Politicians & Pundits: George W. Bush

NRA Political Victory Fund: “Chipping Away”

adcheck •

In an ad that provides no details or citations, the National Rifle Association claims an unspecified “they” are “attacking our Second Amendment rights” before urging voters to support the Romney/Ryan ticket. But despite conservative fears, the only gun laws President Obama has signed expand – rather than restrict – gun rights. The ad’s other claims about “mountains of debt” and “new spending” are also misleading, since it was Bush-era policies and the recession that drove up the debt and spending growth under Obama has been low.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Vision”

adcheck •

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.

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

adcheck •

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: “IL-11 Can’t Afford Bill Foster”

adcheck •

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.

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

adcheck •

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.

Restore Our Future: “New Normal”

adcheck •

An ad from Restore Our Future dredges up an out-of-context quote from President Obama to suggest he believes 8 percent unemployment is “doing fine.” In reality, Obama was explaining that the private sector is steadily creating new jobs, while declining public-sector employment – a trend favored by conservatives – has slowed the recovery. The private sector has now added 4.6 million jobs over the last 30 consecutive months of growth. The ad also blames the president for America’s “crushing debt,” which exploded as a consequence of Bush administration policies and the recession, but fails to acknowledge that Republicans have rejected Obama’s debt-reduction proposals.

Read more after the jump.

Club For Growth Action: “Know”

adcheck •

Club for Growth Action claims that former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who is running for the Senate in Arizona, “has no problem with raising taxes.” But the conservative group’s claim relies on an out-of-context quote, in which Carmona explained that he would support repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans as long as “you protect the middle and lower class.” According to nonpartisan analysts, ending tax breaks for top earners would reduce the deficit without harming the economy.

Read more after the jump.

Club For Growth Action: “Jobs”

adcheck •

Club for Growth Action accuses Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) of supporting “higher taxes, government health care, and trillions in new debt,” but the conservative group provides no evidence for its allegations. That may be because the charges against Donnelly don’t match his record. Donnelly recently voted to extend tax cuts for all Americans, while the Affordable Care Act expands private-sector health coverage and reduces deficits. Furthermore, Donnelly has supported conservative proposals for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Read more after the jump.

American Crossroads: “Actually Happened”

adcheck •

American Crossroads attacks President Obama’s economic record by grossly misrepresenting a “preliminary analysis” of a theoretical stimulus bill, which the president’s economic advisers conducted before his inauguration – and before the unexpected rise in unemployment soon thereafter. The analysis included disclaimers about the possibility of an unusually severe recession, which unfortunately came to fruition. Nonetheless, it’s clear that the devastating conditions Obama inherited would have become even worse without the Recovery Act, which created jobs and cut taxes for millions of working Americans. Since the recession officially ended, the private sector has steadily added jobs, including 4.7 million new jobs in the last 31 consecutive months of growth.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “CA-41: Mark Takano”

adcheck •

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s attack on California congressional candidate Mark Takano is premised on two parallel deceptions about taxes. The first is the common Republican claim that ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy will hurt small businesses, an argument that only makes sense if you define some of the biggest corporations and richest athletes in America as “small businesses.” The second is more specific, relying on a misrepresentation of an already-dishonest study of President Obama’s tax proposals.

Read more after the jump.