The Facts about the Attack
The Facts about the Attack:
Out of State Partisan Group is: Funded by Big National Unions; Not Telling the Whole Story; Rejected by Actual Virginians; Misleading on Bob McDonnell’s Position; Worried about the Polls
Richmond- Today “Common Sense Virginia”, an out of state partisan attack dog group funded by big national unions, launched a barrage of negative ads against Bob McDonnell’s campaign for Governor.
Speaking about the attack, McDonnell for Governor Director of Communications J. Tucker Martin remarked, “This is another misleading, negative attack by an outside group funded by national Democrats and big national unions. Bob McDonnell understands that Virginians are hurting and is fully committed to helping unemployed Virginians in this tough time. Unfortunately the federal legislation in question is another big government unfunded mandate which would hurt the ability of our small business owners to create the jobs our citizens need.”
Martin continued, “Virginia Republicans have taken important steps to dramatically extend the unemployment benefit time for Virginians who have lost their jobs, and enacted numerous other policies to help our unemployed workers. Bob McDonnell is committed to helping our unemployed citizens. That is why he has proposed a solution that would get them additional assistance today, while making sure our long term policies don’t hurt their chances of getting a job tomorrow. Virginians prefer paychecks over unemployment checks. Bob McDonnell knows that, and he is focused on growing Virginia’s economy, creating new jobs, and bringing more opportunities to every region of Virginia.”
Here are the facts about this group’s latest attempt to mislead and divide Virginia voters.
Fact: Funded by Big National Unions
Only one candidate in the race for Governor opposes “Card Check” legislation which would take away workers rights to secret ballots in workplace organizing elections, insert federal arbiters into the contract process, and greatly expand the union presence in Virginia. That candidate is Bob McDonnell, and national unions know it.
“Common Sense Virginia” is funded by the Democratic Governors Association. National unions have donated over $1 million to the Democratic Governors Association this year alone.*
DGA Donor Amount to DGA Date
IAFF 50,000.00 6-Jan
Laborers Political League 100,000.00 23-Jan
Machinists Political League 50,000.00 23-Jan
AFSCME 250,000.00 25-Feb
Comm. On Letter Carriers PEF 15,000.00 25-Feb
Sheet Metal Workers 50,000.00 4-Mar
DRIVE Committee 250,000.00 17-Mar
Boilermakers-Blacksmiths LEAP 15,000.00 17-Mar
NEA 100,000.00 17-Mar
IUPAT PAC 250,000.00 17-Mar
NEA 50,000.00 15-Apr
The DGA regularly partners with national unions to funnel money into state races. Last year, labor unions teamed with the DGA in the North Carolina and Washington gubernatorial races to fund independent expenditure groups to attack the Republican candidates for governor in those states.
This latest big union funded attack only continues the trend of greater union involvement in Virginia races. Unions have dramatically increased their political presence and donations to Virginia candidates and parties in recent years. The Washington Post recently reported that this past election cycle three individual Unions gave over $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia in just September and October. These donations were some of the largest received by the Party in recent memory. From 1997 to 2004 union donations in Virginia totaled $4.5 million. But in the last three years, from 2005 to 2008, union donations to Virginia candidates and committees have skyrocketed to $6.2 million. The SEIU donated $50,000 to Sharon Bulova (D) in her campaign for Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this past February.
And Virginia Democrats are responding. In a recent union picket line outside a Hilton Hotel in Northern Virginia all three Democratic gubernatorial candidates, and two Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor, were in attendance.
Pictures: http://anonymousisawoman.blogspot.com/2009/01/marching-in-official-inaugural-picket.html
Fact: “Common Sense Virginia” is Not Telling the Whole Story on Unemployment Benefits
This 30 second attack ad ignores a host of measures supported by Republicans that have greatly benefited unemployed Virginians. The ad is intentionally deceptive. The issue at hand is whether or not Virginia would receive additional short term stimulus money that would have extended benefits to roughly 9000 part time workers and workers in job training who have never qualified for unemployment benefits before in Virginia.
Meanwhile, on the overall issue of assistance to unemployed Virginians, Republicans have taken the following dramatic steps to greatly assist Virginians in need of help:
—Extended unemployment benefits for an additional 33 weeks - beyond the traditional 26 weeks of coverage - for workers currently eligible for unemployment
—Ensured those who are laid off can keep their health insurance at a significantly reduced cost through extended COBRA insurance for Virginians who’ve lost their job at a small businesses;
—Received $62.5 million in federal stimulus funding to support Virginia’s unemployment insurance trust fund that pays out benefits to unemployed Virginians; and
—Kept almost 1,000 currently eligible Virginians from falling off the unemployment insurance program rolls.
These facts are nowhere to be found in this deceptive attack ad. And if the Democrats were serious about extending benefits to an additional 9000 Virginians they would spend less time on TV ads and more time contacting their friends like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi to demand that they change the requirement for states to permanently amend their unemployment benefit statutes in order to receive this short term funding.
Fact: “Common Sense Virginia” Has Been Rebuffed by Virginia Voters
The statewide tour of the groups out of state paid operatives has been roundly panned.
Bristol Herald Courier: April 23rd:
Headline: Video Crew Finds Few McDonnell Complaints in Bristol
“The reception to a campaign critical of Virginia GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bob McDonnell was as chilly Wednesday as the weather outside the Virginia Employment Commission office….....Of about a dozen people the pair approached outside the local unemployment office, only one man agreed to speak on camera - and that occurred after the Bristol Herald Courier left. Cohen e-mailed the newspaper a copy of the audio from the man’s interview, but the file wouldn’t play.”
Lynchburg News & Advance: April 22nd:
“Two young men with Democratic links who are visiting Virginia’s employment offices made Lynchburg their fifth stop Wednesday for planting questions about Republican Bob McDonnell’s gubernatorial campaign…....They tried to get people to talk on video about McDonnell’s stand on unemployment benefits. First, they had to explain McDonnell’s position to nearly everyone.”
“Cohen previously worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington. Vice was a regional field director in the Hillary Clinton for President campaign….
Cohen and Vice were telling people in Lynchburg that McDonnell’s position amounted to a refusal to expand unemployment benefits. Actually, the General Assembly did accept some of the federal stimulus package for unemployment and added a few weeks of eligibility for many laid-off workers.”
Bristol Herald Courier Editorial: April 25th:
Thumbs Down To:
Political campaign, misguided mission
“Political operatives Yoni Cohen and Elliot Vice…..travelling across Virginia to record interviews with people who are signing up for unemployment benefits. On Wednesday in Bristol only one person agreed to speak on camera…...But remember the facts: The General Assembly did accept money to increase benefits for full-time workers who have lost their jobs and to increase funding for health benefits for part-time workers who are unemployed. The sticking point was over increasing unemployment benefits to part-time workers. Opponents feared it would be a disincentive to take a job because the unemployment benefits would nearly equal part-time pay.”
“By Friday, Cohen and Vice’s work at various unemployment offices was turned into a Web ad critical of McDonnell, who is not a member of the House of Delegates and did not vote on the issue.”
Fact: Bob McDonnell’s Position is Clear: Congress Should Allow for States to Take Unemployment Money Now, Not be Stuck with Unfunded Mandate Later
Bob McDonnell’s position on the acceptance of additional unemployment stimulus funds is clear: Let states take the money now, without hurting out job creating business owners in the future. Bob McDonnell believes that Congress should remove the requirement that state benefit expansions be permanent, allowing Virginia to take the money now without burdening business owners and taxpayers with higher taxes later that would impede our economic recovery and inhibit job creation.
As written the bill requires that states taking this additional money permanently expand their benefit categories, despite the fact the federal funding will expire:
’‘(B)(i) If the Secretary of Labor finds that the State law provisions (disregarding any State law provisions which are not then currently in effect as permanent law or which are subject to discontinuation) meet the requirements of paragraph (2) or (3), as the case may be, the Secretary of Labor shall thereupon make a certification to that effect to the Secretary of the Treasury, together with a certification as to the amount of the incentive payment to be transferred to the State account pursuant to that finding. The Secretary of the Treasury shall make the appropriate transfer within 7 days after receiving such certification.”
Further, the Department of Labor specifically addressed the question of the permanency of benefit expansions and whether or not states could repeal the expansion AFTER the stimulus funding expires.
“State Law Status. Applications should only be made under provisions of state law that are currently in effect as permanent law and not subject to discontinuation. This means that the provision is not subject to any condition - such as an expiration date, the balance in the state’s unemployment fund, or a legislative appropriation - that might prevent the provision from becoming effective, or that might suspend, discontinue or nullify it.”
http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/UIPL/UIPL14-09.pdf - Page 4
Bob McDonnell wants workers to get the help they need now, while allowing Virginia to remain a job-friendly state where new opportunities can be created for our citizens in the future. Just last week Bob wrote Virginia’s congressional delegation requesting that the federal requirement for permanent benefit expansion be dropped so Virginia workers can get this money now.
Link to PR: http://www.bobmcdonnell.com/index.php/press_releases/details/bobs_letter_to_virginias_congress/
This is a common sense position that helps our out of work citizens today, while not negatively impacting their ability to get new jobs in the future.
Closing Fact: Ahead in the Polls, Noting the Contrast
According to the latest polls from Rasmussen and Survey USA Bob McDonnell leads all three of his possible Democratic opponents by significant margins. He also has much higher favorability numbers. Virginians know Bob McDonnell, and they know his record. Bob McDonnell is running a positive, issues-based campaign and his message of “new jobs, more opportunities” is resonating with Virginia voters. National Democrats are worried, and that explains their consistently negative campaign against Bob McDonnell. Now they have taken their negative, big union funded attack to the airwaves.
Virginians will reject the National Democrats Deceptive, Negative Campaign.
###
Add AUTHORIZED BY BOB MCDONNELL. PAID FOR BY MCDONNELL FOR GOVERNOR.