More Lying Attack Ads; Boyda Sets the Reocrd Straight

Really, Republicans, enough already! A new ad on the airwaves now telling the world Congresswoman Nancy Boyda voted for "the largest tax increase in history" even though she never did any such thing.

Here's the ad from "Republicans Who Care" (gag, retch)

The awful, awful thing about this horrible, horrible claim is that IT ISN'T EVEN KIND OF TRUE. No truth. It's not that it's just partially true and we're quibbling about details, no, this claim is TOTALLY FALSE! Boyda hasn't voted to increase taxes on everyday, average Kansans even once. Gah! (We're nearing the Bounce Boyda freakout stage on this one, kids- watch out...)

If the claim even sounded remotely reasonable, the people of the district might respond to it, but the very idea Boyda voted for "the largest tax increase in history" sounds ludicrous, it sounds outlandish, and because of that, no one believes it. Doesn't stop the Republicans for repeating their favorite lie- Jenkins has now used the false claim in two of her four TV ads, it's the center piece of the NRCC's ad, and it's the basis of this new ad. So much money spent pushing a lie.

Anyway, Boyda responded today with a new radio ad:

"Hi, I'm Nancy Boyda. You know, I've heard it said there are only three sure things in this world: death, taxes, and attack ads.

"This campaign season, you're getting all three in one package: attack ads about taxes meant to scare you to death.

"These ads are paid for by D.C. attack groups, spending almost a half-million dollars to tell Kansans how to vote. And in case you were wondering, they're lying.

"Let's set the record straight. Congress has never voted for the so-called 'largest tax increase in history.' Check for yourself! The Journal-World reported these 'tax increase claims... are not true.'

"Here's the truth. I support renewing every single one of the middle-class Bush tax cuts – tax cuts for workers, for families, and yes, for extending the exemption on the death tax.

"These are tough economic times, and you'd better believe I'll keep fighting for middle-class tax relief.

"I'm Nancy Boyda, I'm running for Congress, and I approved this message because democracy requires a thoughtful and informed debate."

It's horrible the Republicans are willing to lie to steal a seat- but that's Karl Rove politics. It's too bad Lynn Jenkins thinks it's ok here.

NRCC Tries to Save Jenkins: $335K of TV purchased

To anyone watching the race for Congress in the 2nd district of Kansas it's pretty obvious Lynn Jenkins is struggling to just hold on, with the whole "didn't do her job for months so she could campaign" thing, and then the "misallocating tens of millions of dollars all over the state that has caused tax increases in poor counties that might have been avoided had she been doing her job" thing. Oh, also, she's running against Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, who happens to be a pretty dang good fit for her district.

In the face of such hurdles, both of her own making and not, Jenkins has had to do the only thing trailing politicians can do: She has gone hard negative, out-and-out lying to voters about Boyda's record and trying desperately to distract them from the real positive work Boyda has done on their behalf.

The strategy is clear- if voters already think Jenkins negatively, just make them think of Boyda more negatively and, heck, you've got yourself an upset.

In that vain, the National Republican Campaign Committee, the NRCC, made a huge advertising buy in the district- almost $335,000.

Just like the Jenkins campaign, the NRCC buy is upsetting for one reason: It misrepresents Boyda's record by- again- claiming Boyda voted for the largest tax increase in American history. We all know that claim is bogus, and that the vote they're trying it to was for something non-binding that didn't increase taxes on anybody. Still, the Republicans push it, ignoring anything real that might help the people of Kansas, and what we should be talking about gets shoved off to the side.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already spent a couple hundred thousand dollars trumpeting Boyda's successes in her term (hmmm...someone else does that, too), and we expect they'll expand that buy- if there is any TV time left for them to purchase. Key difference between the DCCC ad and the NRCC ad- the DCCC is positive and record-oriented while the NRCC ad...isn't.

That brings us to a key indicator for what's really happening in this race: You dont' waste time on positive pieces if you think you're losing, folk, and you don't go hard negative if you think you're in the lead.

Five more days, folk, and we'll see what the district does. With both campaigns and the DCCC and the NRCC bashing each other about the head and neck, damage most certainly will be inflicted. We'll just have to see who's been hurt the worst.

Not a Broken Record: Jenkins & Boyda Clash Over Taxes & Spending

We're at that place in the cycle that has lots of newspapers doing summary stories about races, which means we've got lots of papers just repeating the same thing over and over again. We'll try to ignore any of them that don't break new ground or contain some fun new quote, but we will provide links to any we run across so you can read them if you so wish.

Today we've got a piece from The Kansas City Star- it has some nice fluffy stuff in it like:

Both candidates are waging a spirited campaign, with aggressive debates, lots of ads and tough criticism of each other.

Ain't that the truth?

Jenkins reminds us all that she's a CPA and that that, of course, makes her qualified to be anything in the whole wide world. 'Course, we're finding out more and more that she's a pretty piss-poor CPA, so that argument doesn't hold the weight it once did. Nice bit about the congresswoman, though:

Boyda notes that she’s got one of Congress’ most bipartisan records. She says she’s worked to pass bills aiding veterans, farmers and consumers, while closing loopholes in child pornography laws and speaking out about the federal deficit and corporate subsidies.

“These are challenging times,” Boyda said. “They require thoughtful, independent leadership and common sense. I think I’ve shown that I represent the people.”

It's another article that talks about Lynn's claim regarding "the largest tax increase in history" and another article that reminds us all that Lynn's lying through her teeth about it. And, of course, the point is made that Boyda hasn't increased taxes and that, wow, Lynn Jenkins has.

Boyda's got a good response to the whole thing in a companion piece The Star ran:

Boyda’s response? She says no one’s taxes went up, the resolution is merely a framework, and she’ll vote to make middle-class tax cuts permanent. The Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities sides with Boyda’s description.

“It’s like being criticized for not cooking dinner for my family a week from Thursday,” Boyda said. “When the tax cuts start to expire … I’ll do everything I can to keep those as low as possible.”

Why the Republicans keep harping on this we don't know- don't you think if the message would have been working someone it would have, you know, already worked? But none of the public polling available from the district shows anything of the sort.

So this didn't end up being so brief- we'll do better, we promise!

Lynn Jenkins: Only Person Running in the KS-02 who has Raised Taxes

A nice little article on the race from the Joplin Globe today- includes most of the barbs we're used to hearing from state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins' group, with the sound rebuttals that always follow (you'd think the Jenkins people would try to find something new...guess they're that short on material).

Now, Jenkins hopes to convince voters in the state’s 2nd Congressional District that Boyda also has failed them on tax policies and spending in her first term, and that Jenkins is the one who can bring fiscal reform to Congress.

Oh, that's rich. Tell that to the county commissioners you owe tens of millions because you're a bad accountant.

“She (Boyda) thinks you can just tax your way out of trouble, and I, on the other hand, think you need to do something about spending,” Jenkins told the Globe in a phone interview.

Her television ads accuse Boyda of supporting the largest tax increase in the nation’s history and claim the Democrat has taken a pledge to raise taxes.

Boyda bristled on the subject of the ads in a recent phone interview, calling them “bizarre” and pointing out that several newspapers in Kansas have noted how the ads distort her actual voting record.

For instance, “the largest tax increase in the nation’s history” refers to a nonbinding budget resolution for future years that assumed an expiration of the Bush tax cuts. The resolution did not actually affect tax policy, Boyda said. She equated the ad’s message to criticizing her “for not cooking dinner for my family next Tuesday.”

That's a fabulous analogy from Boyda, and paints ridiculous Jenkins' arguments pretty clearly. The nonbinding resolution can assume whatever it wants, but when push comes to shove, Boyda has already promised to protect tax cuts for the middle class and wants to go even farther than Jenkins and George W. Bush want.

It does bring up something upsetting, though- the fact Lynn Jenkins is the only person running in this race who has actually voted to increase taxes- even after promising she wouldn't:

“Every tax that she’s accusing me of raising are, in fact, ones that she raised herself,” Boyda said, referring to a $294 million tax increase for which Jenkins voted as a state senator to eliminate a budget deficit in Kansas. Boyda said that bill included increases in sales, property, cigarette and estate taxes.

So sad, Lynn, to get caught in your own rhetoric.

Jenkins also smacked Boyda for voting against a fix on the alternative minimum tax, but Boyda countered, saying the last version of the bill simply spiked the cost off into the national debt- which isnt' what you call 'fiscally responsible'.

Boyda said fixing the alternative minimum tax is a top priority for her. But the bill that was passed and eventually was incorporated in the $700 billion measure bailing out the nation’s financial institutions was unfunded and added $65 billion to the deficit, she said. Boyda said Congress needs to fix the tax without adding to the national debt. She said eliminating tax giveaways to millionaire money managers is the way to pay for it.

Boyda also wants to eliminate subsidies in the tax codes for the oil, health and pharmaceutical industries, and to reinvest those funds “in the middle class and in small, independent and regional businesses.” She said giving subsidies to oil companies at a time of record profits makes no sense.

Note that Jenkins promises she won't close loopholes or cut subsidies...because those are tax increases in her mixed up world. That also makes no sense.

The article closes with a funny little exchange regarding the Wall Street bailout that really just exemplifies how confusing and desperate the Jenkins rhetoric has become:

Boyda voted against the bailout of the nation’s financial institutions both times it was put to a vote in the House. She said she spent nine days talking to economists and business leaders before deciding against it.

“I just couldn’t vote for something nobody could tell me might work,” she said.

Jenkins said Boyda took the “politically expedient route,” but she acknowledged she would have done the same.

Even when the women agree, Lynn Jenkins wants to make it clear Boyda is just playing politics, while Jenkins is the real deal.

But that's Lynn Jenkins for you- fake to the very last minute, willing to draw distinctions that don't exist, and willing to distort her opponents record to get herself a new job. Kansas deserves better, and on November 4 they'll get better- by re-electing Nancy Boyda.

Christian Morgan: The Broken Record of Kansas Politics

From a letter from KS GOP Executive Director Christian Morgan in today's Topeka Capital-Journal:

It is fast becoming one of the most important issues in the 2nd Congressional District race between incumbent Nancy Boyda and Lynn Jenkins, state treasurer and certified public accountant: Did Nancy Boyda vote for a budget resolution that paved the way for the largest tax increase in United States history?

If you ask me, she did. She voted "yes," and that "yes" vote was to push forward the budget that allows for the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

Lord, man, you're smart enough to know the difference here, and it's upsetting you're working so hard to mislead the public. The non-binding resolution you're talking about didn't raise a dime of taxes on anyone in the country- no one, not one person. Know why? Because it wasn't a law, it wasn't a bill, it was a non-binding resolution.

The resolution did nothing, nothing at all, to effect the tax code. Nothing. At all. Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (funny how you used all of Lynn Jenkins' titles but forgot Boyda's...) has promised to make all of the middle class tax relief from the Bush tax cuts permanent, and has promised to go much, much farther than the Republicans in Congress ever thought about when it comes to helping the people who really need the help the most.

So, in what we hope with all our hearts will be the last time: Congresswoman Nancy Boyda DID NOT vote for the largest tax increase in history!

Actually, Nancy Boyda hasn't voted for any tax increases on individuals at all. Know who has voted to increase taxes on everyday Kansans? State Treasurer and CPA Lynn Jenkins- oh, and she did it after she promised she wouldn't! So upsetting when that happens...