JENNIFER: EVERY TIME YOU TURN ON
THE TV -- YOU'RE LIKELY TO SEE A
NEGATIVE AD IN THE RACE FOR
GOVERNOR.
OUR DAN TILKIN IS DIGGING DEEPER
INTO WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THE
ADS THIS YEAR -- AND WHY ONE AD
IN PARTICULAR IS GETTING SO MUCH
ATTENTION.
FOLKS SICK OF SEEING
THESE ADS, THERE IS NOT MUCH
TELEVISION STATIONS CAN DO
UNLESS THE ADVERTISEMENT
CONTAINS SOMETHING THAT ISN'T
TRUE.
AND IN POLITICS TRUTH IS IN THE
EYE OF THE VOTER - OR THE FINE
PRINT.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RUNNING
ADS AGAINST KATE BROWN,
THEY
WANT THIS TO BE AN ELECTION
ABOUT FOSTER CARE.
YOU CAN SELL DRUGS WHILE
RUNNING A DAYCARE.
THEY WANTED TO BE AN ELECTION
ABOUT DRUG DEALERS.
DAN: PERHAPS NO ONE EXAMINES
OREGON POLITICS MORE CLOSELY
THAN JIM MOORE.
DEMOCRATS WANT THE ADS TO BE
ABOUT ABORTION.
DAN: THE POLITICAL SCIENCE
PROFESSOR CONFIRMS WHAT YOU
PROBABLY ALREADY SENSE - ABOUT
THE SUMMERTIME AD ONSLAUGHT.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME WE
HAVE SEEN IT -- THIS IS THE
FIRST TIME WE HAVE SEEN A STATE
RACE RUNNING ADVERTISEMENTS THIS
EARLY.
DAN: AS A REPUBLICAN IN A
PREDOMINATLY BLUE STATE - KNUTE
BUEHLER SUPPORTERS NEED TO GET
TRACTION EARLY.
AND KATE BROWN'S CAMPAIGN -
WHICH HAS ABOUT 7 TIMES MORE
MONEY THAN BUEHLER IN THE BANK
RIGHT NOW - IS CLAIMING THEY'RE
THE VICTIMS OF UNFAIR POLITICS -
OVER THIS AD.
YOU CAN SELL DRUGS WHILE
RUNNING A DAYCARE!
DAN: IT'S PAID FOR BY A
PRO-BUEHLER
GROUP CALLED "PRIORITY OREGON".
IN A PRESS CONFERENCE DEMOCRATS
DEMANDED TV STATIONS STOP
RUNNING THE AD.
STATE LAW REQUIRES YOU TELL
THE TRUTH AND -- IN
ADVERTISEMENT AND PRIORITY OREG
ON IS NOT DOING THAT.
IT SAYS, SELLING DRUGS
WHILE
RUNNING A DAYCARE.
THE STORY IT IS BASED ON, THEY
WERE RUNNING A DAY CARE HERE
AND
SELLING DRUGS AT A STOREFRONT
SOMEWHERE ELSE.
THE IMPLICATION IS THEY ARE
DOING IT WHILE YOUR KIDS ARE
THERE.
IT IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF, WE ARE
TELLING THE TRUTH, BUT OUR
CONTEXT IS FALSE.
DAN: THE LAWYER FOR PRIORITY
OREGON SENT THIS MEMO TO TV
STATIONS POINTING OUT THE AD
DOESN'T "CLAIM DRUGS MAY BE SOLD
AT OR FROM A CHILD CARE CENTER"
- WRITING "THE STATEMENT THAT A
PERSON CAN SELL DRUGS WHILE
RUNNING A DAYCARE IS ACCURATE".
THEY ARE ON GOOD GROUND,
LEGALLY.
TV STATIONS SAID THAT AS WELL.
DAN: DEMOCRATS ARE ALSO UPSET
ABOUT THE SECRECY OF "PRIORITY
OREGON".
BUEHLER
SHOULD DENOUNCE THE
TACTICS OF DONORS.
DAN: FEDERAL AND STATE LAW
ALLOWS POLITICAL GROUPS LIKE
PRIORITY OREGON TO KEEP THEIR
DONORS SECRET.
WHILE REFUSING TO DO AN
INTERVIEW WITH KOIN - A
SPOKESPERSON WROTE -- "OUR
ORGANIZATION COMPLIES WITH ALL
TRANSPARENCY LAWS -- WE DO NOT
DISCLOSE OUR MEMBERSHIP OR DONOR
LISTS PUBLICLY."
SHE SAID THE SAME THING SEVEN
MONTHS AGO.
WHY THIS CLOUD OF SECRECY
REGARDING WHO YOUR DONORS ARE
AND WHO'S ON YOUR BOARD OF
DIRECTORS?
WE COMPLY WITH ALL DISCLOSURE
LAWS ACCORDING TO FEDERAL AND
STATE GOVERNMENT.
DAN: THROUGH HIS CAMPAIGN KNUTE
BEUHLER HAS ALSO REFUSED TO SIT
DOWN WITH KOIN AND TALK ABOUT
WHO'S BEHIND "PRIORITY OREGON".
UNDER FEDERAL LAW - CANDIDATES
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO COORDINATE
WITH POLITICAL ACTION
COMMITTEES.
THE SECRECY CUTS BOTH WAYS.
WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TALK
TO YOU ABOUT WHERE YOUR MONEY IS
COMING FROM.
DAN: JUST MONTHS AGO - LIBERAL
CANDIDATE FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY
DISTRICT ATTORNEY MAX WALL -
WOULDN'T TELL US WHO WAS FUNDING
HIS ADVERTISING BLITZ AT A
HISTORIC RATE.
IT WASN'T UNTIL WEEKS AFTER THE
ELECTION - THAT IRS RECORDS AND
A LOT OF RESEARCH REVEALED THE
SOURCE WAS A POLITICAL ACTION
COMMITTEE - WITH TIES TO A
CO-FOUNDER OF FACEBOOK.
IN BIG CAMPAIGNS VOTERS ARE
OFTEN LEFT IN THE DARK.
VOTERS CANNOT DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT.
YOU HAVE TO
DECIDE, DOES THE
FACT I DON'T KNOW WHO IS PAYING
FOR THIS, IS THAT A BIG ENOUGH
ISSUE FOR ME TO IGNORE IT OR
VOTE AGAINST IT?
AS A COUNTER TO ALL OF THIS
SECRECY OF PRIORITY OREGON, ON
THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, REPUBLICAN
SAY -- REPUBLICANS SAY A GROUP
IS
FUNDING ADS AGAINST
BUEHLER -- "DEFEND OREGON'S
VALUES".
STATE RECORDS REVEAL MOST OF
THEIR MONEY HAS COME FROM KATE
BROWN'S CAMPAIGN.
YOU HAVE TO BE EDUCATED.
THAT IT IS HARD TO BEAT.
I HAVE SPENT -- IT IS HARD TO
BE.