Issues: Health Care

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “IL-11 Can’t Afford Bill Foster”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce relies on stale misinformation to attack former Rep. Bill Foster’s (D-IL) positions on health care and tax policy. To support the claim that Foster’s support for the Affordable Care Act means “job-killing regulations on our small business owners,” the Chamber cites a Gallup poll that did not actually mention the health care law at all – and which identified weak consumer demand as the main obstacle to hiring. Furthermore, the Chamber dishonestly claims that ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy will hurt job-growth, citing a flawed study that the Chamber itself commissioned.

Read more after the jump.

The Week In Conservative Attack Ads

We checked 26 new attack ads in the last week, including a trio that appeared late last Friday afternoon. The heavy volume makes sense given that the campaign is entering the home stretch, and it was powered by 15 new U.S. Chamber of Commerce ads, all of them in House races. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS (3 ads) and American Crossroads (2) combined to come in a distant second, and the remaining six came from the arch-conservative Club for Growth, the anti-immigration obsessives at NumbersUSA, the Iowa-based American Future Fund, Restore Our Future, and the abortion-focused Susan B. Anthony List’s new “Women Speak Out PAC.”

Read more after the jump.

American Unity PAC: “Wrong Prescription”

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The American Unity PAC attacks Democratic congressional candidate Raul Ruiz (CA) for supporting the Affordable Care Act in an ad that claims the legislation raises taxes on “millions of middle- and lower-income families” by forcing them to buy health insurance. In reality, the health care law provides more tax relief than tax burden for the middle class, and lower- and middle-income families are eligible for tax credits that will help them afford premium payments. The ad also claims the ACA cuts $700 billion from Medicare and will kill jobs, both conservative attack lines that have been debunked.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “NY-24 Dan Maffei — Closed”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce uses vague buzzwords about regulations and health care to suggest Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY) doesn’t “understand how tough it’s been for New York small businesses.” Dig into the ad’s fine print, though, and you’ll see the Chamber is talking about Wall Street regulations written to forestall another catastrophic collapse like the one that closed out the Bush years. The ads’ claims about taxes in the Affordable Care Act are similarly misleading.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “NY-27 Kathy Hochul – Failure”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Rep. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) for voting for the Affordable Care Act, claiming that the legislation raises taxes on small business and impose a $1,200 per year tax on “millions of middle class families.” In reality, millions of small businesses are eligible for tax credits under the health care law, and the ACA reduces the overall burden on the middle class.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: “Louise Slaughter – Wrong Way”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) over her vote for the Affordable Care Act and against a bill to extend the Bush tax cuts for top earners. What the ad doesn’t mention is that the health care law, which doesn’t raise taxes on most Americans, makes tax credits available to millions of small businesses. Meanwhile, although Slaughter opposed tax giveaways for the top 2 percent of earners, she has since supported extending the Bush tax cuts for the middle class.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber Of Commerce: “NY-18 Sean Maloney – Wrong”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a conservative group that received millions of dollars from insurance companies to fight health care reform, has released an ad attacking New York House candidate Sean Maloney for supporting the Affordable Care Act. However, despite the ad’s claims about “more spending and higher taxes,” millions of families and small businesses across the country are now eligible for tax credits because of the health care law. In addition, the ACA reduces the deficit.

Read more after the jump.

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.

Read more after the jump.

Women Speak Out PAC: “Barack Obama: Abortion Radical”

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An ad from a Susan B. Anthony List super PAC calls President Obama an “abortion radical” because of his votes on several “Born Alive” bills in the Illinois Senate, his opposition to a law to criminalize adults helping minors circumvent parental notification laws as a U.S. senator, and his support for the Affordable Care Act. The ad’s most egregious falsehood is the suggestion that the health care law expanded “tax-subsidized abortions” and pays for sex-selective abortions, even though there is no federal funding for abortions in the law. Bills addressing sex-selective abortions, much like the Illinois iterations of the “Born Alive” measures, are attempts by anti-abortion activists to increase restrictions on legal abortions, while parental notification laws endanger minors in abusive or troubled homes.

Read more after the jump.