Americans for Tax Reform
 

"McCain Finance"
30 sec. TV spot run in NH starting Dec. 22, 1999. 
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Dakota American Communications
 

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 [Sound] Male Announcer: He's the only Republican candidate approved by the liberal New York Times.  Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Big Labor all endorse his top legislative priority.  Senator John McCain - helping Democrats pass a campaign finance bill that would keep the Republican Party from fighting the liberal national media. Yet McCain's bill would leave labor unions, trial lawyers and pro-abortion groups ["Jaws"-like music starts increasing in volume] free to attack Republicans.  Just like they did for Bill Clinton.  So call John McCain and tell him to leave the Republican Party alone.  

 
Background: ATR spent $100,000 to run this ad and a second ad ("Inspiring") on WMUR-TV in New Hampshire; that bought a total of 80 or 82 spots, generally run four times per night, twice on the local news and twice on "World News Tonight."   "McCain Finance" first aired on Dec. 22 and 23; in that initial version, at the end of the spot the photo of McCain morphed into an image of Clinton.  A revised version without the morphing went up on Dec. 26 and continued to run through Jan. 6, at which time "Inspiring" started to run. 

Steve Duprey, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, called on ATR president Grover Norquist to stop running "McCain Finance," and when that did not have an effect he dashed off a sharply worded letter to Norquist on Dec. 28.  Duprey wrote that "this advertisement crosses the line from a fair discussion of the issues to a blatant mischaracterization of John McCain's record and views.  This advertisement is a disgrace to the process and insults the intelligence of New Hampshire voters."