A local group's plan to buy ads on Metro buses urging people to "Buy American" and "Shop Locally" has been rejected by King County as too political.

TAP America, a Seattle-based nonprofit, sought to place the ads starting this week on the outside of Metro buses, concentrating on bus routes that run through shopping districts of downtown Seattle and Bellevue.

The message was meant as a reminder to holiday shoppers that they could do something positive for the country by thinking about how they spend their money, said Richard Tso, TAP America's executive director.

The rejected ads read: "December is Buy American Month, Shop Locally, Join Seattle's TAPamerica.org." Tso said the group was prepared to spend $8,000 to run the spots on 45 Metro buses for the next four weeks.

But the county officials said no, citing the county's policy against ads that express a viewpoint on "matters of public debate about political, religious or social issues."

"The concept of 'Buy American' is an issue of both political and economic debate," said Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke in an emailed statement.

The county's reasoning stunned Mark Bloome, the Seattle philanthropist who founded TAP America this year.

"We're not political," Bloome said. "We're just trying to keep the light of liberty alive as the economy spins down, and the only answer I have seen is to buy American."

Bloome said it was absurd the county would accept ads for clothing made in China but denied a simple "Buy American" ad.

Metro's cautious policy can be traced back to a controversy that erupted last year when another local group tried to purchase bus ads alleging "Israeli war crimes."

Metro ultimately barred those ads, saying their controversial message could lead to disruptions of bus service.

That sparked a lawsuit by the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, which had sought to place the ads. But a federal judge sided with King County, ruling in October that the decision to reject the ad was "a viewpoint-neutral and reasonable restriction in a limited public forum."

For a while after the Israel controversy, Metro refused to accept any noncommercial bus ads, Thielke said.

But in April, the bus agency adopted a revised policy that included the section prohibiting all ads taking a political position.

Bloome said he doesn't think TAP America's message was anywhere near as disruptive and hopes the county will reconsider its decision.

Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or jbrunner@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @Jim_Brunner.