Politicians & Pundits: Mitt Romney

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.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “Cheri Bustos”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Illinois congressional candidate Cheri Bustos (D), claiming that her support for the Affordable Care Act disregard’s “job-killing tax hikes on small businesses” and higher taxes on middle-class families. But the claim that the law will kill jobs has been debunked, and it contains tax credits for both small businesses and lower- and middle-class families.

Read more after the jump.

NRA Political Victory Fund: “Chipping Away”

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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.

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Crossroads GPS: “Vision”

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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.”

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Crossroads GPS: “Stamp For Him”

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Crossroads GPS’ attempt to portray Heidi Heitkamp as “an Obama rubber stamp” wildly misreprents the health care law’s budget impact and Heitkamp’s position on the individual mandate. In reality, the Affordable Care Act reduces deficits, and Heitkamp has repeatedly stated that she would prefer the law without the individual mandate.

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Crossroads GPS: “Looming”

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An ad from Crossroads GPS attacks Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine (D) over his support for last year’s deal to raise the debt ceiling, which created the deficit reduction super committee and imposed defense cuts as an incentive for members to find a compromise. The super committee failed, and GPS blames Kaine for upcoming defense cuts, which could impact Virginia-based defense industry jobs particularly hard. But Kaine supported the debt ceiling deal because it was necessary to avoid devastating economic default, and he has laid out a plan to avoid the impending defense cuts.

Read more after the jump.

“Nonpartisan Study” Backing Romney’s Tax Plan Comes From Conservative Think Tank That Employed Romney Advisers

In an effort to discredit the Tax Policy Center’s conclusion that Mitt Romney’s tax plan would either impose higher taxes on the middle class or require increased deficits, Republicans are touting a supposedly “nonpartisan study” proving otherwise. Last week, the Romney campaign released a television ad referencing the study that purports to refute the criticism of Romney’s plan.

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The “nonpartisan” analysis comes from the American Enterprise Institute, a decidedly conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. In fact, Romney’s economic team includes at least three people affiliated with AEI. Romney advisers Glenn Hubbard and Gregory Mankiw are both listed on AEI’s website as “visiting scholars.” Hubbard, who preceded Mankiw as chairman of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, was “an architect of the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003,” according to the Washington Post. Another economic adviser and surrogate, Kevin Hassett, is AEI’s Director of Economic Policy Studies.

The author of the report backing Romney’s position is Alex Brill, an AEI research fellow who also served on President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. While Brill insists that Romney’s plan is “not a tax hike on the middle class,” he has previously criticized President Obama’s preference for tax cuts geared toward the middle class instead of the wealthiest Americans. In October 2008, Brill co-authored an op-ed arguing that “rate cuts for high incomes or reductions in investment taxes” are superior to Obama’s “tax favors for the middle class.”

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

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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.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Bill Enyart (IL-12) “Part of the Problem”

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce attacks Illinois congressional candidate Bill Enyart (D) for supporting the Affordable Care Act, which the ad misleadingly claims “cuts” Medicare and “hurts the middle class with new taxes.” In reality, the health care law does not increase taxes on most Americans, and it provides tax credits for millions. The Chamber also maligns Enyart for serving “in Gov. Blagojevich’s cabinet,” but leaves out crucial details about his role: Enyart was selected, after a 30-year career in the military, as head of the Illinois National Guard.

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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.