Why would Kathy Hochul not take down the TV ads the were false about Collins?

[Dan Roman]

The worst commercial had to be the Halloween themed one with the kids voice. Not approved by Collins, done by a PAC, glad to see it off the air now. So much nicer watching tv today

[Frank Broughton]

That is false. The rules prohibit candidates and campaigns from having any coordination with PACs whatsoever. That means they're not supposed to approve them, and they're not allowed to force them to be taken down.

True but that does not stop said person from speaking out against the falsehood. No twisting this one.

[WNYresident]

That is false. The rules prohibit candidates and campaigns from having any coordination with PACs whatsoever. That means they're not supposed to approve them, and they're not allowed to force them to be taken down.

Personally I wouldn't hire a marketing company and allow them to lie about my competition or about our businesses. If there was a group who were lieing on their own behalf to "promote" my companies or me I most definitely would tell them to stop.


I don't care how you try to defend it. It is wrong to mislead your community just so you can win an election. Speaks volumes of the character of people involved in political parties.

[buffalopundit]

Personally I wouldn't hire a marketing company and allow them to lie about my competition or about our businesses. If there was a group who were lieing on their own behalf to "promote" my companies or me I most definitely would tell them to stop.

Let me try this again. Hochul didn't hire the PACs. She had nothing to do with the PACs. She did not "allow" them to lie about anything or anyone - she was expressly prohibited by law from having any contact with them whatsoever - positive or negative. Could she have made a public pronouncement disavowing the ad? Maybe. I'm sure she was waiting for Collins to do the same with respect to the PACs supporting him and their lying about her "profiting from Chinese investments".

I don't care how you try to defend it. It is wrong to mislead your community just so you can win an election. Speaks volumes of the character of people involved in political parties.

I'm not defending anything. I'm explaining to you the way the law works. You also seem to be deaf to Collins' own misleading ads, and the misleading ads from PACs supporting him. From Wikipedia:

Super PACs, officially known as "independent-expenditure only committees," may not make contributions to candidate campaigns or parties, but may engage in unlimited political spending independently of the campaigns. Also unlike traditional PACs, they can raise funds from corporations, unions and other groups, and from individuals, without legal limits.

Super PACs were made possible by two judicial decisions. First, in January 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court held in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that government may not prohibit unions and corporations from making independent expenditure for political purposes. Two months later, in Speechnow.org v. FEC, the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that PACs that did not make contributions to candidates, parties, or other PACs could accept unlimited contributions from individuals, unions, and corporations (both for profit and not-for-profit) for the purpose of making independent expenditures. The result of the Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions was the rise in 2010 of a new type of political action committee, popularly dubbed the "super PAC".

According to Federal Election Commission advisories, Super PACs are not allowed to coordinate directly with candidates or political parties. This is intended to prevent them from operating campaigns that complement or parallel those of the candidates they support or engaging in negotiation that could result in quid pro quo bargaining between donors to the PAC and the candidate or officeholder. However, it is legal for candidates and Super PAC managers to discuss campaign strategy and tactics through the media.

But ultimately, that's not the tragedy of the situation. The tragedy of the situation is that NY-27 just elected someone to Congress who basically said he'd do whatever John Boehner told him to do. He promised zero flexibility, zero pragmatism, zero effort to work with the Administration and with Congressional Democrats to effect positive change for his constituents in WNY. For all his talk about Obamapelosi, at least Hochul had the stones to vote differently from the remainder of the Democratic party in Congress. Chris Collins will never do that, and I am effectively without representation in Congress because of it.

[Linda_D]

Again, why do we expect anything else from a Party that is evil by design and plan? One has to have a broken moral compass or have a seared conscience to be a Democrat today.

Why don't you tell us all about what a paragon of moral virtue Carl Paladino is, Frank?

[WNYresident]

Let me try this again. Hochul didn't hire the PACs. She had nothing to do with the PACs. She did not "allow" them to lie about anything or anyone - she was expressly prohibited by law from having any contact with them whatsoever - positive or negative. Could she have made a public pronouncement disavowing the ad? Maybe. I'm sure she was waiting for Collins to do the same with respect to the PACs supporting him and their lying about her "profiting from Chinese investments".

I'm gonna go sloooower for you

I don't care if she hired them or not. I said even if a marketing company was lieing on my behalf I would tell them to stop if I knew about it.

I'm pretty sure she knew about the ads.

[NBuffaloResident]

A PAC. She could easily call and say stop the ad.

If someone ran an ad for me the was completely false I would request it taken down. Fibbing about yourself is one thing, fibbing about someone else for your own gain I think is worse.

No, she can't. PAC's and candidates are prohibited from collaborating.

[buffalopundit]

I'm gonna go sloooower for you

I don't care if she hired them or not. I said even if a marketing company was lieing on my behalf I would tell them to stop if I knew about it.

I'm pretty sure she knew about the ads.

As am I. Why would she do Collins' work for him? Do you realize that campaigns are adversarial?

[Frank Broughton]

But ultimately, that's not the tragedy of the situation. The tragedy of the situation is that NY-27 just elected someone to Congress who basically said he'd do whatever John Boehner told him to do. He promised zero flexibility, zero pragmatism, zero effort to work with the Administration and with Congressional Democrats to effect positive change for his constituents in WNY. For all his talk about Obamapelosi, at least Hochul had the stones to vote differently from the remainder of the Democratic party in Congress. Chris Collins will never do that, and I am effectively without representation in Congress because of it.

Thank goodness, you do not work WITH evil - you defeat it at all costs. The Democratic party and the people supporting it are evil by design and plan.


We do not always need to change everything!

[Frank Broughton]

Why don't you tell us all about what a paragon of moral virtue Carl Paladino is, Frank?

Nice dodge......

[Frank Broughton]

No, she can't. PAC's and candidates are prohibited from collaborating.

Thank you for joining the conversation, now if you will just read what was written you will see that what you said is acknowledged but that does not stop one from disavowing the position advocated by the PAC.

[WNYresident]

As am I. Why would she do Collins' work for him? Do you realize that campaigns are adversarial?

Do you teach your kids it is ok to lie to get ahead? Yes or no?

[NBuffaloResident]

Thank goodness, you do not work WITH evil - you defeat it at all costs. The Democratic party and the people supporting it are evil by design and plan.


We do not always need to change everything!

Which is why she let it stand: To do anything possible to not let Collins win.

Thank you for joining the conversation, now if you will just read what was written you will see that what you said is acknowledged but that does not stop one from disavowing the position advocated by the PAC.

Why should she do the work of Collins? You state above to defeat evil at all costs.

Do you teach your kids it is ok to lie to get ahead? Yes or no?

If it's to bring about the lesser of two evils, then yes. Do you tell your wife,"Of course that dress makes you look fat!" or do you say,"No sweetheart, you look great!"

[Frank Broughton]

Do you tell your wife,"Of course that dress makes you look fat!" or do you say,"No sweetheart, you look great!"

The first here... that's why she asked...

[WNYresident]

Which is why she let it stand: To do anything possible to not let Collins win.



Why should she do the work of Collins? You state above to defeat evil at all costs.



If it's to bring about the lesser of two evils, then yes. Do you tell your wife,"Of course that dress makes you look fat!" or do you say,"No sweetheart, you look great!"

Answer my question. Do you think it ok to lie to get ahead?