Issues: Social Security

American Crossroads: “Add Up”

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American Crossroads characterizes Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) as “extreme,” citing several alleged examples of her voting to take tax dollars “out of Wisconsin to pay for her extreme agenda in Washington.” However, the Bush administration’s bipartisan bailout of the financial sector helped prevent a possible depression; the Affordable Care Act does not raise taxes on most Americans and actually reduces the burden on the middle class; and “failed” Recovery Act not only created jobs but also cut taxes for millions of working American families.

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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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Americans for Tax Reform: “Charlie Wilson – Least Afford It”

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Americans for Tax Reform attacks congressional candidate Charlie Wilson (D-OH) for supporting “raising taxes on small businesses,” citing a 2010 measure in which Wilson voted to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class while letting them expire for top earners. Few income taxpayers in the top two brackets are actual small businesses, however, and Wilson ultimately supported a compromise bill that extended the Bush tax cuts for everyone. The ad also cites a flawed business association-funded study to support its claim that ending the tax cuts for top brackets would harm small businesses, but the study doesn’t model Democrats’ actual proposals.

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American Future Fund: “A New Path”

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The audio in a new ad from American Future Fund is exclusively Mitt Romney’s voice, making accusations about President Obama’s impact on spending and taxes and promising to create 12 million new jobs. That figure comes from a series of separate studies with different timelines, and two of those don’t even evaluate Romney’s policies. In addition, spending growth under Obama is low, and he has cut taxes for 95 percent of working families.

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Club for Growth Action: “Lobster”

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The Club for Growth accuses Indiana Senate candidate Joe Donnelly (D) of supporting wasteful spending, citing a series of amendments to appropriations bills that would have banned spending on individual projects. But Donnelly’s vote against banning money for the projects was backed up by vast bipartisan majorities in the House. Furthermore, Donnelly has voted in favor of a balanced budget amendment, and it was Bush-era policies and the recession that drove up deficits, not earmarks.

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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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Crossroads GPS: “Hole”

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Crossroads GPS blames President Obama and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) for the rising debt, citing the Recovery Act and Obamacare as examples of measures that allegedly “dug the hole.” However, the recovery bill helped rescue the economy from a deeper recession, while the Affordable Care Act actually reduces deficits. In reality, the deficit skyrocketed thanks to Bush policies – especially tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans – and the crushing recession Obama inherited. Crossroads also criticizes Tester for supporting “Obama’s budget deal” that included defense cuts, but the ad does not mention that congressional Republicans played a major role in forcing those cuts into law.

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American Crossroads: “Sack It”

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In its latest attack on President Obama, American Crossroads pretends that the economic recovery is not happening, asking, “Where are the jobs you promised?” The economy was hemorrhaging jobs when Obama took office, but the private sector has created 4.7 million new jobs over the last 31 consecutive months of growth. Indeed, even counting the hundreds of thousands of job losses each month in early 2009, the latest data shows positive net job growth in Obama’s first term. Moreover, Crossroads dishonestly blames Obama for rising debt fueled by the recession and Bush-era policies, such as tax breaks for the wealthy and unfunded wars.

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Americans for Tax Reform: “Charlie Wilson – Boxer”

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Grover Norquist’s anti-tax organization, Americans for Tax Reform, released an ad blaming Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-OH) for the country’s spending and debt. The ad derides the bipartisan bank bailout, which helped avoid an economic depression, and the Recovery Act without mentioning the conditions that made both actions necessary. The ad’s emphasis on the debt is disingenuous given Norquist’s rigid “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” which commits signers to oppose tax increases and undermines any balanced solution to the nation’s fiscal troubles.

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American Crossroads: “Four More”

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American Crossroads looks forward in its latest ad, warning viewers that President Obama’s second-term plans will bring tax hikes on small businesses, job losses, and higher debt. In reality, Obama wants to extend tax cuts for the middle class while phasing out tax breaks on income above $250,000. That would reduce deficits without harming job creation, and the flawed study that American Crossroads cites to claim otherwise does not actually address Obama’s proposal. Meanwhile, the ad also claims that Obama has “nothing to show” for his first term, ignoring the economic disaster he inherited and the 4.7 million new private-sector jobs created over the last 31 months of growth.

Read more after the jump.