November 01, 2010 10:56 am ET filed under Blog
Sen. Cornyn Declines To Say Whether He Disagrees That Defeating Obama Is "The Most Important Thing"
November 01, 2010 9:52 am ET filed under Blog
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - October 31, 2010
October 31, 2010 5:35 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - October 31, 2010
Republicans' appearances on the Sunday shows this Halloween were as predictable as any mediocre horror movie, with the lone "twist" coming from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on ABC's This Week. Cornyn lied about President Obama's stump speech, claiming that Obama wants to make Republicans "sit in the back of the bus." That's a Glenn Beck-inspired race-baiting twist on Obama's months-old metaphor about Republicans wanting the keys to the car after they drove it into a ditch, and Cornyn should know better. Meanwhile on CNN, Michael Steele pretended that Republicans are principled deficit hawks, despite turning surpluses into trillions in debt under President Bush. On Face the Nation, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty claimed that higher taxes on the wealthy would neuter the nascent economic recovery despite overwhelming evidence that the rich don't spend more when we give them tax breaks. Most predictable of all, Sarah Palin told Fox News Sunday viewers three different lies about taxes in just a few short paragraphs.
October 29, 2010 12:58 pm ET filed under Ad Check
It's A "Challenge" To Find The Truth In The NRSC's Attack On Sen. Bennet
The NRSC has a pattern of ignoring the facts in its ads attacking Democratic senators, but the group's latest attack on Sen. Michael Bennet (CO) really takes the cake. In the ad, the NRSC highlights unflattering quotes about Bennet from a recent editorial in the Denver Post. However, the NRSC fails to mention that these quotes were taken from the Post's endorsement of Bennet. While the NRSC criticizes Bennet for "helping to stick future generations with trillions in debt," the Post endorsement cites Bennet as a potential leader of a "bipartisan coalition" of senators who "can finally begin tackling the nation's burdensome debt" — the debt that is largely the result of Bush-era policies. Likewise, while the NRSC further criticizes Bennet for "lavishing billions on corporate bailouts and takeovers," the reality is that Bennet was not even in office when the major "bailout" — TARP — was passed, and has, in fact, authored legislation that reduced the size of the program.
October 28, 2010 5:27 pm ET filed under Ad Check
No "Change" In NRSC's Dishonesty
The NRSC is out with a new ad aimed at Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), claiming that if she is re-elected "nothing will change" in Congress. But in reality it's the NRSC that hasn't changed — they're still peddling long-debunked claims to discredit Democratic policies. The NRSC accuses Boxer of supporting higher taxes, when leading Democrats — Boxer included — support extending tax cuts for 97 percent of Americans. The ad follows up this falsehood by labeling health care reform a "job-crushing" policy, when the Affordable Care Act will actually create millions of American jobs.
October 28, 2010 2:51 pm ET filed under Ad Check
The "Status Quo" For The NRSC Is Deceiving Voters
The NRSC piles as many falsehoods as it can into its latest 30-second ad attacking Pennsylvania Senate candidate Joe Sestak. The NRSC attempts to label Sestak "Status Quo Joe," claiming his votes for "big Wall Street bailouts" and the "failed stimulus" are evidence that Washington hurts the economy. However, both TARP and the Recovery Act were instrumental in stabilizing the economy — in fact, TARP could actually earn taxpayers a profit, while the Recovery Act created millions of jobs. The NRSC's claims about Medicare are just as misleading — the Affordable Care Act doesn't cut the program, but strengthens it by adding benefits and eliminating wasteful spending. In addition, the Affordable Care Act reduces the deficit — a clear departure from the "status quo" of Bush-era policies that skyrocketed the debt and deficit.
October 20, 2010 12:53 pm ET filed under Ad Check
NRSC Denies Voters Crucial Details With Anti-Giannoulias Ad
With an ad attacking Illinois Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (D), the National Republican Senatorial Committee provides a textbook example of lying by omission. The ad relies on closely cropped audio of Giannoulias stating as state treasurer, "We need an income tax increase." The context the NRSC fails to provide, however, is that Giannoulias would have no power over a change in Illinois' state income tax if elected to the U.S. Senate, just as he had no such power as state treasurer; Giannoulias merely offered a recommendation on state educational funding. Nor does the NRSC bother to tell you that Giannoulias also suggested lowering property taxes to offset an income tax increase. The ad omits further details to suggest that Giannoulias evaded paying his taxes and to unfairly blame him for issues with Illinois' Bright Start program.
October 18, 2010 5:52 pm ET filed under Blog
"Big Bad John" Cornyn Needs Some Big Bad Math Lessons
October 18, 2010 9:46 am ET filed under Blog
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - October 17, 2010
October 18, 2010 9:46 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - October 17, 2010
This Sunday's political chatter featured Liz Cheney lying on Face the Nation about what President Obama has said about foreign money, the Chamber of Commerce, and political advertising. Obama made a point about the lack of disclosure from outside spending groups that included a reference to the possibility of foreign influence, and Cheney turned that into an outright accusation. Meanwhile, on Fox News Sunday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senate candidate Carly Fiorina (R-CA) each claimed that government spending has exploded in the last few years. But factoring in the recession, government spending has held steady since the beginning of 2007. Cornyn also found time to mislead about the expiring Bush tax cuts, a topic that Christine O'Donnell (R-DE) also dissembled about in an appearance on ABC's This Week. In reality, the Democrats have consistently called for extending the tax cuts for 97% of the country, and their plan would not affect small businesses the way O'Donnell suggested.
October 07, 2010 11:47 am ET filed under Blog
Will "Hicky" Flap Leave A Mark On Raese?
September 15, 2010 9:51 am ET filed under Ad Check
NRSC Repeats Health Care Distortions In Attack On Conway
In a new ad titled "Jockey Jack," the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) attacks Kentucky Democratic candidate Jack Conway for supporting health care reform. The ad mischaracterizes the Affordable Care Act as a "government takeover" of health care that includes "big cuts to Medicare," while blasting Conway for refusing to sue the government over the law as Kentucky's attorney general. Despite the Republican talking points, the bill does not create government health care, it actually strengthens Medicare without cutting benefits, and Conway opposed a frivolous lawsuit because it would have wasted taxpayer dollars.
August 11, 2010 3:58 pm ET filed under Blog
GOP Record On Immigration Suggests Sen. Reid Is Right
August 11, 2010 3:55 pm ET filed under Fact Check
GOP Record On Immigration Suggests Sen. Reid Is Right
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is attacking Majority Leader Harry Reid for saying, "I don't know how anyone of Hispanic heritage could be a Republican," but Sen. Reid's comments make a lot of sense when you consider the record. Republicans have said and done plenty to alienate Hispanic voters in recent years. By condemning efforts to fix our immigration system as "amnesty," by killing comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate in 2006 and 2007, by writing laws that encourage law enforcement to target Hispanics, and by spreading misinformation about the impact of illegal immigration on our economy and society, the GOP has earned the distrust of Hispanic voters.
July 30, 2010 3:53 pm ET filed under Blog
