Desperation: Democrats Resort to Blatantly False Attacks
September 10, 2010
Desperation: Democrats Resort to Blatantly False Attacks
Ad After Ad Proven False as Democrats Scramble to Distract from Their Records
Ad After Ad Proven False as Democrats Scramble to Distract from Their Records
Washington- As the American people continue speak out and push back against runaway government spending and high unemployment, Democrats and their allies have resorted to desperate attacks to distract from their failed record.
“Democrats know that their disastrous record of high unemployment, runaway spending, and failed economic policies will only come back to haunt them in November. That’s why they are doing everything they can to distract from the issues at hand with dishonest attacks that have repeatedly been proven false. While Democrats are scrambling to salvage their electoral prospects with false ads, their legacy of reckless spending at the expense of a healthy economy will continue to drive voters away at a record pace.” – Ken Spain, NRCC Communications Director
- Democrats Unable to “Produce Evidence” for Attack on Duffy: “In Wisconsin and Kentucky House races, the Democrats are attempting to mislead voters into believing the Republican candidates support the privatization of Social Security – despite evidence to the contrary… The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is up with an ad attacking Republican Sean Duffy in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, but the spot mischaracterizes Duffy’s position on Social Security… In fact, we couldn’t find any mentions of Duffy specifically backing private accounts for Social Security, and Democrats have yet to produce evidence that he has done so. To the contrary, Duffy has firmly planted his flag on the opposite side of this issue. ‘One component I don’t think is part of the equation is privatizing Social Security,’ Duffy told the editorial board of the Wasau Daily Herald on Aug. 23. ‘Privatizing is not an option.’” (Viveca Novak and Eugene Kiely, “Democrats Misfire on Social Security – Again,” FactCheck.org, 9/2/10)
- ‘Misleading’ Attack Lacks Evidence: “We believe the Lassa campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have been misleading in their attacks on likely Republican opponent Sean Duffy about Social Security. We are not convinced by the evidence — a nonspecific statement of support for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget ‘roadmap’ — that Duffy advocates privatization of Social Security. In his interview with the Wausau Daily Herald Editorial Board, he explicitly rejected the notion. The Lassa campaign should drop this line of attack.” (Editorial, “In the Primary Elections We Endorse… Lassa, Duffy, Galloway and Tiffany,” Wausau Daily Herald, Sept. 9, 2010)
- ‘Misleading’ Attack Lacks Evidence: “We believe the Lassa campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have been misleading in their attacks on likely Republican opponent Sean Duffy about Social Security. We are not convinced by the evidence — a nonspecific statement of support for Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget ‘roadmap’ — that Duffy advocates privatization of Social Security. In his interview with the Wausau Daily Herald Editorial Board, he explicitly rejected the notion. The Lassa campaign should drop this line of attack.” (Editorial, “In the Primary Elections We Endorse… Lassa, Duffy, Galloway and Tiffany,” Wausau Daily Herald, Sept. 9, 2010)
- Space ‘Guilty of Violating Election Law’ with False Ad Claims: “In an increasingly bitter 18th Congressional District campaign, incumbent Rep. Zack Space has been found guilty of violating Ohio election law by making false statements about his Republican challenger Bob Gibbs in a TV ad… The Ohio Elections Commission ruled Thursday that Space broke Ohio election law by falsely claiming in a TV ad aired in Columbus and other markets that Gibbs, as a state lawmaker, voted for a pay raise for himself but failed to vote for tax breaks for average Ohioans. (Alan Johnson, “Rep. Space Found Guilty of Violating Election Law,” Columbus Dispatch, 8/20/10)
- Titus Allies Get an ‘F’ for ‘Blatant Fearmongering’: “This ad is paid for by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. It has some of the most over-the-top rhetoric and flat-out false accusations of any ad so far this year… We hear candidates called liars and extremists, but this is blatant fearmongering… It is not just misleading; it is false… I give this ad an F.” (Jon Ralston, “Union’s attack ad in Dina Titus-Joe Heck race stoops to lies, fearmongering,” Las Vegas Sun, 8/26/2010)
- Titus’ Attack on Heck ‘Flat Out False’: “The Dina Titus campaign has also misrepresented Heck’s position on the issue. A mid-August press release said Heck ‘has joined Washington Republicans in their renewed call for the privatization of the guaranteed benefit’ and Titus spokesman Matt Lydon said Heck’s ‘risky privatization plan’ would ‘line the pockets of Wall Street.’ The claims are not only transparent fear-mongering, they are also flat-out false.” (Elizabeth Crum, “ASCFME Ad makes False Claim Against Heck,” National Review Online, 8/31/10)
- Attack Ad Deemed ‘Inaccurate Again’ After Getting Pulled Off the Air Once: “The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has rolled out a second television ad targeting Republican House candidate Joe Heck. For the second time in a week, the labor union is accusing Heck of wanting to privatize Social Security… Like the first ad AFSCME released, the commercial is inaccurate.” (Delen Goldberg, “Union Ad Against Joe Heck Inaccurate Again,” Las Vegas Sun, 8/31/10)
- Titus’ Attack on Heck ‘Flat Out False’: “The Dina Titus campaign has also misrepresented Heck’s position on the issue. A mid-August press release said Heck ‘has joined Washington Republicans in their renewed call for the privatization of the guaranteed benefit’ and Titus spokesman Matt Lydon said Heck’s ‘risky privatization plan’ would ‘line the pockets of Wall Street.’ The claims are not only transparent fear-mongering, they are also flat-out false.” (Elizabeth Crum, “ASCFME Ad makes False Claim Against Heck,” National Review Online, 8/31/10)
- Fact Check Says Chandler Attack Not Supported by Facts: “The statement: ‘Meet Andy Barr, a corporate lawyer and lobbyist who wants to privatize Social Security and gamble it in the stock market, funneling your tax dollars to Wall Street while your Social Security benefits are cut.’…The ruling: Mostly false. The facts: Barr, a Republican lawyer from Lexington making his first run for public office, has not called for privatizing Social Security. He has opposed it in newspaper interviews and in his campaign literature.” (“Campaign Watchdog: Chandler’s Social Security Claim ‘Mostly False,’” Lexington Herald-Leader, 8/31/10)
- …And Another for Good Measure: “It repeatedly shows the words, ‘Andy Barr’s Plan’ on the screen, as if Barr himself had proposed a privatization plan. He has not, and he hasn’t endorsed one, either…Whatever Barr had in mind when he was responding to Dan’s questions, though, it’s clear that Chandler has gone too far — especially since Barr has promised on his website not to support privatizing Social Security.” (Viveca Novak and Eugene Kiely, “Democrats Misfire on Social Security – Again,” FactCheck.org, 9/2/10)
- …And Another for Good Measure: “It repeatedly shows the words, ‘Andy Barr’s Plan’ on the screen, as if Barr himself had proposed a privatization plan. He has not, and he hasn’t endorsed one, either…Whatever Barr had in mind when he was responding to Dan’s questions, though, it’s clear that Chandler has gone too far — especially since Barr has promised on his website not to support privatizing Social Security.” (Viveca Novak and Eugene Kiely, “Democrats Misfire on Social Security – Again,” FactCheck.org, 9/2/10)
- Boccieri’s Union Friends Slammed for Distorting Facts: “AFSCME, the big labor union, is running a misleading ad attacking one of the GOP’s premier House candidates. In an attempt to protect a vulnerable freshman Democrat, Rep. John Boccieri of Ohio, AFSCME badly misrepresents his Republican challenger’s stance on taxation.” (Brooks Jackson and Eugene Kiely, “ASCFME’s Misleading Tax Attack,” FactCheck.org, 8/12/10)
- Washington Democrats’ Attacks on Djou Deemed False by Independent Analyst: “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced April 7 that it was running a new attack ad in Hawaii accusing Republican House candidate Charles Kong Djou of signing a pledge ‘that protects tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.’ It’s an ad that the Democrats could run against nearly any Republican House candidate, all but a few of whom have signed the anti-tax pledge in question. But the ad is not true. It was called ‘blatantly false’ by Americans for Tax Reform, the Republican-leaning group that got Djou’s signature on its anti-tax pledge. We agree. (Brooks Jackson, “A False Tax Attack,” FactCheck.org, 4/9/10)
- Teague Allies’ Attacks on Pearce Called ‘Misleading,’ ‘False,’ Unsubstantiated’: “This ad says Republican Steve Pearce was ‘named one of the most corrupt members of Congress.’ We find that’s a bum rap. The ad also falsely attacks the former GOP congressman for voting in 2005 to give ‘big oil giants like BP … billions in tax breaks.’…Based on two unsubstantiated allegations, a left-leaning watchdog group branded Pearce ‘corrupt.’… [His] vote on the 2005 energy bill on balance did not give oil companies ‘billions in tax breaks.’” (Lara Seligman, “In N.M., Wildlife Group Mislabels Pearce,” FactCheck.org, 8/11/10)
- Big Surprise: Their Positive Ads are False, Too: “At least five freshman Democratic House members are running ads claiming they voted against the bank ‘bailout,’ when in fact none was in Congress when the bill setting up the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, was enacted… Most of the five ads mention a string of actions the freshman Democrats took that are meant to illustrate their principled independence. Supposedly voting ‘against the bailout’ is just one of them. But it’s one that didn’t happen, and voters shouldn’t be led to believe otherwise.” (Viveca Novak, “Democratic Bailout Baloney,” FactCheck.org, 9/3/10)
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