Politicians & Pundits: Mitt Romney

Crossroads GPS: “Dragging”

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An ad from Crossroads GPS accuses Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) of voting for higher taxes and hurting Ohio’s job creators. But ending the Bush tax cuts for top earners, few of whom are actual small businesses, would help reduce the deficit without impeding the recovery, and the Affordable Care Act doesn’t tax most Americans. Furthermore, the ad’s insinuation that Brown bears responsibility for job losses in Ohio ignores the devastating impact of the Great Recession as well as the fact that Ohio has gained well over 100,000 jobs since the recession officially ended.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Simple”

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Armed with misleading claims and a clip of Heidi Heitkamp playing softball, Crossroads GPS alleges she “will go to bat for the Obama agenda,” while Rep. Rick Berg is the “independent voice” North Dakota needs in the Senate. Of course, Congressman Berg’s voting record does not reflect that supposed independence – but it does include two votes for the exact Medicare savings GPS attacks Heitkamp for supporting. The ad’s claim that Heitkamp wants to “hit job creators with higher taxes” fares no better under scrutiny.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Biggest Votes”

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Crossroads GPS hits Indiana Senate candidate Joe Donnelly over his support for the Affordable Care Act, claiming it cuts Medicare spending and raises taxes on the middle class, and suggesting it is responsible for rising health insurance premiums. In reality, the law finds future Medicare savings without cutting current spending or benefits, it doesn’t raise taxes on most Americans, and it slows the growth in health care costs, which are primarily to blame for higher premiums.

Read more after the jump.

Crossroads GPS: “Vision” CA-36

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In an ad hitting congressional candidate Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Crossroads GPS levels a series of falsehoods about the Affordable Care Act. 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, Ruiz’ opponent voted to keep the $716 billion in savings GPS attacks the Democrats over.

Read more after the jump.

False Facts: Why Conservative Groups Hope You Won’t Check Their Sources

Mitt Romney’s citation of “six studies” confirming his claims about his tax plan has unraveled rather completely at this point. When a candidate makes that kind of claim, it receives deserved scrutiny, and fact checkers rightly shredded the Republican’s line. But the evidence offered by conservative outside groups in political ads receive much less attention, despite being a near-constant presence in voters’ lives on television, radio, and the web.

The network of outside-money conservative groups we monitor often don’t bother trying to ground their claims in objective truth. Some of their most effective TV ads rely on debatable interpretations of legislation or public statements, and many simply deprive the viewer of context in order to mislead. Others cite only a piece of legislation or a floor vote, while making un-cited claims about what that vote or law meant for voters. But these well-heeled organizations tend to get themselves in trouble when they cite more specific studies or news reports to support their claims.

Read more after the jump.

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.

Read more after the jump.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Jon Tester – Working for Washington”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) for supporting the Affordable Care Act, a cap-and-trade bill, and for the Senate’s failure to pass a budget resolution over the last three years. Contrary to the Chamber’s claims, however, the health care law doesn’t ‘cut’ Medicare benefits, and the cap-and-trade measure Tester supported would have had little impact on the average household budget.

Read more after the jump.

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.

Read more after the jump.

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.

Read more after the jump.

Congressional Leadership Fund: “I Will”

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The Congressional Leadership Fund wants New York voters to believe Rep. Kathy Hochul’s (D) support for ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and her opposition to repealing Obamacare amount to “working with President Obama to raise taxes that hurt small businesses.” That isn’t true. In reality, allowing the Bush tax cuts on top earners to expire would reduce deficits without harming the economy or affecting many actual employers, and the Affordable Care Act offers tax credits to millions of small businesses.

Read more after the jump.