Issues: Economy

Club For Growth Action: “Jobs”

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Club for Growth Action accuses Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) of supporting “higher taxes, government health care, and trillions in new debt,” but the conservative group provides no evidence for its allegations. That may be because the charges against Donnelly don’t match his record. Donnelly recently voted to extend tax cuts for all Americans, while the Affordable Care Act expands private-sector health coverage and reduces deficits. Furthermore, Donnelly has supported conservative proposals for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

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Crossroads GPS: “Heart”

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An ad from Crossroads GPS claims that Senate candidate Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) support for cap-and-trade policies in general translates into support for a “scheme” that would increase energy costs for small businesses and result in 50,000 job losses. But Kaine didn’t endorse a specific policy, and GPS itself can’t settle on one proposal, cherry-picking the worst estimates of two different bills. One of those bills would have boosted the economy with little additional cost to consumers, and the other allowed small businesses’ utility costs to be offset with money from the sale of emissions allowances.

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American Crossroads: “Actually Happened”

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American Crossroads attacks President Obama’s economic record by grossly misrepresenting a “preliminary analysis” of a theoretical stimulus bill, which the president’s economic advisers conducted before his inauguration – and before the unexpected rise in unemployment soon thereafter. The analysis included disclaimers about the possibility of an unusually severe recession, which unfortunately came to fruition. Nonetheless, it’s clear that the devastating conditions Obama inherited would have become even worse without the Recovery Act, which created jobs and cut taxes for millions of working Americans. Since the recession officially ended, the private sector has steadily added jobs, including 4.7 million new jobs in the last 31 consecutive months of growth.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “CA-41: Mark Takano”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s attack on California congressional candidate Mark Takano is premised on two parallel deceptions about taxes. The first is the common Republican claim that ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy will hurt small businesses, an argument that only makes sense if you define some of the biggest corporations and richest athletes in America as “small businesses.” The second is more specific, relying on a misrepresentation of an already-dishonest study of President Obama’s tax proposals.

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U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: “CA-7: Ami Bera”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks California congressional candidate Ami Bera (D) for supporting the Affordable Care Act, claiming the law “will increase taxes on California families” and “cut $716 billion from Medicare.” But the health care law won’t raise taxes on most Americans, and reduces future Medicare spending without cutting seniors’ current benefits. Moreover, Bera’s opponent, Rep. Dan Lungren (D), voted for the same Medicare savings as part of the GOP budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan.

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U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: “IL-10: Brad Schneider”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce criticizes U.S. House candidate Brad Schneider (D-IL) for supporting “government-mandated health care” and accuses him of wanting “to hit our small businesses with higher taxes.” However, the Chamber relies on the false argument that ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans would have a significant impact on small businesses, when in fact it would reduce the deficit without harming the economy. The Chamber’s broader argument that taxes and regulations are holding back the economy is misleading, as the real key to job creation is increasing consumer demand.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “CA-10: Jose Hernandez”

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The Chamber of Commerce spent $100 million in insurance company funds trying to defeat the Affordable Care Act in 2009-10, and their 2012 ads indicate they’re not over that loss yet. An ad attacking former astronaut Jose Hernandez, candidate for California’s 10th Congressional District this year, relies on trite misinformation about the law. Beyond misrepresenting the Medicare and tax provisions of the ACA, the Chamber also ignores a crucial reality: Hernandez’s opponent, Rep. Jeff Denham, voted for the same Medicare savings for which they attack Hernandez.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “CA-26: Julia Brownley”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims that Julia Brownley cast three votes to raise energy costs for California businesses. But those three bills were about how to spend money that will be raised by a cap-and-trade system that’s already law in the California. The deception doesn’t end there, as the ad falsely suggests Brownley’s support for the Affordable Care Act and Democratic efforts to end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest will harm job creation.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “CA-47: Alan Lowenthal”

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An ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks California State Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D) for supporting bills that are “job killers.” Among the bills the Chamber cites are three that would allocate funds from California’s 2006 cap-and-trade program, one that would ban Styrofoam takeout containers, and one that would protect online privacy. The only evidence the Chamber gives that any of these measures are “job killers” is pointing to the California Chamber of Commerce – a member of the U.S. Chamber.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “IL-13: David Gill”

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The U.S Chamber of Commerce attacks David Gill over taxes and health care, using graphics and audio to suggest that the Illinois congressional candidate’s positions would cause the American economy to flat-line. But they repeat the distortion that the Affordable Care Act cuts Medicare, and mischievously cite their own, ill-conceived study as proof that ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy will kill job growth. And leaving aside the fact that the Chamber-commissioned study fail to analyze actual Democratic proposals, the failure of those tax cuts is plain to see in economic data on the past decade.

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