Voters in Tennessee, Missouri and Virginia – three states where polls have shown the Senate candidates to be neck-and-neck – have been particularly swamped with ads.
Stories by Brooks Jackson
Director Emeritus, FactCheck.org
The Whoppers Of 2006
The mid-term elections of 2006 brought an unprecedented barrage of advertising containing much that is false or misleading.
Tired Old Trust Fund Bunk
In half a dozen ads, Democrats accuse a number of GOP House incumbents of voting repeatedly to “raid the Social Security Trust Fund.” That line was bunk when Republicans used it against Democratic candidates in the past, and it’s bunk now.
$122 Million Worth Of Hype
Former President Bill Clinton says California’s Proposition 87 will help “save the planet” and Al Gore says it’s the one thing the state can do to “free us from foreign oil.” Both sides are overselling.
A Misleading Appeal To Fear
The pro-Bush group Progress for America is running a TV ad appealing directly to Americans’ fear of terrorists, saying bluntly “These people want to kill us.”
An Election-Year Virus
Debunked again and again, a false e-mail keeps circulating claiming members of Congress don’t pay Social Security taxes.
Misquoting Lincoln
Bush supporters falsely quote Lincoln as advocating arresting, exiling or hanging members of Congress who damage military morale in wartime.
Flattery Will Get You Nowhere
We find that Republican Senate candidate Bob Corker’s current ad misleads by falsely implying that he lowered taxes in Chattanooga when he was mayor.
Devolution in Tennessee
Senate candidate Bob Corker accuses two rivals of voting to raise their own pay while in the House, but in fact Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant repeatedly voted against raises.
Vultures, Death, Taxes & More Falsehoods
The Free Enterprise Fund continues a campaign of misinformation against the estate tax.