Andrews: Collins Should Denounce EFAC

Apparently our friends at the Employee Freedom Action Committee have a new hard-hitting, fact-challenged radio attack ad of questionable taste up on the airwaves. Here's the transcript, according to the Allen camp:

[Man's Voice]

"Since 2001, one group has been involved in embezzlement and racketeering, and been the target of more than 2000 criminal investigations, and 600 indictments. Now the same group is planning to expand its power base. Who has this record of corruption and embezzlement? Organized Crime? No. It's organized labor."

[Woman's voice]

Today labor bosses have a new scheme to target you and your money. They want to change the law to make it easier to pressure you into joining their union. Under their plan, you will lose your right to a private vote. Instead of being able to make your choice about joining a union using a private ballot, union bosses can come to your home to pressure you to make a binding decision to pay dues.

Incredibly, they say this is a better process than a private vote.

Tell Tom Allen to stop supporting union schemes to take away private votes at EmployeeFreedom.org.

Paid for by the Employee Freedom action committee.

So all unions are "one group"? And Rep. Allen wants to allow "union bosses [to] come to your home to pressure you?"

Do they really think Mainers are this dumb?

And do they really think it makes sense to tar all unions as worse than the mafia?

Anyway, here's the Allen camp's response:

We believe this ad has no place in this campaign, and we denounce it. To accuse hard-working Mainers of being aligned with organized crime and to suggest Congressman Allen is protective of organized crime is not only false and negative, but personally destructive...

Today we once again ask Susan Collins to join us in denouncing radio and tv ads by third parties such as Employee Freedom and its affiliates who name or reference either candidate in negative communications.

It would also be interesting to know if Collins shares the group's view that, as a rule, unions are basically criminal enterprises...