Well, Porter did take the money … over time

By Megan McCloskey

Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running a second ad targeting Republican Rep. Jon Porter’s campaign contributions. Porter faces Democrat Dina Titus in the race for the 3rd Congressional District.

The Script: “Congressman Jon Porter took over $400,000 from insurance and drug interests and voted for a bill that resulted in billions of profits for them — yet prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower prices for us. Porter took over $380,000 from financial interests. And voted against cracking down on CEOs who cash in with golden parachutes. Whoever Porter is helping in this financial crisis it probably isn’t you.”

The Video: The ad shows photos of Porter on the left with videos of cocktail-like parties on the right, then, when the script turns to Medicare, photos of the elderly. Next come photos of a speedboat, a mansion and a sports car next to a smiling Porter.

The Reality: The campaign contribution numbers cited by the ad are accurate, though as Truth Squad has pointed out, the numbers are totals for Porter’s political career since 1989 and amount to a small percentage of his overall contributions.

In 2003, Porter voted in favor of a major overhaul to Medicare. The bill established a prescription drug plan for Medicare patients while prohibiting the government from using its clout to negotiate prices. The House Oversight Committee found the bill contributed to an $8 billion increase in profits for the drug industry in the six months after the bill went into effect.

In 2003, Porter opposed taxing executive golden parachutes by voting against an amendment to the Pension Security Act that would have imposed an excise tax on executive pensions.