Congressional Leadership Fund: “Closer Look”

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The Congressional Leadership Fund takes out a second ad against Texas congressional candidate Pete Gallego, attacking him for voting to raise taxes as a state legislator. But the bills the Congressional Leadership Fund cites to support its case include one to keep online companies like Amazon from skirting Texas’ sales tax rules, another to keep people from avoiding sales tax on car sales, and another that would have added just $5 to yearly motor vehicle registration fees to pay for the state’s underfunded trauma centers.

Read more after the jump.

The Week In Conservative Attack Ads

It’s no surprise that conservative outside groups are ramping up their ad spending as November approaches. Counting spots released last Friday afternoon, we fact-checked 36 conservative attack ads this week, our highest one-week tally yet. The large total was driven by an increased focus on House races, which accounted for two-thirds of the ads we answered.

Once again, Karl Rove’s groups dominated the airwaves. As it does most weeks, American Crossroads issued a new attack on President Obama, this one attempting to undermine clear signs that the economy is picking up. Meanwhile, Crossroads GPS targeted eight House candidates go to along with six Senate candidates, which notably included Maine independent Angus King.

Read more after the jump.

60 Plus Association: “What Do Kirpatrick & Sinema Have In Common?”

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The 60 Plus Association hits two House candidates, former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema, in an ad running in Arizona. The group accuses both candidates of favoring “higher taxes and spending,” citing their support for the Recovery Act. However, that bill not only helped rescue the economy from a deeper recession but also cut taxes for up to 95 percent of working Americans. 60 Plus also targets both candidates on health care, claiming that Kirkpatrick “voted to take $700 billion from Medicare” and “Sinema thought the law didn’t go far enough.” But Kirkpatrick’s opponent, Rep. Paul Gosar (R), supported the same Medicare savings as part of Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan, and Sinema’s alleged sin is supporting the extremely popular public insurance option.

Read more after the jump.

60 Plus Association: “Ron Barber: Washington Insider”

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Trying to paint him as a “Washington insider,” the 60 Plus Association attacks Rep. Ron Barber (D-AZ), who won a special election this year to replace injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after the Tucson shooting. The ad takes issue with a raise Barber received as Giffords’ district director, even though his salary wasn’t uniquely high among district directors for Arizona’s House delegation, and with Barber’s support for the Affordable Care Act, even though repealing the law would have negative consequences for millions of people. Barber is no D.C. insider, however; prior to working for Giffords, he spent 30 years working for a state agency that helped Arizonans with developmental disabilities become independent and running a small business with his wife.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Sherrod Brown – 4 Decades Is Long Enough”

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An ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was a “deciding vote” for the Affordable Care Act, which the ad says cut $716 billion from Medicare. But Brown was one of 60 senators to support the law, which seeks to reduce future Medicare spending without taking money out of the program. The Chamber also accuses Brown of casting “a vote against Ohio energy producers” but don’t mention that Brown was voting to support an EPA rule that would limit toxic mercury emissions, thereby saving thousands of lives each year.

Read more after the jump.

YG Network: “Washington Liberals”

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YG Network attempts to link Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, characterizing both of them as “the Washington liberals,” but the attack falls short on the facts. The “failed stimulus” created jobs, cut taxes, and protected the economy from a deeper recession. Meanwhile, the group suggests that McIntrye’s support of Pelosi as House Speaker led to the Affordable Care Act, even though he personally voted against the health care law. In fact, McIntyre has voted with his party 68 percent of the time in the current Congress, giving him the 11th most independent voting record of among representatives.

Read more after the jump.

60 Plus Association: “Why Did We Fire Dan Maffei In 2010?”

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The 60 Plus Association reminds voters of Dan Maffei’s support for the Recovery Act and health care reform prior to his defeat in the 2010 election. They also present those policies in a deeply misleading light, when the facts show the Recovery Act worked and the Affordable Care Act will save us money. As a kicker, 60 Plus attacks Maffei over Medicare spending reductions that his opponent, Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R), voted for twice when they were included in GOP budgets.

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Club for Growth Action: “Lobster”

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The Club for Growth accuses Indiana Senate candidate Joe Donnelly (D) of supporting wasteful spending, citing a series of amendments to appropriations bills that would have banned spending on individual projects. But Donnelly’s vote against banning money for the projects was backed up by vast bipartisan majorities in the House. Furthermore, Donnelly has voted in favor of a balanced budget amendment, and it was Bush-era policies and the recession that drove up deficits, not earmarks.

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Americans for Tax Reform: “Energy Tax”

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Americans for Tax Reform hits Kentucky Democrat Ben Chandler over his support for a 2009 cap-and-trade bill, claiming it violates the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” Chandler signed, but the costs to families of the American Clean Energy and Security Act have been exaggerated by conservatives. The ad also clips a 2008 interview then-candidate Obama gave describing his position on a generic climate change bill, using it to suggest that Chandler voted for a scheme to kill coal, even though the bill he actually supported would have allowed for the construction of new coal-powered plants, provided they installed carbon capture technology.

Read more after the jump.

American Commitment: “Vote Coal: Vote Against Tim Kaine”

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An ad from American Commitment seeks to portray Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine (D) as an enemy of coal, accusing him of unfairly taking credit for a new coal plant in the state and of supporting EPA regulations that would harm the coal industry. But as governor Kaine did actively support clean coal development, including the plant the ad highlights. And while he supports a rule to reduce mercury emissions, which likely won’t impact the plant in question, he’s hedged on support for a more controversial greenhouse gas limitation, citing concerns the rule’s impact on coal.

Read more after the jump.