Late night jolt

Even by the standards of campaign commercials, a political spot that aired late in the campaign was pretty strong stuff. It accused Barack Obama of murder. The topic, not surprisingly, was abortion.

The spot, for U.S. House candidate Russell Best of the Independent American Party, contained footage of fetuses—which appeared to be made of plastic—mixed with religious imagery and medieval art that appears to depict Childermas (the murder of the holy innocents). One section showed a fetus model inside a rosary. The spot does not actually advocate Best’s election. Rather, it is a presidential campaign spot. The Federal Election Commission does not have Best registered as an independent committee in the presidential campaign. According to the Christian Post, Best is one of a number of politicians in seven states who ran presidential campaign spots under the cover of their local campaigns. All but Missouri are considered swing states in the presidential race. Best bought only a token number of spots.

The narrative of Best’s spot: “President Obama has ordered all Christian institutions to pay for drugs that murder the unborn. This is an assault on life and liberty. Will we knuckle under, violate our consciences, and become accomplices to Obama’s immorality? If we vote for Obama, we empower him to attack the church and murder babies. Let’s defend life and religious liberty and vote him out.”

Text over the video quotes Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David Zubik and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

KTVN posted a view warning in front of the spot letting viewers know the spot might not be fit viewing for children. Under federal law, TV stations cannot refuse to carry particular political spots on the grounds of content. They can refuse to carry any political advertising, but once they accept it, they cannot refuse or change specific spots. In July 1972 television stations in Atlanta were ordered by the Federal Communications Commission to carry a spot for white racist J.B. Stoner that used the term nigger and referenced white women.

KTVN itself previously dealt with a spot similar to Best’s, in the 1990 Republican primary for lieutenant governor, when Pro-Life Andy Anderson (his legal name) used fetus shots in a commercial. The quality of that footage, however, was not as clear as the Best spot.

Incidentally, on election night after the polls closed, KTVN was still running a different spot, one sponsored by a Catholic political group.