Last Thursday in his speech at Bowie State University President Obama accused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of trying to steal our democracy by funding campaign activities with donations from foreign contributors. The chamber denied this charge immediately insisting donations from foreign nationals were not used for political campaigns (that has been illegal since the 1907 Tillman Act).
The White House produced no evidence to the contrary.
This weekend the Democratic National Committee escalated its assault with a TV ad claiming that former GOP National chairman Ed Gillespie and I even take in secret foreign money to influence our elections. The ad was referring to two groups for which Mr. Gillespie and I are informal advisers and fund-raisers: American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS.
Neither accepts foreign contributions.
Ed Gillespie chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee and former chair of the Republican National Committee
These smears were too much even for the New York Times which noted on Saturday that Democrats have offered no evidence that the chamber is using foreign money to influence the elections. Brooks Jackson of FactCheck.org wrote the next day that accusing anybody of violating the law is a serious matter requiring serious evidence to back it up. So far Democrats have produced none.
And when CBS anchor Bob Schieffer asked White House senior adviser David Axelrod for corroboration that the chamber was spending foreign money on American elections Mr. Axelrod answered
Well do you have any evidence that its not Bob? Mr. Schieffer incredulously responded Is that the best you can do?
So why is Mr. Obama making such an incendiary charge without any evidence? One explanation is that he is laying the foundation for an alternative narrativethe Democrats lost because Chinese campaign cash allowed Republicans to steal the election. Another is that the president is trying to fire up his partys base. But phony charges about campaign finance wont appeal to independent voters the true source of Democratic troubles this election. A third possibility is that Mr. Obama hopes to intimidate contributors to the Chamber of Commerce American Crossroads or Crossroads GPS. If so his tactic is backfiring. Crossroads and GPS have raised more than $14 million since he began his assault last week enabling them to become active in House races they werent targeting before. The most plausible explanation is that Mr. Obama wants to distract voters from the 9.6 unemployment rate. But if some West Wing geniuses really think voters will forget Mr. Obamas body of workthe lousy jobs picture failed stimulus package disastrous health-care law reckless spending and unprecedented deficitssimply by throwing dust in the air then the president should run off a few more senior aides. While most Americans are concerned about jobs Mr. Obama and congressional Democrats look like their only concern is keeping their own. When they hear the words Chamber of Commerce most Americans dont see a big white building on H Street in Washington D.C. but a storefront on Main Street in their hometown. The White House attacks reinforce a perception that Mr. Obama is antibusiness at a time when job creation is the issue that will decide this election. The smears about campaign money also open the president to charges of hypocrisy. Mr. Obama had no problems with liberal nonprofits keeping donor lists private as allowed by law (including when they run campaign ads). He never insisted that the unions that spent $450 million to elect him in 2008 disclose
their donorswho may include other unions or even private individuals.
Mr. Obamas own campaign refused to make public the names of more than 10 of its donors.
His press secretary Robert Gibbs worked in 2004 for a group that ran ads and didnt disclose its donors until after the primaries. His White House political director Patrick Gaspard came from the Service Employees International Union which doesnt disclose its campaign contributors and admitted earlier this week that it might be spending money from foreign nationals on this years elections. Are these two also a threat to our democracy to use the presidents words from last Thursdays speech?
Beyond all this Mr. Obama looks weirdly disconnectedand slightly obsessivewhen he talks so much about the Chamber of Commerce Ed Gillespie and me. The president has already wasted one-quarter of the campaigns final four weeks on this sideshow.
Congressional Democrats trying to eke out victories cant be happy when their president ignores the elections principal issues in favor of unsupported attacks of dubious significance. Bob Schieffer was right.
Is this really the best they can do?
Mr. Rove the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush.
