Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Bush campaign ads vs. the facts
Josh Marshall points out some of the blatant factual inaccuracies in the latest Bush campaign ad, which you can watch here. I recommend watching all the ads, as it's always good to know what the opposition is saying. The ad entitled "troops" accuses Kerry of voting against higher combat pay, body armor and better health care for US troops. These were line items in the $87 billion spending bill on Iraq that Kerry voted against last year. While I'm not a big fan of Kerry's vote against the $87 billion, it's hardly fair to start characterizing a vote against an enormous spending bill as a vote against each of its miniscule line items, especially when
1. Bush tried to cut combat pay last year; and
2. Bush sent troops to Iraq without sufficient body armor in the first place, forcing the families of many servicemen in Iraq to spend their own money for proper equipment.
And in case you think this is just the usual partisan bickering, here's a nonpartisan critique of the ad from Factcheck.org.
Karl Rove is famous for his ability to run successful campaigns that completely disregard the facts. He's been quoted as saying that political campaigns should be run as if voters are "watching TV with the sound off." Josh Marshall wonders whether he'll be able to get away with it this time around, when the facts are often just a google search away.
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1. Bush tried to cut combat pay last year; and
2. Bush sent troops to Iraq without sufficient body armor in the first place, forcing the families of many servicemen in Iraq to spend their own money for proper equipment.
And in case you think this is just the usual partisan bickering, here's a nonpartisan critique of the ad from Factcheck.org.
Karl Rove is famous for his ability to run successful campaigns that completely disregard the facts. He's been quoted as saying that political campaigns should be run as if voters are "watching TV with the sound off." Josh Marshall wonders whether he'll be able to get away with it this time around, when the facts are often just a google search away.
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