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Promoted from the diaries. Make sure you click through to read the full post -- kos)
So now that Bush's campaign is lying about the Washington Post reporters that put together the article on Bush's negative and false advertising and calling them liars, will they come right out and call the Bush campaign a bunch of liars like they should have in the first place?
Bush's campaign released this statement on Monday rebutting the Washington Post article. It's absolutely brilliant. What the campaign does here is they take multiple assertions from the article and meticulously show through a series of quotes and references how the Washington Post was exactly right in calling the statements misleading.
Some examples I particularly like:
The Washington Post's Misstatement 3 (The 50 Cent Gas Tax)
The Washington Post's Misstatement On Gas Tax. "Kerry...has not endorsed a 50-cent gasoline tax increase in 10 years... On Tuesday and Wednesday, as Kerry talked about rising gasoline prices, the Bush campaign recycled its charge that Kerry supports raising the gasoline tax by 50 cents per gallon. This was done in a memo to reporters and through Bush surrogates such as Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.). The Bush-Cheney Web site also features a 'Kerry Gas Tax Calculator," allowing users to learn "How much more would he cost you?'" (Dana Milbank And Jim VandeHei, "From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity," The Washington Post, 5/31/04)
The Facts On Kerry And The 50 Cent Gas Tax And Higher Gas Taxes
Kerry Supported Higher Gas Taxes At Least 11 Times As Senator
NUMBERS ONE AND TWO: Voted Twice For Clinton/Gore Btu Tax, Increasing Gas Prices 7.5 Cents Per Gallon. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #40: Rejected 46-53: R 43-0; D 3-53, 3/18/93, Kerry Voted Nay; S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #53: Motion Agreed To 55-44: R 0-43; D 55-1, 3/23/93, Kerry Voted Yea; Patrick Burns, "Activist Handbook 2000: Gasoline Tax," Citizens For A Sound Economy, 7/20/00)
NUMBERS THREE AND FOUR: 1993 Clinton/Kerry Tax Plan Increased Gas Taxes. The 1993 Budget Resolution conference report included a 4.3 cents-per-gallon increase in the gas tax. The budget resolution also contained a 2.5 cents-per-gallon extension of the current gas tax. (H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #190: Passed 50-49: R 0-43; D 49-6, With Vice President Al Gore Casting The Tie-Breaking Vote, 6/25/93, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2264, CQ Vote #247: Adopted 51-50: R 0-44; D 50-6, With Vice President Al Gore Casting The Tie-Breaking Vote, 8/6/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
NUMBER FIVE: Voted To Kill An Amendment That Would Have Eliminated Gas Tax Increase From Budget Resolution. (H.R. 1134, CQ Vote #167: Motion Agreed To 50-48: R 0-43; D 50-5, 6/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)
NUMBERS SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT AND NINE: Voted At Least Four Times Against Repealing Clinton 4.3-Cent Increase In Gas Tax. In 1996, the Senate Republican Policy Committee estimated the 1993 increase in the gas tax cost consumers $5 billion per year. (H.R. 2937, CQ Vote #111: Motion Rejected 52-44: R 52-1; D 0-43, 5/9/96, Kerry Voted Nay; H.R. 2937, CQ Vote #112: Motion Rejected 54-43: R 53-0; D 1-43, 5/14/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1173, CQ Vote #26: Motion Rejected 18-80: R 16-37; D 2-43, 3/11/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2285, CQ Vote #80: Motion Rejected 43-56: R 43-12; D 0-44, 4/11/00, Kerry Voted Nay; Senate Republican Policy Committee, "White House Unjust Firings/Gas Tax, Minimum Wage, Team Act," 5/9/96)
NUMBER TEN (KERRY 50 CENT GAS TAX): 1994: Backed Half-Dollar Increase In Gas Tax In Boston Globe Interview. "Kerry said [the Concord Coalition's scorecard] method did not accurately reflect individual lawmakers' efforts to cut the deficit. 'It doesn't reflect my $43 billion package of cuts or my support for a 50-cent increase in the gas tax,' Kerry said." (Jill Zuckman, "Deficit-Watch Group Gives High Marks To 7 N.E. Lawmakers," The Boston Globe, 3/1/94)
AHA! So what Bush-Cheney is saying here is that the claim that Kerry supports a 50 cent gas tax increase is highly misleading. The WaPo article says that Kerry hasn't supported the tax in 10 years, and this rebuttal makes it very clear that
they are exactly right. Apparently, Kerry has also supported some other, much smaller gas taxes in the past. But, you know, that doesn't actually have anything to do with the issue at hand and was not something that the WaPo article denied or even addressed.
This is actually the main tactic from this rebuttal. They state a claim from the article, then throw out a ton of different quotes and references that confirm exactly what the WaPo article said. Let's take a look at another one:
The Washington Post's Misstatement 9 (Department Of Homeland Security)
The Washington Post's Misstatement On Kerry's Opposition To The Department Of Homeland Security. "On Wednesday, a Bush memo charged that Kerry 'led the fight against creating the Department of Homeland Security.' While Kerry did vote against the Bush version multiple times, it is not true that he led the fight, but rather was one of several Democrats who held out for different labor agreements as part of its creation. Left unsaid is that, in the final vote, Kerry supported the department -- which Bush initially opposed." (Dana Milbank And Jim VandeHei, "From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity," The Washington Post, 5/31/04)
The Facts On Kerry And The Department Of Homeland Security
Kerry Helped Lead The Fight Against President Bush's Department Of Homeland Security, Voting Against It Six Times. (H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #218: Motion Rejected 50-49: R 0-48; D 49-1; I 1-0, 9/19/02, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #225: Motion Rejected 49-49: R 1-47; D 47-2; I 1-0, 9/25/02, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #226: Motion Rejected 50-49: R 1-48; D 48-1; I 1-0, 9/26/02, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #227: Motion Rejected 44-53: R 1-46; D 42-7; I 1-0, 9/26/02, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #228: Motion Rejected 45-52: R 2-46; D 42-6; I 1-0, 10/1/02, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #241: Motion Agreed To 50-47: R 48-0; D 1-46; I 1-1, 11/13/02, Kerry Voted Nay)
- Senate Dems Stalled Homeland Security For 112 Days. (H.R. 5005, Received In The Senate 7/30/02; H.R. 5005, CQ Vote #249: Passed 90-9: R 48-0; D 41-8; I 1-1, 11/19/02, Kerry Voted Yea)
AHA! Kerry actually voted
against The Department of Homeland Security multiple times, just like the WaPo article said! And nothing is said here to repudiate the fact that Bush initially fought against the Department.
Take that you WaPo assholes! You've been schooled.
Another fun one:
The Washington Post's Misstatement 7 (350 Times For Higher Taxes)
The Washington Post's Misstatement On Kerry's Support For Higher Taxes 350 Times. "Other Bush claims, though misleading, are rooted in facts. For example, Cheney's claim in almost every speech that Kerry 'has voted some 350 times for higher taxes' includes any vote in which Kerry voted to leave taxes unchanged or supported a smaller tax cut than some favored." (Dana Milbank And Jim VandeHei, "From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity," The Washington Post, 5/31/04)
The Facts On Kerry And 350 Times For Higher Taxes
Sen. John Kerry Has Voted For Higher Taxes 350 Times. This number includes votes for tax increases, but also includes many other votes against American taxpayers.
Sen. Kerry's 350 Votes For Higher Taxes Can Be Broken Down Into Five Categories:
- Votes for raising taxes/outright tax increases;
- Votes against tax cuts;
- Votes to reduce the size of a proposed tax cut;
- Votes against repealing previously enacted tax increases (i.e. votes against repealing certain provisions of the 1993 Clinton tax increase);
- Votes for Democrat "tax cut" substitutes, which would have provided billions less in tax relief to American families.
A Complete List Of Sen. Kerry's Votes For Higher Taxes Is Available.
AHA! WaPo claims that "Cheney's claim in almost every speech that Kerry 'has voted some 350 times for higher taxes' includes any vote in which Kerry voted to leave taxes unchanged or supported a smaller tax cut than some favored." However, this rebuttal makes it clear that this list actually includes any time Kerry "Votes against tax cuts" (i.e. "voted to leave taxes unchanged") or "Votes to reduce the size of a proposed tax cut" (i.e. "supported a smaller tax cut than some favored").
BURN!
Just for fun, let's take a look at one more bit of this rebuttal:
The Washington Post's Misstatement 2 (PATRIOT Act Wiretaps)
The Washington Post's Misstatement On The PATRIOT Act. "On Tuesday, the Bush campaign held a conference call to discuss its new ad, which charged that Kerry was 'pressured by fellow liberals' to oppose wiretaps, subpoena powers and surveillance in the USA Patriot Act. 'Kerry would now repeal the Patriot Act's use of these tools against terrorists,' the ad said. Kerry has proposed modifying those provisions by mandating tougher judicial controls over wiretaps and subpoenas, but not repealing them. In the conference call, Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman was prodded to offer evidence that Kerry was pressured by liberals or that Kerry opposed wiretaps. He offered no direct evidence, saying only that Kerry objected to the Patriot Act after liberals did, and that 'a common-sense reading indicates he intends to repeal those important tools.'" (Dana Milbank And Jim VandeHei, "From Bush, Unprecedented Negativity," The Washington Post, 5/31/04)
The Facts On Kerry And The PATRIOT Act
[...]
The ACLU Quickly Focused On The PATRIOT Act And Encouraged Repealing Portions Of The Law. "Many of the ACLU's concerns have focused on the USA PATRIOT Act, which Congress overwhelmingly approved shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. The measure expanded law enforcement's authority to conduct wiretaps, seize voice mail messages, probe bank records, explore electronic databases and obtain nationwide warrants. ... At the grass-roots level, the organization will encourage people to ask their representatives to repeal portions of the PATRIOT Act." (Emily Bazar, "ACLU Campaign To Tackle Terror Laws," Sacramento Bee, 10/17/02)
Early In His Bid For President, Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) Criticized The PATRIOT Act. DEAN: "First of all, I would remove the parts of the PATRIOT Act that are clearly unconstitutional. It can't be constitutional to hold an American citizen without access to a lawyer. Secondly, it can't be constitutional for the FBI to be able to go through your files at the library or the local video store, to see what you've taken out in the last week, without a warrant." (Truthout Website, "TO Interview With Howard Dean," http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/052203A.shtml, Accessed 5/22/03)
AHA! People who aren't John Kerry said some bad things about the PATRIOT Act's wiretap laws. Let's see you try to spin
that as a misstatement, you WaPo bastards!
And it goes on and on like this. In other words, this "rebuttal" is just a confirmation of everything in the Washington Post article. You can add this statement and its characterizations of the WaPo article's statements as "misstatement"s to the pile of lies this administration has hoisted upon the American public.
(Originally posted on my blog, Nightmares For Sale)