Get the Most Bang for Your Activist Buck

(NEWSER) - The GOP has settled with Jackson Browne for using the left-leaning singer’s “Running on Empty” in campaign ads for John McCain in the 2008 election, Billboard reports. As part of the agreement—whose cash value is unknown—the GOP pledged to “respect and uphold the rights of artists and to obtain permissions and/or licenses for copyrighted works where appropriate.” “I’m really happy that we got this statement from them,” Browne says. More»

Attack ad surfaces, but GOP candidate refused to run it

(NEWSER) - John McCain's campaign created a commercial slamming Barack Obama for his relationship with inflammatory pastor Jeremiah Wright. The 30-second spot, obtained by ABC News, contrasts McCain's years in a Vietnam POW camp with footage of Wright shouting "God damn America." The commercial was ready for release and even includes the tag, "I'm John McCain and I approve this message." More»

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama took to the primetime airwaves tonight with a 30-minute infomercial summing up his case for the presidency. The pitch, which cost more than $3 million and aired on seven broadcast and cable networks, blended images of the candidate, his family, and ordinary Americans, MSNBC reports. "I will not be a perfect president," Obama said in the ad. "But I can promise you this—I will always tell you what I think and where I stand." More»

Some races tipping $30M mark, inundating voters with 'cacophony'

(NEWSER) - Senate races in 11 hotly contested states are drawing record sums in spending on TV advertising, the Washington Post reports. Both parties stick to repeated attacks: Democrats and their backers tie Republicans to Bush and aid for big corporations, while GOP supporters say Democrats will tax and spend freely. “It's very difficult for anybody to get a message across” amid the cacophony, says one campaign manager. More»

Military stays neutral, but returned troops stump for both sides

(NEWSER) - Military rules bar troops from getting involved in politics while on duty, the New York Times reports, but as they return home more young vets are diving into an election that will determine the nation's course in Afghanistan and Iraq. Driven by a sense of political duty and kept up to date abroad by the Internet and TV, troops “can be injected directly into the political process” as their feet hit home turf, says a former administration official. More»