Rhode Island news
The spot was paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which supports Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee.
12:49 PM EDT on Tuesday, October 4, 2005
WASHINGTON -- With more than 11 months to go before the primary
election, the Rhode Island Republican Senate race went negative
yesterday:
* The Senate GOP campaign organization televised an attack ad in Rhode
Island that paints Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey as a "slick" guy who
criticizes oil companies today as a Senate candidate, but once "ran a
company selling oil stocks" and "made a fortune." The spot features a
cartoon-graphic of oil oozing over an image of Laffey.
* Laffey fired back at Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's vote this year for a
Senate energy bill that would have given "billions in tax breaks to the
oil companies" and at Chafee's acceptance of thousands of dollars in
campaign contributions from the petroleum industry.
* Chafee accused Laffey of "hypocrisy" and said the mayor was warned in
advance that national Republicans would "play hardball" if Laffey
challenged his reelection to the Senate.
* Chafee, Laffey and their campaigns argued about the kind of gas
mileage they get in the cars they drive.
The day's exchanges, brewing backstage for weeks, are a reminder that
Chafee's reelection campaign carries national implications, high stakes
and the strong possibility of record-high Rhode Island spending and
advertising battles.
The launch of the negative ad also suggests how seriously Chafee's
allies take the challenge from Laffey, a former investment banker who
portrays himself as an outsider who ran for mayor to save his hometown
from bankruptcy.
Yesterday's spray of charges and countercharges also illustrates a blend
of campaigning -- fact, exaggeration, artful omission, indignation,
humor and aggression -- that often marks big-time political races but
has rarely hit the Rhode Island political scene this early in the game.
The first blow was struck by the National Republican Senatorial
Committee, whose chairman, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, of North Carolina,
bluntly warned Laffey that his candidacy would not be looked upon
favorably, according to Chafee.
The Republican senatorial committee last week telegraphed its line of
attack in a printed broadside that scored Laffey for criticizing the oil
industry in an ad that he ran as he declared his candidacy last month.
The national committee portrayed politician Laffey's line of criticism
as being at odds with the actions of Laffey the businessman, including
oil-stock transactions.
Laffey's spokeswoman, Robin Muksian-Schutt, said it's true that his
company worked on stocks from the oil industry -- and many other
industries as well.
But she said Laffey's company worked on transactions from many
industries -- not just oil. "That was his job," she said. Muksian
criticized Chafee's vote in June for an energy bill in the Senate that
contained more than $2 billion in tax breaks for the energy industry.
Chafee's office acknowledged that vote. But Chafee added that he later
voted against the final version of the energy bill. Chafee spokesman
Stephen Hourahan said, moreover, that Chafee "felt comfortable" with the
earlier, Senate version of the bill because the oil-industry tax breaks
were balanced with high auto fuel efficiency standards and tax breaks
for alternative energy sources. Those provisions were missing from the
final bill, so Chafee opposed it, Hourahan said.
Yesterday the exchange escalated with the GOP committee's broadcast of
the 30-second attack on Laffey. As an announcer asks, "Have you seen
this guy Steve Laffey?" the ad shows an image from Laffey's own kickoff
ad of last month. The voice says that the "same Steve Laffey" who
criticized oil companies once "ran a company selling oil industry stocks
on Wall Street. Profiting from offshore oil drilling. The oil companies
made a fortune. Steve Laffey made a fortune."
As the spot returns to the clip of Laffey pledging to "stand up to
special interests," a graphic technique drips "oil" over the screen,
including Laffey's image. The announcer concludes, "Slick. Steve Laffey.
Laughing all the way to the bank."
Chafee said in an interview yesterday that, although he had nothing to
do with it, the ad aired by Dole's committee is a "legitimate" jab at
Laffey's "hypocrisy."
Chafee also joined in criticism, offered last week by his campaign
staff, of Laffey's use of "gas-guzzling cars." Chafee, who drives an
energy-efficient car, said politicians must "lead by example" on issues
such as energy.
Yesterday afternoon, Laffey gathered reporters on the sidewalk outside
Chafee's Senate office on Westminster Street in downtown Providence. He
criticized Chafee for his June vote on the energy bill and the campaign
contributions he has accepted from oil companies.
"Now, you tell me what's worse, a guy whose family has an SUV because he
has five kids, two dogs and a cat, or a guy like Lincoln Chafee who
voted to give billions in tax breaks to the oil companies and pockets
thousands in campaign contributions from them," he said.
The Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington group that monitors
campaign contributions, has reported that Chafee's energy-industry
contributions in recent years include a total of $6,000 from political
organizations representing Exxon, Halliburton, Occidental Petroleum and
the Petroleum Marketers Association.
Laffey also blasted the GOP senatorial committee for running the ad
against him and challenged Chafee to a series of debates. He also
needled Chafee as the beneficiary of inherited wealth. "If it will make
him feel more comfortable, I'll even debate him at the yacht club of his
choice," Laffey said.
"You have to wonder, why aren't the Washington Republican bosses running
negative TV ads against Sheldon Whitehouse? Why aren't they attacking
Matt Brown?" Laffey said, naming the two Democrats in the race for
Chafee's seat.
Chafee campaign manager Ian Lang acknowledged Chafee's acceptance of
oil-industry contributions but said: "Actions speak louder than words,"
and Chafee has often voted against the interests of the oil industry.
Lang said Chafee looks forward to debating Laffey later in the campaign.
Chafee said of the timing of the national GOP campaign's ad against
Laffey, "It seems awfully early."
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