AFL-CIO Ads Fueled by Falsities

Senator John McCain pictured here with members of the Veterans Community.

There it seems to paint a picture that contradicts the message of the AFL-CIO and portrays an attack ad pushing a message based on innuendo and false information showing what can only be called an incomplete picture that specifically cites their sources in an incomplete manner so that it might cast the worst possible image in order to propel its candidate and his election hopes forward.

By Citizen Correspondent Wyatt McIntyre

Date Posted: 07/10/08

Reader Rating:

A new round of attacks...

Well, it wasn't that long ago that the Presumptive Democratic Nominee, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, sat in front of his supporters and issued a message telling them why he would now renege on the previous campaign promise he had made to accept Public Financing for his presidential bid, despite his earlier defense of the system listing himself as a strong supporter of it who would fight for him and his opponent to both utilize it. His primary reason for this swift shift in policies, the one he cited in his video outlining his concerns? That with the constraints put on his campaign by the amount he would have and the amount he could spend would not give him the chance to stand up to what he would say would be the inevitable attacks from the Republicans and conservative organizations out to destroy his chances. "We’ve already seen that he’s not going to stop the smears and attacks from his allies..."

Well, with a fresh round of campaign ads it would seem that more attacks and smears are on there way, but once again, much like the previously released Moveon.org Ad, Not Alex, which launched a harsh attack against the Presumptive Republican Nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain, it would seem that they are coming from the allies of Senator Obama. This time, with a new set of ads released earlier today by the AFL-CIO, aim is being taken at Senator McCain and his record on Veterans Healthcare Benefits, waging their fight on the grounds that the Arizona Senator has a record of voting "against increasing health care benefits for veterans."

The problem, as pointed out by FactCheck.org, the political research site of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the claims made by the labor organization just aren't true.

The ad in question, "Not Now" features a fellow Vietnam War Veteran and AFL-CIO Veterans Council Member Jim Wasser saying "Every vet respects John McCain’s war record. It’s his record in the Senate that I have a problem with.... He even took Bush’s side against increasing health care benefits for veterans. People should let John McCain know his agenda’s not what we need. Not now."

When asked by FactCheck to cite the sources for the ad, they offered four specific votes that McCain tendered, three of which were Democratic Amendments to the Budget in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively. The problem is, according to FactCheck, "all of them failed along party lines in a Republican-controlled Senate.