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Republican Hypocrites Unveil Unpatriotic, and Untrue, Stimulus Attack Ads

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 7:33 AM on February 13, 2009.


In their own words: "Let us be clear: attack ads will not create jobs or help struggling families ..."
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Undeterred by polls, economic conditions, and reality, Republican officials are launching stimulus-related attack ads in 30 congressional districts nationwide.

From Oregon to New Hampshire, the National Republican Congressional Committee is going on the air with radio ads blasting House Democrats for supporting the stimulus bill, which the committee ridiculed as "chockfull of wasteful Washington spending."

The ads will find their way into the districts of 30 members, including Representatives Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, Ike Skelton of Missouri and Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio.

"Many of these very same Democrats who ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility now have the obligation to explain why they're willing to pile even more mountains of debt onto our grandchildren without regard for how middle-class families' hard-earned tax dollars will be spent," N.R.C.C. spokesman, Ken Spain said.

Oddly enough, Republican leaders had a very different message two weeks ago:

"Let us be clear: attack ads will not create jobs or help struggling families but will only serve to undermine our nation's desire for bipartisanship. Instead of thinking about winning at any cost, we should all be thinking about creating the jobs Americans need."

But putting the hypocrisy aside, I have to say, it's become pretty tiresome to hear Republicans talk about the debt. First, more than 90% of all GOP lawmakers in Congress endorsed a "stimulus" measure that would have added $3.1 trillion to the debt. If the party were overcome with fear about the budget and "generational theft," why vote for such a plan? (For that matter, why run on a 2008 platform calling for -- you guessed it -- trillions of dollars in additional debt?)

Second, the latest Republican attacks presuppose some credibility on debt reduction. It's probably worth reminding NRCC spokesman Ken Spain that Republicans who ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility added $5 trillion in debt, in just eight years, onto a pile for our grandchildren -- and have nothing to show for it except a deep and ugly recession.

To borrow Ken Spain's words, do Republicans "now have an obligation to explain" themselves?

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Tagged as: republicans, gop, lies, hypocrisy, attack ads, stimulus bill

Steve Benen is "blogger in chief" of the popular Washington Monthly online blog, Political Animal. His background includes publishing The Carpetbagger Report, and writing for a variety of publications, including Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show," and XM Radio's "POTUS '08."


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Posted by: Raver on Feb 13, 2009 8:57 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's hard to argue with hypocrites especially when the audience listening to said hypocrites has such a short-term memory that the arguments make sense.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

We were expecting...?
Posted by: gregii on Feb 13, 2009 9:15 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They are behaving exactly the way experience has taught us to expect: like Republicans without accountability.

They have not yet figured out: Obama will hold them up to credible accountability on the National level at the appropriate time and in the proper forum.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Where were they for the last eight years?
Posted by: janelynne on Feb 14, 2009 3:05 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Suddenly the GOP is offended by crazy spending. Bush spent down our country's treasure like never before, and then ushered in a downturn we haven't seen in modern times. Now the GOP is nervous about what this country has to do in response.

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I'm glad that the Republicans are spending money...
Posted by: jvaljon1 on Feb 15, 2009 10:34 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...on attack ads, instead of just fading into the woodwork like ordinary crooks would be glad to do.

I'm glad they're spending money to keep themselves front and center, because they are such extreme pieces of shit and ordure, that the more they keep themselves in the public eye, the less likely it is that anyone will ever be fooled into re-electing them, ever again.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]