NBC REJECTS MOVEON.ORG ADS ABOUT OHIO RIGHT-WING HACK DEBORAH PRYCE

Earlier today a friend of mine who works at MoveOn.org sent me an incredible ad that explains to Columbus, Ohio voters what a total doofus they have for a representative in Congress, Deborah Pryce. It's not inflammatory or even controversial and they don't even doctor her up to make her look like a physical mess the way Adam does at the DWT Art Department. It's just very factual and straightforward. Watch it: right here or go to the MoveOn.org page that has this + similar ads informing voters about Nancy Johnson in Connecticut, Thelma Drake in Virginia and Chris Chocola in Indiana here.

Anyway, this same friend writes me a few hours later to tell me that the NBC-owned station in Columbus, WCMH (as well as the NBC station in Connecticut, WVIT) rejected the ads. The reason I'm so angry is because the Columbus station ran the fraudulent and slanderous Swift Boat ads against John Kerry. MoveOn responded quickly:

"Today we launched our campaign to let voters know that their representatives have consistently sided with corporate interests over the interests of their constituents. We expected Republicans to respond, but we didn't expect two local NBC stations owned by GE to refuse to run our ad. Isn't it ironic that Swift Boat Veterans can lie on TV but we can't tell the truth?
"We think it's outrageous for NBC to censor our ad, and wonder if this reflects the well-known right-wing leanings of their parent company, GE. What other explanation could there be for an Ohio NBC station refusing to run our well-sourced, entirely factual ad, while airing the Swift Boat Veterans' deceptive ads in 2004? NBC has a responsibility to be balanced and serve the public, just like the 33 other stations that are running the ad.
"NBC claims the ad is misleading, but they refuse to say specifically what is misleading about the ad. We provided evidence for every fact in our ads in the substantiation document which was sent to all of the stations, and can be viewed on our website at: http://www.MoveOn.org . The facts are clear because the total PAC contributions received by the members of Congress and their votes are matters of public record.
"This smells of NBC pursuing its own political agenda at the expense of free speech and balance."

Deborah Pryce is a key player in the DeLay-Boehner Culture of Corruption in D.C., the co-author-- with the odious Rick Santorum-- of the failed legislation to gut Social Security (long a cherished dream of the extreme right-wing of the GOP) and as Chairwoman of the Republican House Conference Committee, a key ally of disgraced and convicted GOP rainmaker Jack Abramoff. Even a brief examination of her voting record shows clearly that Pryce consistently votes against the interests of working men and women, consumers, the elderly, and the middle class so that she can serve the diktats of the corporatists who have financed her rise to power.

Although not mentioned in the MoveOn.org ad, Pryce has a formidable challenger this year in Mary Jo Kilroy. I didn't know much about Kilroy until I saw she was one of the first people running for Congress this year who was endorsed by DFA. She seems like the perfect candidate to challenge Pryce, the kind of clean candidate who is a striking contrast not just ethically but also policy-wise. Mary Jo is the kind of progressive who puts constituents first and will be looking out for the people whose live in the district she represents, not the people who write the checks to the GOP. Pryce is a complete and unswerving rubber-stamp for every harebrained right-wing scheme that comes down the pike. Mary Jo is the kind of refreshing independent who won't be a rubber-stamp for anyone.