As the nation turned its attention to the Democratic National Convention, conservative groups were again relatively quiet on the airwaves. We fact checked six television ads, including two extremely misleading attacks on Democratic candidates from the Adelson-funded YG Action Fund. In addition, Americans for Prosperity released an ad falsely comparing the Affordable Care Act to Canada’s single-payer health care system, Crossroads GPS continued its assault on North Dakota Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp, and the Club for Growth shifted its focus from Republican primaries to the general election.

30 Months, 4.6 Million Private-Sector Jobs

American Crossroads countered the convention with an ad blasting President Obama’s economic record and suggesting that he has taken the country “backward.” In fact, the economy now has gained 4.6 million private-sector jobs in the last 30 months, but government employment continues to shrink, restraining the overall recovery. The following chart shows the accumulation of private-sector job gains and public-sector job losses since the recession officially ended in June 2009:

Conservatives typically attack Obama’s record by blaming him for the impact of the Great Recession, including enormous monthly job losses in the first several months of his presidency. However, even if you start counting job totals in the first full month of their presidencies (February 2001 and February 2009), President Obama’s private-sector job record is significantly better than President Bush’s at this point in his first term.

YG Action Fund In The House

YG Action Fund, a group connected to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and funded by Sheldon Adelson, jumped into the fray this week. In Illinois, the group disparaged recently retired National Guard general William Enyart (D) for having “little private-sector experience” without mentioning his 30-plus years of military service. The group also dishonestly portrayed Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) as a tax-hiker and attempted to link him to the Affordable Care Act, which he opposed.