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Two radio stations pull anti-Amendment 46 'carpetbagger' ad

By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 1, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Backers of the proposed amendment to end race- and gender-based affirmative action persuaded two Denver radio stations to pull an ad by their opponents that backers said was a misrepresentation and "racist."

The ad by Vote No on Amendment 46 featured two actors, one of whom was impersonating Ward Connerly, a black California millionaire whose Sacramento organization is the primary financial backer of Amendment 46 and similar measures he's pushing in other states.

In a scripted conversation, the other person tells Connerly he's a "carpetbagger," a term from the Reconstruction period after the Civil War referring to Northerners who entered the South to work with freed slaves against segregationists.

Management of radio stations KOA-AM (850) and KBCO-FM (97.3) asked opponents to change out the ad after the backers, Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, complained.

"The Amendment 46 people asked us about it because it was an impersonation, so we ran it by our attorneys and made the determination we should ask the No on 46 people to run different copy," said Lee Larsen, general manager of the stations, which are owned by Clear Channel.

Opponents complied and are running another ad in the one-minute spots the group had purchased.

"Our policy whenever there's a complaint is to take it to the attorneys and have them look at it," Larsen said.

Amendment 46 would prohibit the state from granting preferential treatment to anyone based on race, sex or ethnicity in hiring, education and contracts. It is aimed at eliminating race- and gender-based affirmative actions for minorities and women.

Backers, led by Jessica Corry of the Golden-based Independence Institute, say such preferences are no longer needed and in fact are discriminatory in themselves. Opponents say passage will prevent equal opportunity programs that are addressing existing discrimination.

In a campaign where both sides accuse the other of misrepresentation, the dust-up Friday over the ad was no exception.

"Our opposition misappropriates the identity of one of our most loyal supporters," Corry said. "And they did so while using racially offensive language and making false claims potentially in violation of Colorado's false impersonation statute. That crosses the line."

Melissa Hart, a University of Colorado law professor who is leading the opposition, called that nonsense, particularly the allegation of racism. Carpetbaggers worked with Southern blacks as opponents of the Southern racists.

"The proponents have been working pretty hard in the last couple of days to come up with a story line to suggest the campaign against 46 is somehow being deceptive," Hart said. "They're trying that line because they want to refocus people's attention away from the deceptive nature of the initiative itself."

Comments

  • November 1, 2008

    4:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    roger44 writes:

    Lesson is, don't believe any political ad on tv or radio. I can't believe firefighters are on campaigning against several amendments, figured they were smarter than that, to lie to the public. here's an amendment for you, no media outlet has to accept an ad with a lie in it. Talk about no regulations on things, this is one that needs addressed, I am so sick of this, gets worse every election.

  • November 1, 2008

    7:22 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    angka writes:

    You've got to me kidding me. "Carpetbagger" offends Jessica Corry, who cracks jokes on the air about "Osama--I mean Obama?" Corry is a racist fringe-right hack, and Amendment 46 is a giant fraud.

    Pathetic. Transparent. Hypocrisy.

  • November 1, 2008

    7:50 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

    Angka's comment is a defamatory attack on Ms. Corry. I would ask that the Rocky Mtn News bar "angka" from posting and remove the post.

  • November 1, 2008

    8:05 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ghoax writes:

    you cannot prevent discrimination without actually practicing discrimination. Today's anti discrimination laws are considered okay as long as those being discriminated against are not the same as those the laws are trying to protect.

    This is just one of the reasons that "fairness" and equality sound great but will never be achieved.

    Its the same with the big o's spread the wealth plan, in the spirit of ideals that cannot be achieved.

    those who didn't earn it will accept the handouts that strip them of the motivation to actually better themselves...only to keep them down in the position they are in.

    Between the PC, the dilution of the language so no one is ever offended, the liberal movement that wants to force us to accept everything from gay marriage to speech police to lifestyle regulations, continues to gain power.

    At some point, common sense must return and people need to realize that they are responsible for their own feelings. You can thank the liberals for promoting the idea that its others responsibilities to make sure you feel good. Realizing you have control over your reaction to your feelings is the first step towards personal responsibility and maturity.

    While its not right to make vicious remarks, pick on people, its always been a fact of life. The best thing one can do is to know that they are important in God's eyes and like many of our mothers have told us "sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you"

  • November 1, 2008

    9:07 a.m.

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    libertarianbill writes:

    Here we have a supposedly educated attorney who actually got a job at a university as a teacher who does not understand the meaning of this simple phrase - "no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." For all you Democrat attorneys who don't recognize it, you should look it up under the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. For those of you who still don't understand, the Constitution is the highest law in the United States. I guess it should be no suprise as Democrat attorneys are still trying to understand what the meaning of the word is is. Scary thought - Democrats want another attorney as president.

  • November 1, 2008

    10:45 a.m.

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    Existentalism writes:

    Sleezebags at work.

  • November 1, 2008

    11:51 a.m.

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    mmannino writes:

    The claim that Amendment 46 is deceptive is nonsense. Amendment 46 stops racial preferences and programs that discriminate by race. I understand that the racial grievance industry opposes the end of racial preferences. This initiative does not end outreach programs. Universities can still put more resources in poorer school districts but they cannot have programs only open to specific races, genders, and nationalities. Amendment 46 does not end practices by private industry. It only involves government practices.

    Even though I support Amendment 46, I think that the ad should not have been censored. It should be the decision of the media to air the ad. I find the ad very distasteful but I do not want to censor the media and the opposition. They should be allowed to express their distasteful opposition.

  • November 1, 2008

    12:49 p.m.

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    Who_Me writes:

    These ads were so far off the mark and full of outright lies and misrepresentation. They must have been developed by the same people working on Musgrave's campaign.

  • November 3, 2008

    5:39 a.m.

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    angka writes:

    http://coloradoindependent.com/8752/a...

    Corry, a policy analyst for the conservative Independence Institute think tank, referred to the Barack Obama and Joe Biden ticket as “Obama bin Biden” on an Independence Institute TV panel. She also accidentally referred to Obama as “Osama”:

    “We’ve been attacking the Republicans for not being on message to unaffiliated voters. Obama bin Biden, as they should be called, is also off message to unaffiliated voters. You look at who introduced Obama — I almost said, “Osama,” sorry...

    Isn't it great how the truth beats silly charges of "defamation" every time? You were saying?