Garthwaite/Doyle/Greater Wisconsin Committee Ads - "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" Lies

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Politifact.com are calling Jim Doyle's Greater Wisconsin Committee attack ads "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" lies. Thus far, the shadowy attack group has spent over $200,000 in negative attacks to save their friend, incumbent Phil Garthwaite.



Here is their story:

Group says Wisconsin Republican Assembly candidates want to privatize Social Security
Pants on Fire!
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Campaign literature distributed by the Greater Wisconsin committee against a Wisconsin state Assembly candidate (back)

Campaign literature distributed by the Greater Wisconsin committee against a Wisconsin state Assembly candidate (front)

Worried about the future of Social Security? A liberal Wisconsin group is betting you are -- or that it can make you worried before election day.

The Greater Wisconsin Committee and its Greater Wisconsin Political Fund are using mailers and radio ads to target Republican candidates in key 2010 races for the Wisconsin Assembly. Democrats outnumber Republicans there, 56-42.

The central theme of the attacks: The GOP Assembly candidates, like their Washington counterparts, want to privatize Social Security.

Yes, Social Security, that venerable federal program -- one the state Assembly has no control over.

The wording of the attacks varies, but the claims are all similar to this one against Republican Travis Tranel, who is challenging Rep. Phil Garthwaite, D-Dickeyville.

"Travis Tranel," a mail piece says, "sides with those who want to privatize Social Security -- and risk our retirements on Wall Street."

Lest anyone miss the point, the flier includes a man -- presumably a fat-cat Wall Street banker or investor -- lighting his cigar with a Social Security card that’s been set aflame.

There’s also an image of a magnifying glass inviting readers to "check the facts."

Why, thank you. We will.

Asked to elaborate on her organization’s claims, Greater Wisconsin Committee executive director Michelle McGrorty offered two main points:

* In the group’s view, "A Roadmap for America’s Future" -- U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to tackle the federal debt and deficits, and make significant changes to taxes, Medicare and Social Security -- would privatize Social Security.

* Ryan, a Janesville Republican, has ties to the state GOP Assembly candidates targeted by the group.


At PolitiFact Wisconsin, this is familiar ground.

We gave Pants on Fire ratings to claims that GOP congressional candidates backed privatizing Social Security, when Democrats provided no proof beyond a sliced-and-diced statement and a two-word answer taken out of context.

Now state Assembly candidates? This could get good.

Let’s start with Ryan’s "Roadmap," a plan that has helped put Ryan on the political map, but one that does not have universal support among the GOP leadership in Washington.

PolitiFact National examined the roadmap in August 2010, after President Barack Obama alluded to it in saying GOP leaders are backing privatization plans that would tie Social Security benefits "to the whims of Wall Street traders and the ups and downs of the stock market."

If adopted, Ryan’s plan would enable workers under 55 to, voluntarily, invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in funds managed by the government. As Politifact National noted: "That's a far cry from privatizing the entirety of Social Security."

So, the Greater Wisconsin Committee is starting off on the wrong road with its claim about the roadmap.

As for the ties to Ryan, this is old-fashioned guilt by association ... and there ain’t much association, at least when it comes to the Social Security issue.

* Tranel, a Cuba City dairy farmer, is making his second attempt to unseat Garthwaite, a second-term Assembly Democrat. The mail piece that claims he "sides with those who want to privatize Social Security" says its proof is a newspaper article. In the article, Tranel expresses admiration for Ryan -- but there’s no mention of Social Security.

* Dennis Clinard, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant from Cataract, is seeking to unseat first-term Rep. Mark Radcliffe, D-Black River Falls. A flier says "Washington politicians who wants (sic) to privatize Social Security are the fund-raising muscle behind" Clinard’s campaign. The proof listed in the flier is Ryan’s appearance at a fundraiser for Clinard. It took in $7,250, according to a state GOP official, or about 15 percent of the $46,357 Clinard’s campaign has raised in 2010.

* Howard Marklein, a Wilson Creek accountant, is running for an open seat against Mineral Point Democrat John Simonson, a retired University of Wisconsin-Platteville economics professor. A mail piece says Marklein is "backed by Washington, D.C., politicians who want to privatize Social Security." McGrorty said the proof is a picture of Ryan and Marklein on Marklein’s campaign website.


We could go on.

A GWC radio ad says some tea party candidates want to eliminate Social Security and "we have one right here, this guy Jack Cummings." Cummings, an Endeavor farmer, is challenging first-term Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo. McGrorty’s defense: The ad talks about a number of issues and doesn’t say that Cummings wants to eliminate Social Security.

Hmmm .... "We have one right here."

(Senate Democrat Ted Zigmunt of Francis Creek also uses a flier to accuse his Republican opponent, Andre Jacque, of supporting privatization of Social Security. A campaign aide cited Jacque’s endorsement by the Republican Liberty Caucus, but no statement Jacque has made about Social Security.)

How do the targeted candidates respond to all of this?

Brian Pleva, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, said none of them supports -- or has made statements in support of -- privatizing or eliminating Social Security.

Why would they? They’re not running for Congress.

In any case, we could not find any such statements. And the Greater Wisconsin Committee could not provide any.

Indeed, on two of the fliers, one of the check-our-facts citations is a report by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. The report predicts cuts in Social Security benefits would result from Ryan’s plan, but that doesn’t address the question of privatization, and the report doesn’t mention the targeted candidates.

If you’re sensing a theme here, so are we.

In targeting Republicans in races that could shift the balance of power in the state Assembly, the Greater Wisconsin Committee is taking a page from the national Democratic playbook -- and misusing it. To play to fears of seniors and others, the group labels a proposal from U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, as privatizing Social Security.

Even if the plan did privatize Social Security (in our view it does not), the group has offered no evidence that the GOP Assembly candidates back it. The "proof" cited borders on absurd: One candidate praised Ryan, one got his picture taken with him and a third had Ryan appear at his campaign fundraiser. Is that cigar still burning?

If not, we need a light, because the ruling is Pants on Fire.

State Journal Endorsement of Walker Contains Harsh Criticisim of Legislative Dems

From the October 10th edition of the Wisconsin State Journal:

Job creation and fixing the state's crippling budget mess must be the top priorities for Wisconsin's next governor.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is the best choice to tackle these difficult tasks.

The State Journal endorses Walker for governor.

Under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, the state has lurched from one budget crisis to another for years now — long before the recession ever began.

Chronic budget deficits have distracted Wisconsin leaders from thinking big and devising bold strategies for competitive advantage in the knowledge-based, global economy.

Did the Democrats in control of state government adopt comprehensive school finance reform with incentives to boost performance?

Nope. Just a big favor for the teachers union: repeal of a pay-raise cap without accountability for better results.

Have the Democrats given Wisconsin a modern and more competitive tax structure?

Nope. Wisconsin's property and personal income tax burdens — especially on the middle class — still rank among the nation's worst.

What about a Commerce Department with laser-like focus on encouraging private business and job growth?

Nope. Five Commerce secretaries in seven years under Doyle with only one out of every 10 Commerce workers focused on business development.

Walker's record as county executive suggests he's much more likely than his Democratic opponent, Tom Barrett, to prioritize private-sector job creation and control spending to fix the budget.

Walker has consistently proposed county budgets that hold down property taxes while seeking efficiencies in county services. He's made tough decisions during tight times, such as trying to close swimming pools with high costs and low attendance. He's pared back county board spending with vetoes.

Since his election in 2002, Walker has made a huge personal sacrifice by giving back $370,000 of his salary to county taxpayers.

Walker's pledge to stop a modern, high-speed passenger train — one that's already paid for — is disturbing. So is Walker's excessive pandering to social conservatives on issues such as embryonic stem-cell research and abortion.

But Walker is no extremist. The Republican has been repeatedly re-elected in a hugely-Democratic county.

In another election year, we could support Barrett, a likeable and seasoned leader with high character and some interesting ideas.

But not this election. This fall's decision is about jobs and the economy.

Walker is the best choice for getting Wisconsin back on track financially and competing for more good-paying jobs.

96

Have you heard Rep. Garthwaite's latest radio ad where he boasts about his bipartisanship?

It's pretty misleading so allow us to state the facts and let you make up your mind.

Out of a total 576 votes on proposals on the Assembly Floor, Garthwaite only split from his party 22 times.

That's 22 bipartisan votes out of 576, giving Garthwaite a partisanship rating of 96%.

Does that seem like bipartisanship to you?

***In case you're interested, the only significant vote of those 22 took place when he broke with the party line against a statewide smoking ban.

Unemployment up as Election Nears

Unemployment is up to 10.1% according to Gallup but perhaps more significantly, under employment or those working part time but looking for full time work is nearing 20%. This could explain the sharp, 24% rise in food stamp use in Wisconsin over the past year. Clearly things aren't going the right way.

Wisconsin specific unemployment figures won't be revealed until the end of next week. While I expect the Doyle Administration to do everything it can to soften the blow, I don't think they will be able to cushion the impact of rising unemployment enough to save the Democrats this November. Unlike states that have taken steps to improve their economic climate, Wisconsin's Democrat controlled government has made things much worse. Just look at the tax increases that Phil Garthwaite and the Democrat majority voted for over the last two years:

Phone Tax - $107 million
Utility Tax - $18 million
Garbage Collection Tax - $69 million
Gas Tax Increase - $224 million (failed to pass the Senate despite Garthwaite's efforts to pass it into law).
Nursing Home Tax - $71 million
Hospital Patient Tax - $1.1 billion
Meat Tax - TBA
Capital Gains - $242.5
Large Employer Tax - $215 million
New Income Tax Bracket for Small Businesses and "rich people" - 1% income tax increase
E-commerce Tax - $11 million
Forced Property Tax Hike - $1.5 Billion

Look at this list and then think about the top claim Garthwaite makes in his campaign literature: lower taxes. Phil Garthwaite voted for each of the tax increases listed above. That's not rhetoric, that's a fact.

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Would you Give a Soldier Half of a Bullet Proof Vest?

Rep. Garthwaite spends a lot of time praising our Veterans and that's a good thing. He frequently mentions his support for them in his campaign literature and radio ads. That's also a good thing. We hope that all of our politicians, no matter their party, would fight for the men and women who lay their lives on the line to protect our country.

Unfortunately, a review of the two most important Veterans issues confronting the legislature over the last two years reveals that Rep. Garthwaite doesn't always vote the way he talks.

1. The Wisconsin G.I. Bill

In 2005, the then Republican controlled legislature created the the Wisconsin G.I. Bill to assist our Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with receiving a tuition free education at one of the University of Wisconsin or technical college schools.

In 2008, Rep. Garthwaite and many other Assembly Democrats (as well as Republicans) campaigned on the program as an example of their continued support for our Veterans. Once the Democrats were reelected and took control of the State Assembly away from the GOP, however, they jumped on board a Doyle proposal to gut the program.

Rep. Garthwaite voted along with the Democrat majority on this. If he claims that he opposed gutting the Wisconsin G.I. Bill but had to do so to pass a balanced budget, which he will likely do, he is not being truthful.

This amendment to the budget would have stopped the program from being gutted. The amendment died on a 49-49 vote. Garthwaite's vote killed it. Had he truly wanted to save this program, all he had to do was switch his vote and the program would still exist as intended today.

After the budget passed GOP Rep. Kevin Petersen, a 25 year Navy Veteran, introduced legislation to restore the benefit.

The Democrats first ignored the proposal, then stole it, and finally introduced their own plan to restore half of the benefit. Half!

This was the height of political hypocrisy:

Step 1. Run for reelection on a popular Veterans program.
Step 2. Gut the program.
Step 3. Restore half the program.
Step 4. Pat yourself on the back.
Step 5. Run for reelection for restoring half of a program that you gutted in the first place.

I hope that even Democrat readers of this blog can agree that this sort of politics stinks.

2. The Veterans Trust Fund

Unless something is done soon, Wisconsin's Veterans Trust Fund will go bankrupt in 2013.

The Trust Fund is responsible for:

* The Wisconsin Veterans Homes
* The Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemeteries
* The Wisconsin Veterans Museum
* The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs veterans benefits and services programs -- Home Loans, Personal Loans, Education Grants, Assistance to Needy Veterans and Military Families, and more.

In 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs made several suggestions, and later pleas to the legislature to solve this problem.

Not only did Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrat majorities ignore these pleas, they actually tried to make things worse.

The Doyle administration proposed a 5% raid on the fund and suggested levying a $170/month tax on nursing home patients in the state's veterans homes.

Outcries from Veterans' groups and the GOP eventually killed these proposals that would have made things worse but Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrat majorities did nothing to make things better.

Republicans made an effort to resolve this issue. Democrats ignored it.

Descide for Yourself

If you care one iota about the way you are represented in Madison, follow these directions and watch Rep. Phil Garthwaite in action, "working" for you.

Click here to go to Wisconsin Eye

Scroll down a ways to:

04.15.10 | Wisconsin State Assembly Floor Session (Part 4/4)

Click on the Watch Link. Fast forward to 19:36.

Ask yourself, is this how you want Southwest, WI to be represented?