Issues: Jobs

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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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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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.

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Spirit Of Democracy: “Lois Capps: 14 Years”

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Spirit of Democracy America released an ad attacking Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) for her tenure in Congress by asking: “What does America have to show for it?” To make its point, the ad derides her vote for the bipartisan bank bailout and her support for the Recovery Act without mentioning the economic conditions that made these actions necessary, or the possible depression that that was avoided because of them. After calling Capps an “extreme partisan” the ad cites a grade given to the congresswoman by the National Taxpayers Union, a conservative organization the San Francisco Chronicle called “the Grand-daddy of the tax revolt organizations.”

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Independence Virginia PAC: “No Surprise”

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An ad from Independence Virginia PAC, a Bob Perry-backed super PAC formed to oppose Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine (D), suggests taxes proposed by the former governor are to blame for the rise in unemployment rate during his tenure, and claims Kaine “left Virginia with a $4.2 billion deficit.” In reality, Kaine balanced the budget before leaving office, even though the state’s revenues suffered due to the recession, which was also responsible for driving up the unemployment rate both in Virginia and nationally. The taxes Kaine proposed while in office, meanwhile, were primarily ideas on how to pay for much-needed transportation upgrades that the state’s GOP wanted to finance with long-term borrowing, and despite the ad’s use of a poorly worded debate statement, Kaine does not currently support raising taxes on low-income earners.

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Arizonans for Jobs: “Richard Carmona: Obama’s Rubber Stamp”

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Arizonans for Jobs, a group supporting Rep. Jeff Flake’s (R) bid for the Senate, attacks Democratic candidate Richard Carmona for supporting the Affordable Care Act. Despite the group’s claims, the health care law is not a “government takeover,” does not raise taxes on most Americans, and does not cut benefits for Medicare recipients. In fact, Flake voted to preserve the Affordable Care Act’s savings from Medicare when he supported the House Republican budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan.

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Crossroads GPS: “Lovers”

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Crossroads GPS says Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine “loves taxes,” accusing him of trying to raise taxes on lower-income Americans and attacking him for supporting the Affordable Care Act even though the health care law provides more middle-class tax relief than burden. But the “tax hikes” GPS accuses Kaine of pushing as governor were a 1 percent surcharge that was part of a package of tough cuts seeking to balance Virginia’s recession-ravaged budget. Meanwhile, Kaine isn’t “considering a new tax on those who can least afford it” – he misspoke while indicating his openness to all discussions on taxation, but does not support taxing lower-income citizens.

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