Issues: Energy

Congressional Leadership Fund: “Hall Of Fame”

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Congressional Leadership Fund accuses Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) of voting for an expensive stimulus bill that “created jobs in China,” but the article the ad cites points to a project that never actually received any stimulus money. The ad also criticizes Sutton for her support of a cap-and-trade bill and the bank bailout, even though the former would have stimulated the economy with little cost to consumers and the latter, which passed in a bipartisan fashion after urging from President Bush, helped avert another Great Depression.

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American Action Network: “Rail”

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The American Action Network dishonestly attacks congressional candidate Jose Hernandez (D-CA-10) for living in Texas, branding him as a cowboy and a carpetbagger even though the California native only lived outside the state while working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center as an astronaut. The group also criticizes Hernandez for supporting high-speed rail as a way to create jobs, as well as the Recovery Act, which helped save the economy from an even deeper recession.

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Congressional Leadership Fund: “Where”

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The Congressional Leadership Fund blames Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) for more spending and higher taxes, citing the Affordable Care Act, a cap-and-trade bill that never became law, and the Recovery Act. But it was the recession and Bush-era policies like tax breaks for the wealthy that are really responsible for creating driving up deficits, and Capps recently voted to bring in an additional $1 billion in revenue by ending the cuts for top earners. The Affordable Care Act, which reduces the deficits, offers tax credits for middle-class families and for small businesses, and the cap-and-trade bill Capps voted for would have boosted the economy with minimal impact on consumers’ energy costs. Meanwhile, the Recovery Act cut taxes for 95 percent of working families and helped stave off an even greater recession.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Jon Tester – Working for Washington”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) for supporting the Affordable Care Act, a cap-and-trade bill, and for the Senate’s failure to pass a budget resolution over the last three years. Contrary to the Chamber’s claims, however, the health care law doesn’t ‘cut’ Medicare benefits, and the cap-and-trade measure Tester supported would have had little impact on the average household budget.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “It’s Time To Send Him Home”

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The U.S Chamber of Commerce argues Rep. Martin Heinrich’s (D-NM) voting record on energy is disqualifying, but its claims about cap-and-trade come from an industry-funded study that paints a much darker picture than the Energy Information Administration’s analysis. The ad’s claims about the Keystone XL pipeline and Heinrich’s party loyalty are also dishonest.

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Congressional Leadership Fund: “Busy Betty”

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An ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund attacks Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) over virtually every Democratic priority, citing the Recovery Act, a cap-and-trade bill, and the health care law. But the stimulus bill didn’t ‘fail’ – it helped avoid an even more severe economic downturn, and the ad’s charge that stimulus money went to China is unsupported. The cap-and-trade bill in question would have boosted the economy with little cost to consumers. And the allegation that the health care law – which cuts taxes for most Americans – would kill jobs has been dismantled repeatedly.

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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.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Tim Bishop (NY-1) – Pay More”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) for voting for the Affordable Care Act and cap-and-trade legislation, misrepresenting the bills’ impact on small businesses and families. In fact, millions of small businesses are eligible for tax credits under the health care law, while clean energy legislation would have boosted the economy at minimal cost to households.

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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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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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