PDF (3 of 3 ads in this analysis)
QUESTIONABLE STATEMENTS
"Mark Schauer's votes for Pelosi's trillion dollar stimulus and Granholm's higher taxes have devastated Michigan's economy."
In February 2009, Schauer voted for final passage of the economic stimulus package, which passed 246-183. Schauer's vote for the package occurred after the global financial meltdown of September 2008 – it can hardly be considered a cause of that meltdown, which actually started while Walberg was in office.
Walberg's ad also continues the false suggestion that Michigan taxes have increased under Granholm. According to the Senate Fiscal Agency, Michigan's state tax burden was 7.9 percent when Granholm was elected; it's 7.9 percent now. It was over 8 percent during much of Gov. John Engler's term.
Michigan ranked 28th in overall tax burden in 2007, the latest year available, according to the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency.
"Mark Schauer's big spending agenda failed, so Schauer resorted to false, not true attacks against Tim Walberg, disgracefully scaring seniors with lies."
Walberg is referring to claims in ads by Schauer that Walberg wants to privatize and eliminate Social Security. And the claims -- made by senior citizens -- are clearly designed to make it appear that Walberg would do it sooner, rather than later. Walberg has said he supports privatization but has never said he would do away with it for today's senior citizens.
Walberg's claim that he "strongly supports Social Security, always has" is undercut by his statements about privatization. In a conversation with the Independent Caucus, affiliated with Tea Party activists, he calls it "So-called Social Security" and agrees with a comment that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
Walberg's ad overstates the significance of Schauer's votes. It says Schauer's votes on stimulus and taxes caused the economic collapse. In reality, the stimulus came in response to a deep international recession. And Michigan's tax burden during this decade is lower than it was during the last half of the previous decade.
TRUTH SQUAD CALL: Technical Foul.
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Technical foul for misleading viewers regarding the timeline of Michigan's economic issues and for overstating the significance of Schauer's votes.
Download Michigan Truth Squad Analysis .pdf
-go back to our second ad in this analysis, American Future Fund's "Trick" TV Ad
-go back to our first ad in this analysis, NRCC's "Mark Schaeur: Hiding his own record" TV Ad
