Harry Reid dishonest? Say it isn’t so?
Senate Majority PAC’s nonsensical attack ad in Louisiana — Washington Post
“We’ve been battered by hurricanes, lost everything to floods. And for thousands of Louisianans, flood insurance and hurricane relief are our only protection. But the out-of-state billionaire Koch brothers funded the fight to let flood insurance premiums soar, helping the insurance companies and cut off hurricane relief for Louisiana families. Now they’re spending millions to buy a Senate seat for Bill Cassidy so he can fight for them. If the Kochs and Cassidy win, Louisiana loses.”
–voiceover for new Senate Majority PAC ad attacking Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is challenging Sen. Mary Landrieu (D)
This ad from the Senate Majority PAC, which is run by former aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), is an example of a very deceptive technique: stringing together a variety of true (or semi-true) statements in an effort to completely mislead viewers.
This ad is a particularly egregious example, and yet it managed to fool television stations in Louisiana. The National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a letter to 34 television affiliate demanding that they “stop airing this advertisement immediately.” But the television stations refused, saying the material appeared factual.
Here at The Fact Checker, we view such ads with greater skepticism. An Obama campaign film, for instance, earned Pinocchios in 2012 for stringing together quotes about his mother’s health situation that, while correct, when combined together skirted close to the edge of falsehood.
Skipping to the conclusion:
The Pinocchio Test
Television stations in Louisiana should be ashamed of falling for such an obvious gambit. Individual lines may be true, but the net effect is highly misleading. Surely, the standards for political advertising in Louisiana need to be higher if residents are going to have a civil political debate.
This is the third time in a month that the Fact Checker has given Four Pinocchios to an ad sponsored by Senate Majority PAC. That’s a pretty dreadful track record, and does little for the organization’s credibility more than six months before the midterm elections.
