truth squad :

Anti-Titus ad is laced with digs, distortions

The Sun examines the political commercials to determine what’s fair and what’s not.

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Anti-Titus ad

Ads on Porter’s financing have long but hazy memory (9-26-2008)
Titus, Porter each skirt truth in ads (9-25-2008)

3rd Congressional District race

Freedom’s Watch, a conservative Washington-based lobbying group largely funded by Sheldon Adelson, is running a TV ad that mocks Democrat Dina Titus’ Southern accent and focuses on taxes in her race for the 3rd Congressional District against incumbent Republican Jon Porter.

The Script: “Dina Titus. She must be from Texas. Dina voted for the biggest tax increase in Nevada’s history. She voted to tax us by raising taxes on small business and to tax us when we buy a house. Titus never had enough tax money to spend. So why tax us? Titus wants to give scholarships to illegal immigrants and quadruple her state pension. Tell Dina Titus don’t tax us.” (The announcer uses an exaggerated Southern accent when pronouncing “taxes” and “Texas.”)

The Video: The ad opens with a picture of Titus and the outline of Texas with the words: “Dina Titus must be from TAXES.” The screen changes and another photo of Titus appears with a money sign and the phrase: “Dina Titus Voted for Biggest Tax Increase $863 MILLION.” Next: a shot of Titus’ face from one of her ads paired with a sepia-toned photo of a broken down, Old West-style hotel with the phrases: “Dina Titus Voted to TaxUs” and “Raising taxes on small business.” The pattern repeats with other photos of Titus and sepia-toned images that echo the Great Depression and phrases from the script. Then there are a man and a woman looking stressed over paperwork and “Dina Titus” with the words “So Why TaxUs?” over the image of Texas. More images of Titus are paired with phrases from the script and stacks of books, then stacks of money. It ends with a screen cap of Titus from one of her ads and the phrase: “Tell Dina Titus No more tax increases.”

The Reality: For starters, Titus is from Georgia.

It is truthful to say Titus voted for the largest tax increase in Nevada’s history — she did — and the bill did raise taxes on businesses and added one on real estate purchases, but as Truth Squad has pointed out before, the measure was introduced by a Republican governor to stave off a budget crisis and had broad bipartisan support.

The ad uses the present tense when making claims about Titus’ stance on scholarships for illegal immigrants and wanting to increase her state pension, but those issues are no longer on the table. In 2007, Titus voted for a bill that denied financial aid to illegal immigrants. Titus did, however, support an amendment to that bill that would have made illegal residents eligible for the state’s Millennium Scholarships if they signed an affidavit saying they intended to become a citizen. The amendment didn’t pass.

It is also simply wrong to say she “wants” to raise taxes to increase her pension. Although she did vote to quadruple her pension, she did so in 1989, along with most of the Legislature. Titus voted to repeal the pension increase at a special session a few months later that was called after a public outcry. The issue has not come up since then.

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

By LasVegasRocks

10/1/08 at 2:53 a.m.

Suggest removal

This ad - with its smears and half-truths- has Jon Porter's fingerprints all over it.

Maybe Titus voted to increase her pension back in 1989, but Porter just voted (in lock-step with Bush and McCain) to give $700,000,000,000 to failed Wall Street corporations. At least some republicans and the other Representatives from Nevada were smart enough to vote against it. Which vote is more important in our current affairs?

Jon Porter should be ashamed and retire so that someone with intelligence and integrity could represent Nevada's 3rd Congressional District.
By nascarangel_70

10/1/08 at 8:04 a.m.

Suggest removal

This ad actually offends me. I am from Texas, Titus is from Georgia, and I wouldnt care if she was from Texas its still offensive to us who are actually from Texas.. Someone should have done their homework
By jfnance32

10/1/08 at 8:20 a.m.

Suggest removal

Democrats have no foundation to cry foul.

They give money and support to the Nevada State Party which have mailed out flyers that say Republicans want children dead and are for cancer.

The Nevada Democratic State Party is in the mud.

All those that give money and support to it are smelling like pigs.
By abramamoe

10/1/08 at 11:31 a.m.

Suggest removal

People are going to vote against Dina Taxes because of her tax-and-spend positions, not her accent (as grating as it might be).

But as long as we're talking about it, how can someone who has lived in Nevada for 30 years still talk with such a drawl?
By Oh_Please

10/1/08 at 1:20 p.m.

Suggest removal

We all know who the better candidate is Dina Titus. She will fight for us little grass roots guys...
By Oh_Please

10/1/08 at 1:22 p.m.

Suggest removal

i.e. the majority of people who live in district 3
By LasVegasRocks

10/1/08 at 6:02 p.m.

Suggest removal

The Republican Party - in every state - is far worse in slinging mud (thanks to your wonderful Karl Rove) than the Democrats. Just watch that awful video, "Obsession," put out by Sheldon Adelson's right wing lunatic fringe group, The Clarion Fund.

jfnance32:

Beware of throwing stones when you live in a glass house. Just ask the Clark County Republican Communications Director Didi Lima. Oh wait, she was fired for slinging mud. How could that have happened since so many republicans think of her as a hero?

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