‘Ron Paul Blimp’ is more than an ad campaign; it’s a test of finance laws,
But the plan to fly the blimp from North Carolina to New Hampshire, Politico says, is more than just a way for some of Paul’s Libertarian Party fans to advertise their support for the candidate:
If the model is successful, hypothetically it could allow a media consultant to produce slick attack ads and — without ever disclosing how much was raised or spent — solicit millions from “sponsors” to air the ads in key states.
Politico explains that the organizers behind the blimp, who are not associated with the Paul campaign:
Have developed a detailed business plan carefully structured to avoid Byzantine campaign finance laws.
They shunned traditional mechanisms such as creating an independent non-profit group under section 527 of the IRS code — like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and the other groups that spent millions on ads in 2004 — or a political action committee — like EMILY’s List. Instead, they went an almost unheard of route, establishing a for-profit company: Liberty Political Advertising.
The name is a nod to Paul’s ideology and the website boasts the “legal arrangement offers the best of both worlds: no limits and virtually no regulations.” In other words, very libertarian.
Instead of soliciting donations like a PAC or a campaign or a non-profit political group, Liberty says it’s “selling political advertisements that you can sponsor.”
Interestingly, Politico adds, ” the outside lawyer retained by blimp backers is former Federal Election Commission chairman Brad Smith, who is advising former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s rival bid for the GOP nomination.
The Ron Paul Blimp website is here. Among the things there is a video that strikes us as one of the quirkier of the presidential campaign so far (though not as unique as Mike Gravel’s “rock” video).
From USATODAY.com
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