Issues: Health Care

Crossroads GPS: “Vision” CA-21

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In identical ads hitting congressional candidate John Hernandez (D-CA) and three other Democratic House candidates in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, Crossroads GPS levels a series of falsehoods about the Affordable Care Act, which all four candidates support. Despite the ad’s claims, the health care law reduces future Medicare spending without cutting seniors’ current benefits, it helps control rising costs, and it’s expected to expand insurance coverage – all without taking health care decisions away from individuals or raising taxes on most Americans.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Vision” MI-01

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In identical ads hitting congressional candidate Gary McDowell (D-MI) and three other Democratic House candidates in California, Illinois, and Indiana, Crossroads GPS levels a series of falsehoods about the Affordable Care Act, which all four candidates support. Despite the ad’s claims, the health care law reduces future Medicare spending without cutting seniors’ current benefits, it helps control rising costs, and it’s expected to expand insurance coverage – all without taking health care decisions away from individuals or raising taxes on most Americans. What’s more, McDowell’s opponent voted to keep the $716 billion in savings GPS attacks the Democrats over.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Vision” IL-17

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In identical ads hitting congressional candidate Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and three other Democratic House candidates in California, Indiana, and Michigan, Crossroads GPS levels a series of falsehoods about the Affordable Care Act, which all four candidates support. Despite the ad’s claims, the health care law reduces future Medicare spending without cutting seniors’ current benefits, it helps control rising costs, and it’s expected to expand insurance coverage – all without taking health care decisions away from individuals or raising taxes on most Americans. What’s more, Bustos’ opponent voted to keep the $716 billion in savings GPS attacks the Democrats over.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Vision” IN-02

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In identical ads hitting congressional candidate Brendan Mullen (D-IN) and three other Democratic House candidates in California, Illinois, and Michigan, Crossroads GPS levels a series of falsehoods about the Affordable Care Act, which all four candidates support. Despite the ad’s claims, the health care law reduces future Medicare spending without cutting seniors’ current benefits, it helps control rising costs, and it’s expected to expand insurance coverage – all without taking health care decisions away from individuals or raising taxes on most Americans.

Read more after the jump.

The Week In Conservative Attack Ads

Including a stray late-Friday-afternoon spot that didn’t make it into our roundup from last week, Bridge Project fact-checked 10 conservative ads this week. Eight of those were from the usual players – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which focused on House races, Crossroads GPS, which took on its usual Senate targets, and American Crossroads, with a presidential ad. The remaining two came from the National Rifle Association and American Unity PAC, more minor players on the electioneering ad scene.

Rhetorically, this week saw a heavy focus on supposed threats to small business jobs, with six of the ads mentioning small businesses specifically. But most of the conservative claims about “small business” rely on distortions – for example, the conservative definition of a small business often includes large corporations and wealthy individuals rather than the mom-and-pop businesses the term conjures for most people. And the health care law, often cited as a source of crippling new taxes on small business, actually offers tax credits that will help those small businesses provide their employees with health insurance.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Cheri Bustos”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Illinois congressional candidate Cheri Bustos (D), claiming that her support for the Affordable Care Act disregard’s “job-killing tax hikes on small businesses” and higher taxes on middle-class families. But the claim that the law will kill jobs has been debunked, and it contains tax credits for both small businesses and lower- and middle-class families.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Vision”

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In an ad accusing Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) of casting votes that ‘cost Ohio jobs,’ Crossroads GPS misrepresents the American Jobs Act, the Affordable Care Act, and Brown’s vote to end the Bush tax cuts for top earners. The American Jobs Act would have boosted employment and GDP while cutting payroll taxes for workers and employers, paid for with a surtax only on millionaires, but all the ad says is that it’s a “tax increase.” To help pay for expanding coverage, the Affordable Care Act levies a small tax on medical device manufacturers, who are likely to see increased business thanks to the law. And the “new small business tax” is no such thing: Brown voted to preserve tax breaks for the middle class while ending them for top earners, few of whom are real “small businesses.”

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Stamp For Him”

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Crossroads GPS’ attempt to portray Heidi Heitkamp as “an Obama rubber stamp” wildly misreprents the health care law’s budget impact and Heitkamp’s position on the individual mandate. In reality, the Affordable Care Act reduces deficits, and Heitkamp has repeatedly stated that she would prefer the law without the individual mandate.

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U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: “John Tierney”

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An ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce cites the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street Reform, and the Bush tax cuts to build the case that Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) has “one of the worst voting records for small businesses.” But Tierney voted against various efforts to extend provisions of the Bush tax cuts because Republican plans routinely involved giveaways for the wealthy at the expense of the deficit, while the health care reform law includes tax credits for small businesses and Dodd-Frank targets large firms, not small banks.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Bill Enyart (IL-12) “Part of the Problem”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Illinois congressional candidate Bill Enyart (D) for supporting the Affordable Care Act, which the ad misleadingly claims “cuts” Medicare and “hurts the middle class with new taxes.” In reality, the health care law does not increase taxes on most Americans, and it provides tax credits for millions. The Chamber also maligns Enyart for serving “in Gov. Blagojevich’s cabinet,” but leaves out crucial details about his role: Enyart was selected, after a 30-year career in the military, as head of the Illinois National Guard.

Read more after the jump.