National GOP to air spots against S.C.'s Spratt
| National Republicans will begin airing TV ads today that accuse U.S. Rep. John Spratt of failing to do his job as House budget chairman.
The spot shows a grainy image of Spratt walking down a street with a subtitle that says “Nancy Pelosi’s Budget Chairman.” Later, the ad faults the York Democrat for “refusing to write a budget.” Not true, Spratt says, recalling in a recent interview how he lobbied for a vote on a traditional budget. Democrats opted for an alternative budget resolution that sets a cap on discretionary spending. This is the first time the House has failed to propose a budget since the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Spratt says other budget measures moving through the House “would do everything functionally that a budget resolution would do.” But GOP strategists hope to gain ground with ads paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee. They’ll run on cable for one week in the Charlotte, Columbia and Florence/Myrtle Beach markets, NRCC spokesman Andy Sere said. Sere would not disclose how much money was being spent. By law, the spots are not allowed to mention state Sen. Mick Mulvaney, Spratt’s Republican challenger in the Nov. 2 election. Mulvaney launched his own effort with an e-mail entitled “1974,” a reference to the last time the U.S. House failed to pass a traditional federal budget. Mulvaney asked supporters to donate $19.74 or more to his campaign. |