Collusion between Obama for America and Priorities USA on ‘their’ lying Soptic ads.

The Story So Far: two days ago, the Obama administration – using the fig-leaf/cutout of Super PAC Priorities USA – accused Mitt Romney of being a murderer because a company that Romney used to own closed down a steel mill (several years after Romney left that company) and that meant that the wife of the husband who lost his job at that steel mill (one Joe Soptic) didn’t have any insurance after the wife left her job several years after the layoff and several years after all of that the wife was diagnosed with cancer and then died.  As Erick notes in the link above: if that’s an acceptable logic chain that legitimately leads one to a charge of murder, then (to give just one example) this administration murdered US Border Agent Brian Terry and Eric Holder needs to give himself up right now.

But wait!  It gets even more convoluted.  You see, the Media is balking – absolutely balking – at taking this line of attack seriously, and the Obama administration has already done its best to distance itself from the Priorities USA ad, to the point where Obama for America (OfA) spokesman Stephanie Cutter denied that they had any knowledge of Soptic’s story.

So… who’s that voice at the end of this conference call, Stephanie?  Your evil twin?

The audio is from Guy Benson; it’s from a May 2012 conference call where Mr. Soptic recounted his story – without mentioning the details that Romney wasn’t with Bain at the time of the layoff; that his wife still had healthcare until she lost her job, years later; and that five years passed between M’. Soptic’s layoff and Mrs. Soptic’s  cancer diagnosis – and Stephanie Cutter was not only on the call.  She introduced Joe Soptic, then wrapped up his testimony.  And as to any coordination… Politico(!) notes that Joe Soptic is apparently wearing the same shirt for both the Obama for America and the Priorities USA campaign ads.

It’s hard to check, because the OfA people aren’t talking about where and when they filmed the ad at all and the Priorities USA people (specifically, Bill Burton) claim that they shot “its Soptic footage at a union hall in early February.”

Which is interesting, because that’s apparently where Joe Soptic literally hangs his hat:

The first picture is from the OfA ad; the second is from the Priorities USA one.  Guess we know where OfA shot its footage, huh?

To sum up, there was an interesting point from @mike_scrimpf: le affaire Soptic does have more than a passing resemblance to an incident from 2010 where soon-to-be-former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland got caught recycling the same professional victim in his campaign ads.  Not a point-to-point correspondence, but it does show just how non-spontaneous these spontaneous stories really are.  Not to mention how effective they are, too. Which is to say, less than you’d think.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

20 thoughts on “Collusion between Obama for America and Priorities USA on ‘their’ lying Soptic ads.”

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  4. I like how this ad is starting to blow up in their face. It’s almost as if they had no idea that it could.

  5. Catseye – I hope you are right re: this blowing up in their face. If you look at the polling this week, ads like this and others are taking a toll on Romney. Am beginning to think he might not make it, and we’re stuck with you know who another four years – ugh!!!

  6. Odds of the Election bureau actually investigating this potentially illegal collusion? About the same as Holder admitting his role in F&F?

  7. Did anyine else catch it? He was forced to put his wife in the county run hospital. Like it was a bad thing. If Obama has his way no one will have an option except government hospitals.

  9. OU812 it just happens over time. Humans do Not act instantly to information. We may act as rational beings as individuals, but as a group we’re nuts. The Glacier of human consciousness takes time to move, and I sense it’s beginning to move NOW!

  10. I think that in a couple of months we’ll look back and consider this kerfuffle to have been pretty small potatoes compared to the crap that’ll happen immediately before the election.
     
    Back when I was a minion of the eeeeevillll Military-Industrial Complex, I did pretty well at “ghosting” the proposals my company’s competitors were about to submit, so we could counter them. With that preface, I’ll just say:
     
    Obama and his cohorts believe in never letting a good crisis go to waste … and if a crisis isn’t handy, make one. I don’t know what it will be, but two ideas come to mind: war and insurrection. Look for intense fun and games in Iran, or Syria, or North Korea; don’t be too surprised if Volodya Putin does something that makes Obama look good, too. And something very bad might happen over here that the media would immediately blame on the racist, violent Tea Party. And if I were Hillary Clinton, or Joe Biden, or Bill Clinton, or perhaps even Eric Holder, I’d watch my back. (Note: I am not suggesting that our beloved President would be in on this himself. But he has many associates who are well versed in the Chicago Way and who know which way the wind blows, and who might take it upon themselves to “rid him of this turbulent priest” and at the same time kick over the chessboard.)
     
    I really, really hope I’m just being paranoid.

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  13. Stephanie could have costarred in “Mean Girls” with this kind of crap. To me it’s beginning to look like ‘Campaign by Pinky & The Brain’. I can only hope this ad campaign goes (pardon the pun) ‘tits up’. And one other thing; Being a college graduate don’t make you smart or, apparently, give you a better memory.

  15. Pingback: Moe Lane » Attention, political video makers: the year is *2012*.

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