Two ads attacking Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli go too far.
Stretching Cuccinelli’s Record
Twisting Cuccinelli’s Tax Plan
Democrat Terry McAuliffe uses the reluctance of his Republican opponent, Ken Cuccinelli, to name the tax exemptions and loopholes he would eliminate to offset his proposed tax cuts as the basis for misleading, doomsday claims about Cuccinelli’s tax plan.
Inhofe Misquotes Obama’s Chief Military Adviser
Sen. Jim Inhofe badly misquoted Gen. Martin E. Dempsey when he claimed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff described the current state of the U.S. military as “so degraded and unready, it would be immoral to use force.”
More (Mostly Accurate) Virginia Attacks
Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s latest ad says Republican Ken Cuccinelli “twists the facts” by saying McAuliffe made millions from a company that went bankrupt, leaving thousands of workers unemployed and with worthless pension funds.
Kerry Spins His Record on Iraq
Secretary of State John Kerry says both he and Chuck Hagel, now the secretary of defense, “opposed the president’s decision to go into Iraq” as senators. But both voted to give President Bush the authority to use military force in Iraq.
Obama’s Blurry Red Line
A year ago, President Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad would cross a “red line for us” and might trigger a U.S. military response.
Pelosi’s Flawed History Lesson
Rep. Nancy Pelosi mistakenly claimed that President Clinton launched an airstrike in 1999 after the House rejected the use of military force in a tie vote. Actually, U.S. and NATO forces had attacked Serbia five weeks before the House vote.
No ‘Special Subsidy’ for Congress
Rep. Robert Pittenger is misleading his constituents by saying that he will decline the health insurance offered to members of Congress next year because it includes a “special subsidy” from the president that “exempted” Congress from the Affordable Care Act.
‘Train Wreck’ Ad Goes Off the Rails
A conservative TV ad misconstrues Sen. Max Baucus’ infamous “train wreck” statement to claim “there’s bipartisan agreement that Obamacare isn’t working.”
Attack-Ad Alchemy
In the Virginia race for governor, Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli is running a TV spot that practices the dark art of political alchemy — turning facts into falsehoods. And it does so while claiming to be telling “the truth.”