Posted on 06/15/2006 5:07:04 PM PDT by Dane
Buchanan(Tancredo) PAC targets Cannon in radio ads
If you can define yourself in politics by the kind of enemies you make, Rep. Chris Cannon is moving up in the world.
Cannon, R-Utah, is now receiving the significant monetary attention of Team America, an anti-illegal immigration political action committee started by fellow GOP House member Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., and now run by Bay Buchanan, the celebrated sister of longtime conservative candidate/columnist Pat Buchanan.
Bay Buchanan, who appears regularly on national TV news and political opinion programs, put it bluntly in a telephone interview Tuesday: "We want to defeat Chris Cannon."
Knocking out "President Bush's point man in the House on amnesty and guest worker programs for the United States . . . will show that we intend to hold (other congressmen) accountable," Buchanan said. "The best way to do that is to defeat Cannon — that will put the whole (U.S.) House on notice."
Pointing to detailed Cannon votes on its Web site — www.teamamericapac.org — Buchanan said the group's ads tell "the truth" about Cannon's support for an illegal immigrant amnesty and guest worker program.
Not so, says Nathan Rathbun, Cannon's campaign manager. "Rather than relying on attacks from out-of-state special interests, we would suggest talking about Congressman Cannon's actual record.
"If you look at that record, you will see that it is not what those ads portray it to be. The ads are not true. Chris has always said he is against illegal immigration and for legal immigration. To suggest that Chris is somehow a Johnny-come-lately to enforcement is just plain wrong. For example, Cannon has voted five times since 1999 to authorize the use of military personnel on the border.
"We will hold that record up against a laughter-filled radio ad (by Team America) any day of the week," Rathbun said
Team America's accusations are so far off of the truth "we don't even know how to respond," Rathbun said. But Cannon's campaign apparently will try to do so. KSL Radio officials say Cannon is expanding his radio buy this week — he had a new ad running specifically saying he's tough on illegal immigrants — while Team America is spending $15,000 on anti-Cannon spots.
Why target Cannon rather than other GOP House members with similar voting records on illegal immigration?
"Chris Cannon is first up to bat," Buchanan said. "His primary just happens to come before some others. But beyond that, (Cannon) is not telling his constituents the truth. He's hiding from his real record" in voting on illegal immigration issues.
But Cannon would be in Team America's gun sights even if his primary were later in the year, she added.
Cannon "is a great opportunity for us. If we can defeat a sitting congressman in his own primary, it will send a shock wave through the whole House. Put all (so-called pro amnesty congressmen) on alert."
Buchanan showed up in Utah at the May 13 state GOP convention to speak for Merrill Cook, a former GOP 2nd Congressional District House member who was knocked out of the 3rd District race at the convention.
Team America is not giving any money to Republican John Jacob, who faces Cannon in the June 27 primary. "We are a small PAC," Buchanan said. "But we will run radio ads through next week until the primary."
The Team America PAC collects money from all over the country. But in late 2005, a Spanish Fork couple, Kevin and Jenny Baadsgaard, loaned the PAC nearly $10,000, its largest single contribution, Federal Election Commission reports show.
Buchanan said those specific funds went for a DVD production and are not directly going into paying for the two anti-Cannon radio ads now on local Utah stations.
Kevin Baadsgaard declined comment Tuesday on why his family supports Team America. However, the Baadsgaards donated several thousand dollars in 2004 to Matt Throckmorton, a former Utah GOP House member who tried, unsuccessfully, to unseat Cannon that year. Throckmorton's main campaign issue was illegal immigration.
So far, the Baadsgaards have not contributed to Jacob.
The district is heavily Republican, and the primary winner is an odds-on favorite to win the seat in November. If Cannon survives the June 27 primary, Team America will likely back away. "We are opposing pro-amnesty Republicans in their primaries, opposing Democrats in the final election," Buchanan said.
She doesn't expect Team America to be in Utah contesting Cannon's election in the November final campaign. "But with (Cannon), well . . . we'd still probably make that decision later," she said.
It's a conservative district. Is there even a Democrat in the race?
Cannon has a 97 lifetime rating.
Tancredo has a 99 lifetime rating.
For those who think sovereignty is an issue; immigration trumps the ACU and NRA, who has the Muslim Grover Norquist pushing money and endorsements to friends.
That is EXACTLY why Tancredo is doing everything in his power to stop ANY movement on the issue. Hell he would be against his OWN solution should it ever come to a vote. He is a joke.
If he doesn't support strict border enforcement, then his ACU ratings doesn't mean jack.
Utah conservatives aren't going to support him.
Are you from Utah?
Voters in the runoff are going to include those who have voted for Cannon in the past and are not one issue voters.
Jacob beat Cannon by four points among the die-hards. He'll lose to Cannon by at least that much in the runoff.
Yes they will. He only lost by four points in the primary. And the GOP delegates are the fire-breathers.
And now Jacob has an illegal immigrant problem himself.
How much would you like to wager? Any amount. I'll even give odds.
Merril Cook is the Dim sacrificial lamb. But he may give Cannon fits in the general.
Tancredo's a phony. When Mike Pence adopts Tancredo's immigration plan, Tancredo moves the goalpost and opposes it.
Tancredo doesn't want a solution to the immigration problem. He wants the issue, because it's all he's got.
I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of the new FR rule that states FReeper discussion is limited to one's own state.
So you know how Utah conservatives are going to react?
I said may win, not will win. I hoping Jacobs wins.
Tancredo and rabid naturally go together. The boy needs shots.
This is also evidence that he doesn't actually want to get anything done. Because it is monumentally stupid to go after Cannon, he's too likely to win.
Of course. You never hear the GOP bootlickers bashing the RNC for supporting RINOs. Katherine Harris, Mike Laffey, and Pat Toomey are prime examples.
Toast you said. I am willing to bet, now, that Cannon will win both the runoff and the general election.
So is Pence a rino?
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