[EL] Check out Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free Success, After Calls fr...

Wed Sep 28 07:46:39 PDT 2011

Ford has not only denied being intimidated by the White House, they've
denied that the ad was pulled prematurely at all! In today's Detroit Free
Press, their spokesman, Todd Nissen, says, "These spots are scheduled for
certain periods and this one ran its normal course."
http://www.freep.com/article/20110928/BUSINESS07/109280355/Ford-denies-pressure-pull-ad

This is on Ford Motor Company's Facebook page right now:

"For those asking, the ad ran as part of a planned rotation and continues to
run online. It contains the unscripted comments of a Ford owner. We
supported emergency government support for our competitors and continue to
support the decisions we made."

See also this story in The Hill:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/184173-ford-pulls-anti-bailout-ad-after-white-house-call

This whole issue stems from a column by an anti-administration writer,
recycled by the National Review Online, and posted here by a member of the
RNC. "A partisan response," indeed.

-JR Lentini

On Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 10:09 AM, <JBoppjr at aol.com> wrote:

> **
>     I am perplexed by the Common Cause response to this.  The First
> Amendment protects citizens from government retaliation for their political
> speech.  So it is a oneway ratchet. All citizens enjoy this freedom against
> the government and it needs to be zealously guarded. So this is not
> the "give and take" that "what we expect and welcome in a free society."
> This is antithetical to a free society.
>
>     Unfortunately, there appears to be a partisan response to this event,
> but such "questioning" of political speech by high ranking governmental
> officials because of it content can occur with any administration.
>
>     Further, this demonstrates the danger of "mere-disclosure." Of course,
> Ford cannot avoid it here, but it is inevitable that government officials
> will want to threaten and intimidate their perceived "rivals" and those who
> might criticize them. And, as if they needed the encouragement, CC
> thinks that is just peachy.  Jim Bopp
>
>  In a message dated 9/27/2011 11:12:48 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> DEisman at CommonCause.org writes:
>
> One would think that folks who spend millions of dollars on ads touting
> their "built Ford tough" trucks wouldn't be so easily intimidated.
>
> -----------------------
> Dale Eisman
> Senior researcher/writer
> Common Cause
> 1133 19th St. NW
> Washington, D.C.
> 202 736-5788
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Smith, Brad [mailto:BSmith at law.capital.edu]
> Sent: Tue 9/27/2011 6:13 PM
> To: Dale Eisman; law-election at uci.edu
> Subject: RE: [EL] Check out Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free
> Success,After Calls from White
>
> I recall a few years back when reformers just howled and howled and
> howled because Senator McConnell had the gall to urge corporations not
> to support groups that sought to limit their First Amendment rights.
> Russ Feingold took to the floor of the Senate, saying it "smacks of
> intimidation."  Reformers were apoplectic. EJ Dionne even wrote a
> column. I guess the "persuasive" power of government isn't so scary when
> it's used against the other guy.
>
>
>
> Look, we welcome give and take in ideas. We don't welcome private calls
> by the White House to people in heavily regulated industries, competing
> against government owned companies, suggesting that maybe they shouldn't
> be running their ads.
>
>
>
> Bradley A. Smith
>
> Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault
>
>   Designated Professor of Law
>
> Capital University Law School
>
> 303 East Broad Street
>
> Columbus, OH 43215
>
> (614) 236-6317
>
> bsmith at law.capital.edu <mailto:bsmith at law.capital.edu>
>
> http://www.law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.asp
> <http://www.law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.asp>
>
>
>
> From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
> [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of Dale
> Eisman
> Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 4:34 PM
> To: JBoppjr at aol.com; rhasen at law.uci.edu; law-election at uci.edu
> Subject: Re: [EL] Check out Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free
> Success,After Calls from White
>
>
>
> Since when is free speech a one-way street? Ford produced an ad that
> took a shot at the President and one of his signature programs. Some of
> the President's men took exception to that. Such give and take is what
> we expect and welcome in a free society.
>
> If there is evidence the President's friends used or threatened to use
> the government's power  to silence or punish Ford, let's hear it -
> please. All we've got here, so far anyway, is circumstance and
> assumptions.
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------
>
> Dale Eisman
>
> Senior researcher/writer
>
> Common Cause -- Holding Power Accountable
>
> 1133 19th St NW
>
> Washington, D.C. 20036
>
> 202 736-5788
>
>
>
> From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
> [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of
> JBoppjr at aol.com
> Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 2:28 PM
> To: rhasen at law.uci.edu; law-election at uci.edu
> Subject: [EL] Check out Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free Success,After
> Calls from White
>
>
>
> Click here: Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free Success, After Calls from
> White House - By Daniel Foster - The Corner - Nationa
> <http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278478/ford-pulls-ad-touting-bailo
> ut-free-success-after-calls-white-house-daniel-foster>
>
>
>
> This is a reprehensible violation of freedom of speech by the Obama
> White House and an example of what will happen to those who are
> "DISCLOSED" to be on the "wrong" side of government policy.  Jim Bopp
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Law-election at department-lists.uci.edu
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>
>
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