition, the site reads, “As an affiliate of Citizens United The Presidential Coalition was organized to teach Americans about the significance of having Republican leadership throughout all levels of government. The conservative principles that Republican leaders believe in have made our country what it is today. The Presidential Coalition teamed up with Dick Morris to promote the conservative values that we believe in. Dick Morris has played a pivotal role in advancing The Presidential Coalition’s mission of stopping the liberal agenda. He, like the rest of the top Conservative supporters, is concerned and ready to do his part to make America great again.” [PresidentialCoalition.com, captured 2/15/12]

Bossie Was Fired As House Oversight Committee Investigator After Leaking Phone Conversations Edited To Implicate Hillary Clinton In Scandal. According to the Washington Post, “Bossie was fired as an investigator for the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee after overseeing the release of recordings of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s phone conversations with Whitewater figure Webster L. Hubbell. The tapes were edited to create the impression that Clinton was involved in billing irregularities at the Arkansas law firm where she and Hubbell worked.” [Washington Post, 8/29/06]

While Working For Oversight Committee Bossie Also Deceptively Obtained, Then Leaked, Official’s Confidential Phone Logs To The Press. According to Roll Call, “In November 1996, Bossie joined Burton’s staff as an investigative coordinator and almost immediately created a stink when he leaked confidential phone logs of then-Commerce Department official John Huang to the press after misleading the International Relations Committee to get them.” [Roll Call, 5/11/98]

Bossie Was “A Ready Promoter Of Stories About President Bill Clinton’s Sexual And Ethical Lapses, Proved And Otherwise.” According to the Washington Post, “David N. Bossie earned a reputation as a relentless sleuth — or right-wing hit man, depending on one’s political persuasion — during his years as a high-profile Republican congressional investigator and conservative activist. Through the 1990s, Bossie spent much of his time assembling caches of documents to push his admittedly ideological agenda. He was a ready promoter of stories about President Bill Clinton’s sexual and ethical lapses, proved and otherwise.” [Washington Post, 8/29/06]

Bossie Pursued Rumor About Woman Committing Suicide After Affair With Bill Clinton. According to Salon, “That same year, Bossie set out to prove that a young pregnant woman named Susan Coleman had committed suicide in 1977 after having an affair with Clinton. Coleman’s mother told CBS that Bossie hounded her relentlessly with his false story, even following her to an Army hospital in Georgia, where she was visiting her husband, in recovery from a stroke. Bossie and another man ‘burst into the sick man’s room and began questioning the shaken mother about her daughter’s suicide,’ CBS reported.” [Salon, 7/20/04]

Bossie Promoted Iraq War. According to Salon, “In early 2003, Bossie’s group released a pro-Iraq War commercial starring former Tennessee senator and ‘Law and Order’ actor Fred Thompson — to ‘combat the left-wing propaganda’ Bossie asserted was coming from Hollywood. Bossie also made TV appearances to rail against France for its Iraq stance and call for an American boycott of French products.” [Salon, 7/20/04]

Bossie Co-Authored Hit Job Book “Prince Albert: The Life And Lies Of Al Gore.” According to Salon, “The inimitable Floyd Brown, former political director of Americans for Bush, for instance, co-wrote a scathing paperback indictment of Bush’s opponent, ‘Prince Albert: The Life and Lies of Al Gore.’ […] Brown funds a Washington state conservative group, Citizens United, which is run by David Bossie, ‘Prince Albert’ co-author and former investigator for Republican Rep. Dan Burton. ” [Salon, 8/25/08]

Citizens United Productions

Celsius 41.11 (2004)

NYT: Celsius 41.11 Is “A Didactic Screed That Has All The Verve Of A Powerpoint Presentation And All The Subtlety Of A Homeland Security Red Alert.” According to the New York Times, “A didactic screed that has all the verve of a PowerPoint presentation and all the subtlety of a Homeland Security red alert, ‘Celsius 41.11’ is finally interesting only because it represents another unconvincing effort on the part of conservatives to mount a viable critique of Mr. Moore. It also suggests that the right’s gifts for spinning ideology into compelling narrative, so evident during the Reagan administration, have gone missing. […] The filmmakers state that the title ‘Celsius 41.11’ represents ‘the temperature at which the brain begins to die.’ It’s unclear if they intend for the title to represent what happens when you watch Mr. Moore’s film or their own, or whether it’s simply some sort of elegant and pointed self-diagnosis.” [New York Times, 10/22/04]

NYT: Celsius 41.11 Juxtaposes Images Of Michael Moore, Hitler, And John Kerry. According to the New York Times, “If you didn’t know where the new film ‘Celsius 41.11’ was coming from you certainly get the picture when the filmmakers cut from an image juxtaposing Michael Moore with Hitler straight to an image of John Kerry and John Edwards. If the juxtaposition weren’t so shameless, if the political climate were not so scurrilous, if the country were not actively at war and men, women and children were not dying in that war, this composite triumvirate of Moore-Hitler-Kerry might be easy to laugh off. As it is, it’s a depressing indicator of our political discourse and what passes as nonfiction film these days.” [New York Times, 10/22/04]

NYT: Celsius 41.11 Seeks To “Make You Afraid – Very, Very Afraid” With Images Of 9/11, Anti-War Protests, And Dead Children. According to the New York Times, “What Mr. Knoblock, Mr. Chetwynd and Mr. Steinberg want to do with their movie is make you afraid — very, very afraid. And so, in between talking heads expounding on American policy and international politics and extolling the vision and virtues of President Bush (commentators include the Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes, the American Enterprise Institute scholar Michael A. Ledeen and, rather less to the film’s credit, the critic Michael Medved), the film presents a vision of the world verging on the apocalyptic. Less savvy propagandists than Mr. Moore, the ‘Celsius 41.11’ filmmakers apply their thesis with a trowel. The film opens with the image of the second World Trade Center tower being hit by a plane, and returns to the attack, with the towers in flames and then tumbling, again and again. The filmmakers make their political line of reasoning clear when they soon follow this Sept. 11 imagery with snippets of antiwar demonstrations. One nitwit protester defends dictatorship (she is for it if it means health care for everyone), a slice of loony nonsense that is followed by images of dead children. As with most of the news material folded into ‘Celsius 41.11,’ it is impossible to know who these children are or who killed them. Other images, including that of a woman in a burka being executed, remain similarly unidentified.” [New York Times, 10/22/04]

NYT: Celsius 41.11 Relies On A “Terrorism Expert” Who Is Actually A Burned Clinton Fundraiser With Financial Interests In The Middle East. According to the New York Times, “‘Celsius 41.11’ also proves that watching is not necessarily enough when it comes to nonfiction film, a rule that is true for every film of every political stripe, even to those without an ostensible agenda. The truth of that dictum is most egregiously evident in ‘Celsius 41.11’ with Mansoor Ijaz, one of its most alarmist talking heads, who is initially introduced simply as a ‘terrorism expert.’ […] So who is Mr. Ijaz? Well, among other things, he is a nuclear physicist and chairman of Crescent Investment Management. In a 1997 interview with Mr. Ijaz published in The Washington Post, Crescent was described as having a $2.7 billion investment portfolio, much of it on behalf of Middle East governments. […] The ‘Celsius 41.11’ filmmakers do not reveal the degree to which Mr. Ijaz is invested in the Middle East or just how intimately familiar he was with the nonsense of the Clinton White House. In a 1997 article in The New York Times… Jill Abramson wrote, ‘Sometimes a donor gets, in return for his efforts, a slap in the face. Mansoor Ijaz, a New York businessman, raised more than $500,000 for the Democratic cause and met with senior officials in the White House, the State Department and Congress to push for normalizing ties with Sudan, where Mr. Ijaz has business interests. Last week, the State Department announced stiffer sanctions against Sudan for sponsoring international terrorism.’” [New York Times, 10/22/04]

Border War (2006)

LAT: “Border War” Features “An Awful Lot Of Talking But Surprisingly Little For A Viewer To Latch Onto Besides A Transmitted Sense Of General Anxiety And Outrage.” According to the Los Angeles Times, “As in his previous films, Knoblock uses his basic premise as more of a springboard than a foundation, zipping from one tangent to another without synthesizing a fundamental argument or building a singular premise. Placing these stories side by side has no additive power, as Knoblock’s clumsy juxtapositions and tenuous connections never gain momentum and the different strands seem to be constantly jockeying for the viewer’s attention. As rhetoric, ‘Border War’ is scattershot and anecdotal, featuring an awful lot of talking but surprisingly little for a viewer to latch onto besides a transmitted sense of general anxiety and outrage, and an insistence that an unspecified ‘something’ must be done to solve this ‘problem.’” [Los Angeles Times, 9/1/06]

Hillary: The Movie (2008)

“Hillary: The Movie” Was “A Frontal Assault On The Character And Alleged Dark Ambitions” Of Clinton. According to The Daily Beast, “His first big effort was Hillary: The Movie, a frontal assault on the character and alleged dark ambitions of the former first lady—who, Bossie assumed, would be the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee. Hillary was ready for its rollout just as the Democratic primary season heated up, but the FEC and a federal court declared that the film and its ads (one of which featured political consultant Dick Morris proclaiming ‘Hillary is the closest thing we have in America to a European socialist’) were clearly ‘electioneering communications,’ and thus banned from airing near the date of a primary election. Bossie appealed, and, two years later, the John Roberts court gave him a victory.” [The Daily Beast, 8/21/12]

Hillary: The Movie Features Interviews With Conservative Figures, Including Dick Morris, Ann Coulter, And Newt Gingrich. According to the official website for Hillary: The Movie, “With nearly 40 in-depth interviews with experts, opinion makers, and many of the people who personally locked horns with the Clintons, this is the film you need! The cast to end all casts includes: Dick Morris, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Jeff Gerth, Buzz Patterson, Michael Barone, Billy Dale, Cyrus Nowrasteh, Tony Blankley, Dick Armey, Bay Buchanan, Joe Connor, Mark Levin, Frank Gaffney, Peter Paul, Gary Aldrich, Dan Burton, John Mica, Michael Medved, Kathleen Willey, Kate O’Beirne, Larry Kudlow and more! If you want to hear about the Clinton scandals of the past and present, you have it here! Hillary The Movie is the first and last word in what the Clintons want America to forget!” [HillaryTheMovie.com, accessed 7/25/13]

Hillary: The Movie Describes Clinton As “A Congenital Liar,” “Not Qualified,” And “The Closest Thing We Have In America To A European Socialist.” According to Slate, “In 2008, a conservative group called Citizens United produced Hillary: The Movie, a 90-minute documentary in which Hillary Clinton, then seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, is variously described as ‘deceitful,’ ‘ruthless,’ and ‘cunning,’ as well as ‘dishonest,’ ‘reckless,’ a ‘congenital liar,’ and ‘not qualified as commander in chief.’ For ideological balance, Dick Morris says that ‘Hillary is the closest thing we have in America to a European socialist.’ The movie did not expressly urge voters to vote against her. It simply implied that friends don’t let friends vote for evil people.” [Slate, 3/24/09]

“Hillary: The Movie” “Raises A New Slew Of Charges To Spin The New York Senator As A Cross Between Machiavelli And Lady Macbeth.” According to Mother Jones, “Created by the conservative political group Citizens United, the anti-Hillary movie makes the Democratic primary season look like a polite college-debate tournament. It hurls all the down-and-dirty opposition research her opponents have thus far declined to touch. Moreover, it doesn’t simply recycle the old anti-Hillary stuff; it raises a new slew of charges to spin the New York senator as a cross between Machiavelli and Lady Macbeth. The movie offers a preview of what the general election could look like should Clinton become the Democratic nominee. Despite far too much ranting by Ann Coulter and a few silly moments, the movie hits hard at Clinton’s weak spots and lands some solid punches that can’t be dismissed just because they come from the right-wing’s usual suspects.” [Mother Jones, 1/15/08]

“Hillary: The Movie” Film Features Woman Suggesting Clintons Had Her Cat Assassinated. According to Mother Jones, “Hillary dips briefly into some of the old Clinton scandals, including Bill’s well-documented skirt chasing. An alleged victim of the former president’s sexual advances, Kathleen Willey, appears in the film a decade after her moment on the national stage. Willey shows extensive signs of plastic surgery and paranoia and reprises some of the material from her recent book, Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton. In a taut-lipped interview, she suggests that after her name surfaced in the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against Bill Clinton, the Clintons arranged to have her kitty assassinated. Willey, who attended last night’s screening, says she got an anonymous phone call taunting her about her missing cat and later discovered a cat skull on her porch. She says a private investigator tipped her off that the White House was having her investigated. (The investigator, a pockmarked Jared Stern, also appears in the film like some sort of Deep Throat, interviewed in a parking garage.)” [Mother Jones, 1/15/08]

Hype: The Obama Effect (2008)

“Hype” Is “Full Of Errors And Lies.” According to the Huffington Post, “‘Hype: The Obama Effect’ is full of errors and lies running throughout the movie. Ironically, like their own misguided vision of Obama, this documentary is slick and well-financed, but lacking in actual substance. Instead, it relies on a stream of false attacks on Obama.” [Huffington Post, 9/26/08]

Citizens United Sent Copies Of “Hype” To Readers Of Swing State Newspapers. According to the Associated Press, “Readers of Ohio’s three largest newspapers, along with papers in Florida and Nevada, are finding an anti-Barack Obama DVD in editions this week. Citizens United, a conservative advocacy group based in Washington, plans to release a 95-minute film in the five swing-state publications to highlight Obama’s record on abortion rights, foreign policy and his past associations, including his relationship with former pastor Rev. Jermiah [sic] Wright. The group said it planned to spend more than $1 million to distribute about 1.25 million copies of ‘Hype: The Obama Effect.’ ‘We think it’s a truthful attack. People can take it anyway they want,’ said David Bossie, Citizens United’s president. Readers of The Columbus Dispatch received their copy Tuesday. The Cincinnati Enquirer, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post and the Las Vegas Review-Journal are scheduled to receive them in coming days.” [Associated Press, 10/28/08]

In “Hype,” Abortion Opponent Claims Obama “Thinks Infanticide Is Acceptable.” According to the Huffington Post, “The usual lies about Obama’s stand on abortion are offered by Jill Stanek, who claims that ‘Obama is so extremely radically supportive of abortion that he thinks infanticide is acceptable…’ Of course, that’s nonsense. Obama objected to an Illinois bill banning infanticide after botched abortions (which was already illegal) because it might endanger abortion rights. When provisions to protect existing abortion rights were finally added in 2005 (after Obama left the state senate), the bill was passed. Obama has never regarded infanticide as acceptable.” [Huffington Post, 9/26/08]

“Hype” Connects Obama To Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, And Bill Ayers. According to the Huffington Post, “Of course, the familiar clips of Rev. Jeremiah Wright have a starring role in the documentary. […] A parade of clips of Louis Farrakhan spouting anti-white and anti-Semitic comments is justified by guilt by association with association, because Obama has no connection with Farrakhan but Obama’s former church had a newsletter that praised Farrakhan. The documentary even makes the extraordinary (and ridiculous) step of proposing geographical guilt by association, with the narrator ominously intoning: ‘Obama and Minister Farrakhan live within walking distance of one another.’ And of course, Bill Ayers is prominently featured.” [Huffington Post, 9/26/08]

“Hype” Tries To Connect Obama To Dirty Chicago Politics. According to the Huffington Post, “The movie focuses heavily on Chicago. Bob Barr falsely declares, ‘Barack Obama has his roots in the Cook County machine.’ Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson claims, ‘You can’t tell me he spent 18 years there [in Chicago], or however long he spent there, and no stories have resulted from that time.’ Proving that Carlson doesn’t bother to read, there is in reality a massive literature about Obama’s time in Chicago, all of it disproving the smears asserted in ‘Hype.’” [Huffington Post, 9/26/08]

In “Hype,” Dick Morris Promotes Fears Of Health Care Rationing. According to the Huffington Post, “Dick Morris claims that under Obama’s health care plan, there will be ‘rationing’ and doctors will be banned from providing health care: ‘it’s okay for him to perform an abortion, but if he gives you that bypass, he’s going to lose his license.’” [Huffington Post, 9/26/08]

America At Risk: The War With No Name (2010)

“America At Risk” Is Newt Gingrich’s Alarmist Film About The “Threat Of Radical Islam.” According to the Guardian, “Gingrich is ‘realistic’ about the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, according to Adelson. He has endorsed the conspiracy theory that Muslim organisations are using a strategy of ‘stealth jihad’ to infiltrate sharia law into US institutions. Speaking to the American Enterprise Institute in July 2010, Gingrich said: ‘I believe sharia is a mortal threat to the survival of freedom in the United States and in the world as we know it.’ He favours a federal law to ban sharia from US courts and has said he would require American Muslims to make a loyalty declaration before serving in his administration. With his wife Callista, he produced and narrated a 2010 film on the threat of radical Islam, entitled America at Risk: The War With No Name. Bernard Lewis, who coined the phrase ‘clash of civilisations’, appears in the film, saying: ‘This war will go on until the entire world either embraces Islam or submits to Islamic rule.’” [The Guardian, 1/28/12]

“Notably Anti-Obama” Film “America At Risk” Features Zuhdi Jasser And Frank Gaffney. According to The Nation, “An Arizona physician and founder of the nonprofit American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Jasser is a favorite in the cottage industry created to hype the threat of “creeping Sharia law.” He’s frequently presented as a representative of—and advocate for—“true” moderate Islam. […] More recently, Jasser made an appearance in Newt Gingrich’s 2010 documentary, America At Risk: The War With No Name, produced by Citizens United, the conservative group whose efforts to air its anti–Hillary Clinton documentary led to the Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited corporate money in campaigns. The release of the film roughly coincided with the Geller-created hysteria over Park51, as well as with Gingrich’s own calls to ban Sharia, warning of ‘a comprehensive political, economic and religious movement that seeks to impose sharia—Islamic law—upon all aspects of global society.’ The film is notably anti-Obama. […] In Gingrich’s film, Jasser maintains that he’s attempting to awaken his fellow Muslims who have nothing to read about their religion but Islamist propaganda. ‘The vast majority of Islamic literature that they can pick up and read teaches about the pre-eminence and supremacy of the Islamic state over every other society,’ he asserts. The narrator then ominously warns that Jasser’s push for the ‘separation of mosque and state’ has been ‘attacked in the American Muslim community.’ So while speakers in the film (including Gaffney, who has been shunned by some prominent conservatives because he is a ‘crazy bigot’) issue the disclaimer that they’re not talking about American Muslims writ large, the vaguely defined ‘American Muslim community’ is accused of ‘attacking’ the rare good Muslim.” [The Nation, 3/8/11]

Electoral Activity

2008

In 2008, Citizens United’s PAC spent over $100,000 To Oppose Sen. John McCain. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in 2008 Citizens United spent $101,722 against Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in the 2008 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

2010

In 2010, Citizens United’s PAC Spent Heavily In Support Of Sharron Angle’s Senate Bid. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, out of a total $546,711 spent on federal elections in 2010, Citizens United spent $207,779 in support of Sharron Angle’s attempt to unseat Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV). [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

2012

In 2012, Citizens United Supported Jesse Kelly In His Bid For Arizona House Seat. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, out of a total of $285,003 in independent expenditures, Citizens United spent $120,000 in support of Arizona Republican Jesse Kelly’s run for the House. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Jesse Kelly Was Hired By Citizens United After Losing Congressional Race. According to Politico, “Former Republican congressional candidate Jesse Kelly, who last month lost in his special election bid to replace Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), will join conservative advocacy group Citizens United as an executive, POLITICO has learned. Kelly will serve as the organization’s development director and lead fundraising and donor outreach efforts for Citizens United. The group gave $120,000 to Kelly during the special election campaign — more than any other outside group, federal records indicate.” [Politico, 7/10/12]

Citizens United Supported Richard Mourdock Against Dick Lugar In Republican Indiana Primary. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, out of a total of $285,003 in independent expenditures, Citizens United spent $48,150 in support of Richard Mourdock and $48,150 against Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) in the Indiana Senate race in 2012. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Supported Mitt Romney’s Presidential Bid. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, out of a total of $285,003 in independent expenditures, Citizens United spent $20,400 in support of Mitt Romney and 20,400 against Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential contest. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Contributions To Right-Wing Candidates

Citizens United Contributed $41,000 To Rep. Michele Bachmann. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United made donations to Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and her leadership PAC of $6,000 in the 2008 election cycle, $15,000 in the 2010 election cycle, and $20,000 in the 2012 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Contributed $30,000 To Rep. Allen West. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United made donations to former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) of $5,000 in the 2008 election cycle, $10,000 in the 2010 election cycle, and $15,000 in the 2012 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $25,000 To Rep. Steve Stockman. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) in the 2012 election cycle, and has donated $15,000 to Stockman in the 2014 election cycle to date. [Center for Responsive Politics, 7/25/13; FEC.gov, accessed 7/26/13; FEC.gov, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Contributed $21,000 To George Allen. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United made donations to former Sen. George Allen (R-VA) of $1,000 in the 2000 election cycle, $10,000 in the 2006 election cycle, and $10,000 in the 2012 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $20,000 To Rep. Steve King. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $15,000 to Rep. Steve King (R-IA) in the 2012 election cycle, and has donated $5,000 to King’s PAC, the Conservative Principles PAC, in the 2014 election cycle to date. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13; FEC.gov, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $15,000 To Sen. Ted Cruz. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $15,000 to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the 2012 election. [Center for Responsive Politics, 7/15/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $15,000 To Rep. Tom Cotton. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) in the 2012 election cycle, and has donated $5,000 to Cotton in the 2014 election cycle to date. [Center for Responsive Politics, 7/26/13; FEC.gov, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $10,000 To Rep. Paul Broun. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) in the 2012 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Contributed $10,000 To Rep. Todd Akin. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) in the 2012 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Contributed $10,000 To Richard Mourdock. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock (R-IN) in the 2012 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/25/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $21,500 To Josh Mandel. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to Ohio Treasurer and Senate candidate Josh Mandel (R-OH) in the 2012 election cycle, and has donated $11,500 to Mandel in the 2014 election cycle to date. [Center for Responsive Politics, 7/25/13; FEC.gov, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Gave $11,000 To Sharron Angle. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United gave Sharron Angle (R-NV) $1,000 in the 2006 election cycle and $10,000 in the 2010 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Gave Christine O’Donnell $10,000. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $10,000 to Christine O’Donnell in the 2010 election cycle. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/26/13]

Citizens United Has Contributed $6,000 To Rep. Louie Gohmert. According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Citizens United donated $5,000 to Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) in the 2012 election cycle, and has given him $1,000 in 2014 election cycle to date. [Center for Responsive Politics, accessed 7/26/13; FEC.gov, accessed 7/26/13]

Virginia

Presidential Coalition Has Endorsed Cuccinelli For Governor. According to The Hill, “A Republican poll gives state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) an 8 percentage point lead over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the race for Virginia governor, a reversal of an earlier poll released Thursday. The Presidential Coalition, an affiliate of Citizens United, has endorsed Cuccinelli in the race. ‘Terry McAuliffe is far too out of the mainstream with his liberal agenda for the Commonwealth of Virginia,’ David N. Bossie, president of Citizens United, said in a statement on the endorsement.” [The Hill, 5/16/13]

The Presidential Coalition Has Donated To Cuccinelli In This Race And Previous Ones. According to Politico, “The conservative group Citizens United has produced a scathing film about former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe and plans to spend six figures promoting it amid McAuliffe’s campaign for governor of Virginia, the group’s leadership told POLITICO. […]The McAuliffe campaign scoffed at the planned attack from Citizens United, pointing out that an affiliate group – called the Presidential Coalition LLC – has donated heavily to his Republican opponent over the years, including during the current race. ‘It’s no surprise that a fringe group that convinced Rick Perry to support outlawing abortions even in the case of rape or incest would add to the more than $100,000 they’ve already contributed to Ken Cuccinelli by launching false attacks on Terry’s record,’ McAuliffe spokesman Josh Schwerin said, alluding to another Citizens United film that reportedly convinced the Texas governor to shift his views on abortion to the right.” [Politico, 7/24/13]

The Presidential Coalition Has Contributed $110,000 To Ken Cuccinelli Since 2008. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, since 2008, The Presidential Coalition has donated $60,000 to Cuccinelli for Attorney General and $50,000 to Cuccinelli for Governor. [VPAP.org, accessed 7/25/13]

Presidential Coalition Spent Heavily In Virginia State Races In 2011. According to the Washington Post, “A political organization affiliated with the conservative advocacy group Citizens United has poured another $18,000 into state House and Senate races in Virginia , hoping Republican wins will send a message to President Obama that Virginia won’t go his way in 2012. The contributions by The Presidential Coalition, Citizens United’s tax-exempt, political fund-raising affiliate, bring its totals to $96,250 in Virginia during the 2011 election cycle — ‘with more to come,’ according to a news release announcing the donations Thursday. ‘The Presidential Coalition has spent nearly $100,000 in Virginia this cycle because it is a very important state, not just in 2011, but in 2012 as well,’ David N. Bossie, president of Citizens United, said in the release. ‘If Republicans capture the Virginia Senate, it will send a clear message to the White House. Virginia is key to a President Obama victory in 2012, and by winning these state races in 2011, the Obama campaign will have an even steeper mountain to climb going forward.’” [Washington Post, 9/29/11]