Kerry Press Release: Bush-Cheney Ad Fact Check "Taxing our Economy"

[Skinner]

BUSH-CHENEY AD FACT CHECK

“On a day when millions of Americans will lose overtime protections, George W. Bush is falsely attacking John Kerry to cover up the fact that the Bush tax cuts have hurt working families, placing an even greater tax burden on them. The bottom line is that George Bush is out of credibility, and the American people just won’t believe his attacks. John Kerry wants to reduce taxes on 98% of all Americans and 99% of all businesses. He’s fought for middle class tax cuts his entire career. Bush and Cheney, however, can’t come close to making the same claim,” Kerry spokesman Phil Singer.

THE FACTS:

AD TITLE: “Taxing Our Economy”
TYPE: 30sec TV
DATE: 8/23/04

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP
Narrator: “Now Kerry promises.... “
John Kerry: “We won't raise taxes on the middle class.”

THE RECORD

John Kerry and John Edwards Will Cut Taxes for 98 Percent of American Families and 99 Percent of Businesses. In addition, he will:
Propose At Least $250 Billion In Tax Cuts For Health Care, Child Care, and Education - Without Increasing the Deficit By One Dime. As president, John Kerry will close corporate tax loopholes and use some of the money gained from repealing Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans - families making over $200,000 a year - to pay for tax credits without increasing the deficit by one dime. The Kerry-Edwards tax cuts include:

A tax credit on up to $4,000 of college tuition; a tax credit to help small businesses and vulnerable workers pay for health care and buy into John Kerry's new Congressional Health Plan; and a tax credit on $5,000 of child care expenses.

Propose More Than Twice As Much In New Pro-Jobs, Pro-Families Tax Cuts As Bush-Cheney. In total, the Kerry-Edwards plan proposes $419 billion of new tax cuts to help middle-class families and create jobs. This is more than twice as much as the $175 billion in new tax cuts Bush-Cheney are proposing. And the Kerry-Edwards tax cuts would not increase the deficit by one dime.

Create a New Jobs Tax Credit. Research has demonstrated that new jobs tax credits increase employment. The Kerry-Edwards New Jobs Tax Credit will cover an employer's share of payroll taxes for net new jobs created in manufacturing, other businesses affected by outsourcing, and small businesses. The credit will be available in 2005 and 2006. For example: a medium-sized manufacturing company employs 1,000 workers. If this company hires an additional 100 employees at $40,000 each - bringing the total number of employees to 1,100 - it would receive a tax cut of 3,060 per worker, or $306,000 total. This would roughly offset the additional cost of health care premiums, which have risen about $2,700 under President Bush.

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP
Narrator: “John Kerry's voted to raise gas taxes on the middle class ....10 times....”

THE RECORD

Under Bush and Cheney, families are paying $289 more per year for gas. The average U.S. household has seen an increase of $245 annually in gasoline prices and an average household with children has seen an increase of $289 in gasoline prices since Bush came into office. (Source: Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration)

Bush Administration Doesn’t Have a Plan to Help Consumers. Their own Analysis Finds Energy Plan Will Not Lower Gas Prices. The Bush White House’s Energy Information Administration study of the 2003 energy bill said it would not lower gas prices. (EIA, “Summary Impacts of Modeled Provisions of the 2003 Conference Energy Bill,” http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/FTPROOT/service/sroiaf(2004)02.pdf)

· Republicans Recently Opposed Repeal of Gas Tax. ''Absolutely the dumbest thing ever thought of,” Rep. Don Young (R-AK) said about repealing the gas tax. (Anchorage Daily News, 3/16/00) Speaker Dennis Hastert said that it “doesn't solve the problem….that's just a little tick in what the cost of gas is. We need to solve the real problems out there.” (Fox News Sunday, 3/26/00) And Republican Transportation Committee Chair Bud Shuster said repealing the gas tax "is counterproductive because reducing a portion of the price without reducing the underlining cost of crude oil makes it easier for OPEC countries to keep the prices high." (Anchorage Daily News, 3/16/00; USA Today, 3/15/00)

Bush Counts Airplane Fuel As Gas Tax. One vote Bush uses is a vote to exempt airplane fuel from the proposed BTU tax. Keep that in mind next time you pull your 747 to the local Exxon pump. (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d103:SP00203:; S. Con. Res. 18, vote #53: Sasser motion to kill the Murkowski Amendment reducing the revenues from the BTU tax by $4.5 billion over five years. The Amendment would exempt all airline fuel from the tax)

REMEMBER: Bush and Cheney have not repealed the gas tax in either of their tax cuts, despite claiming credit for the two largest tax cuts in history

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP

Narrator: “He supported a 50 cent a gallon gas tax increase.”

THE RECORD

Kerry Never Sponsored or Voted for a 50 cent Gas Tax. Sen. Charles Robb introduced legislation in 1993 that phased in a 50-cent increase. John Kerry did not vote for or co-sponsor this bill. (S. 1068, Introduced 5/28/93) It’s George Bush who has broken his promise to lead the way to a sustainable energy policy. His refusal to stand up to his big oil contributors has contributed to the highest gas prices in history – an effective $245 tax increase on American families and commuters.

Kerry actually voted for a LOWER Gas Tax & to Keep Medicare from Getting Cut. A third vote was actually for a LOWER gas tax. The tax that was in the bill was 9 cents per gallon. John Kerry voted for an amendment that would have replaced that with a 6 cent per gallon gas tax. And once other provisions of the bill were calculated in, it would have only been a 3.5 cent increase. (Associated Press, 10/18/90)

Top Republicans have supported a gas taxes

· Bush’s top economic advisor backs a 50 cent per gallon increase. In Fortune Magazine, Gregory Mankiw, President Bush’s Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, argued that a 50 cent gas tax is a necessary component of income tax cuts. He explained that “cutting income taxes while increasing gasoline taxes would lead to more rapid economic growth, less traffic congestion, safer roads, and reduced risk of global warming--all without jeopardizing long-term fiscal solvency. This may be the closest thing to a free lunch that economics has to offer.” (Fortune, 5/24/99)

· John Ashcroft: 55% Gas Tax Hike. On February 20, 1992, then-Missouri Governor John Ashcroft signed a law to raise the state gas tax by 6 cents per gallon over four years, a 55% increase over the current 11-cent-per-gallon tax. The full increase would cost the average driver about 90 cents a week, or $46.80 per year. On signing the bill, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, Ashcroft “hailed” it as “the great economic development tool of the decade.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2/21/92)

· Mike Leavitt: 39% Gas Tax Hike. On December 19, 1996, then-Utah Governor Mike Leavitt proposed a 7.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax hike, a 39% increase over the current 19-cent-per-gallon tax. The new tax would begin with a 4.5-cent increase beginning in July 1997, culminate with a 3-cent increase in 2000, and cost each Utahn $30 more per year when fully implemented. During his State of the State address a month later, discussing his plan for the gas tax and highway improvements, Leavitt said, “Will it be easy? No. Will it be pleasant? No. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.” (Salt Lake City Deseret News, 12/20/96; Salt Lake City Tribune, 1/21/97)

· Tom Ridge: 29% Gas Tax Hike. On March 11, 1996, then-Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge proposed a 6.5-cent-per-gallon increase to the state’s 22.35-cent gas tax, making it the third-highest in the country. The 29% tax increase was part of a state budget proposal that also included $60 million in business tax cuts. The hike would cost a typical Pennsylvania driver about 64 cents a week, or more than $33 a year. Ridge said the tax increase was his “last choice,” but told Pennsylvanians “we must have the courage to pursue this final option.” (Pennsylvania Commonwealth News Bureau Press Release, 3/11/96, via PR Newswire; Allentown Morning Call, 3/12/96; Philadelphia Daily News, 3/13/96)

· Tommy Thompson: 23% Gas Tax Hike. On March 7, 1995, then-Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson proposed a 5.3-cent-per-gallon “oil company franchise fee.” Already the eighth highest in the country, Wisconsin’s 23.4-cents-per-gallon gas tax would rise by 23% under Thompson’s plan and cost motorists up to $58 more each year. Thompson insisted the new fee wasn’t the same as a tax, but fuel retailers and oil company lobbyists insisted that the oil companies would pass higher costs along to consumers. The Wisconsin State Journal wrote that “even if gasoline costs more at the pump, Thompson said, ‘that's the price you're going to have to pay for a modern transportation system.’” (Capital Times, 3/7/95; Wisconsin State Journal, 3/8/95, 3/11/95, 3/11/95, 3/14/95, and 4/9/95; Milwaukee Business Journal, 4/1/95)

Cheney Opposed Low Oil Prices. In October 1986, Cheney introduced legislation to create a new import tax that would have increased the price of oil and ultimately the price of gasoline by billions of dollars per year. On the Senate floor Cheney said “let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United States.” (Energy Security Policy Act of 1986, H.R.5667, introduced 10/9/86, 99th Congress 2nd Session, 132 Cong Rec E 1350, Vol. 132, No. 139; Inside Energy/with Federal Lands, 10/13/86)

· Cheney Bill would Cost Consumers $1.2 Trillion and Lay Off 400,000 Workers. The Congressional Research Service, in coordination with staffers from the Senate Energy Committee, studied the effects of Cheney’s bill on consumers. The report states that if Cheney’s plan had been enacted in 1986 it would have cost consumers $1.2 trillion. Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania, a Republican, said that oil tax plans would add $1.3 billion per year to the energy costs of Pennsylvania consumers. He also cited a study done for a Federal Reserve Bank suggesting that a $5 per barrel fee would lead to the loss of 400,000 jobs nationwide and cause inflation to soar. (New York Times, 4/6/04)

· John Kerry and 15 Other Senators from Both Parties Joined in Opposition to Cheney’s Bill. Kerry co-sponsored legislation and voted against an increase in the price of oil. Kerry voted against raising the tariff on oil because “it will help drive up oil and gas prices and throw a windfall to the oil and gas companies,” and “it will damage our US economy by increasing inflation and undermining economic growth.” (H.R.5667, introduced 10/9/86, 99th Congress 2nd Session, 132 Cong Rec E 1350, Vol. 132, No. 139; New York Times, 4/6/04; Vote #316, 11/14/1985, motion to table AMDT to SRS 77 Passed 78-18, Kerry-Y; S.RES.97, introduced, 2/3/87; 100th Congress 1st Session, Congressional Record Vol. 133 No. 16, S 1624; 99th Congress, 1st Session, Congressional Record Vol. 131 No. 157, S15568)

This charge has been rejected before

· NBC News: Bush’s Gas Tax Charge is “Disingenuous.” “David Shuster, NBC Election Correspondent (voice-over): ‘The latest negative ad from the Bush campaign tries to paint John Kerry as somebody who doesn't care about higher gas prices. (Begin Video Clip, Bush-Cheney Campaign Ad) Narrator: Some people have wacky ideas, like taxing gasoline more so people drive less. That's John Kerry. He supported a 50-cent-a-gallon gas tax. (End Video Clip) Shuster: But that was in a magazine interview 20 years ago. Kerry quickly dropped the idea and never supported or promoted it in Congress, so this charge...(Begin Video Clip, Bush-Cheney Campaign Ad) Narrator: If Kerry's gas tax increase were law, the average family would pay $657 more a year. (End Video Clip) Shuster: ... is disingenuous.” (MSNBC, Hardball, 3/30/04)

· Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bush Accuses Kerry of Something he “Never Sponsored or Voted For”, Opposed & “Doesn’t Support Now.” “In a recent campaign ad, George Bush derides John Kerry's ‘plan’ to raise gas taxes by 50 cents a gallon. It's not a perfect world. Ads are about selectively using information. But it's a plan you won't hear about from Kerry - because he doesn't support it. The basis for the Bush claim? A comment by Kerry reported in two Boston newspapers 10 years ago saying he backed the idea. But the Massachusetts Democrat never sponsored or voted for it, later voiced his opposition and doesn't support it now. Yet the following words appear across the screen of the Bush ad: ‘Kerry's Plan: Pay $657 More a Year for Gas.’” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/4/04)

· Associated Press Ad Check: Bush Claim is “Not Exactly the Case.” “The ad says Kerry ‘supported higher gasoline taxes 11 times,’ suggesting that Kerry cast that many votes, specifically on the gas-tax issue. That's not exactly the case. Some of the votes the Bush campaign cited were procedural Senate votes, others were overall votes on larger bills.” (AP, 3/30/04)

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP

Narrator: “Higher taxes on middle class parents.... 18 times.”

THE RECORD

John Kerry’s Support For Child Tax Credit. John Kerry has a long record supporting the child tax credit and making it more valuable for working families:

1992: Kerry voted against eliminating the child tax credit. (Vote #40, 3/12/1992, Motion to table AMDT to HR 4210 Passed 57-38, Kerry-Y)
1992: Kerry voted for the passage of a bill providing a $300 child tax credit. (Vote #51, 3/13/1992, HR 4210 Passed 50-47 Kerry-Y)
1992: Kerry Voted Against a Plan To Eliminate Child Tax Credits (Vote #243, 9/26/1992, Motion to table AMDT to HR 11 Passed 46-30, Kerry-Y)
1997: Kerry Offered Amendment, Voted to Extend Child Tax Credit to 7 Million More Children (Vote #140, 6/27/97, Budget Reconciliation, 1997 – Tax Cut (S. 949) (Amendment #554), motion failed 39-60, Kerry: Yes)
1997: Kerry Cosponsored Plan To Expand Eligibility For Child Tax Credit (Amendment 532, introduced 6/26/1997)
1997: Kerry Cosponsored Child Tax Credit Expansion and Equity Act (S 833, introduced 5/3/01)
1997: Kerry Voted To Allow Families to Keep More of the Child Credit. (Vote #156, 6/27/97, Budget Reconciliation, 1997 – Tax Cut (S. 949), motion failed 39-59, Kerry: Yes)
1997: Kerry Voted For Tax Cut Plan Including Child Tax Credit (Vote #211, 7/31/97, Budget Reconciliation, 1997 – Tax Cut (HR 2014, conference report adopted 92-8, Kerry: Yes)
1998: Kerry Voted for Budget Plan Increasing The Child Tax Credit. (Vote #69, 4/2/98, First Budget Resolution, 1999 (S.Con.Res. 86), amdt #2244 failed 42-55, Kerry: Yes)
2001: Kerry Voted to Maintain Child Tax Credit. (Vote #159, 5/23/01, Tax Cut Reconciliation (H.R. 1836), amdt passed 94-4, Kerry: Yes)
2003: Kerry Voted to Extend Child Tax Credit for Three Years. (Vote #107, 3/26/03, FY04 Budget Resolution (S.Con.Res. 23), amdt passed 99-1, Kerry: Yes)
2003: Kerry Voted to Allow Full Child Tax Credit Payment for All Recipients. (Vote #151, 5/15/03, Tax Reductions (S. 1054), motion failed 47-53, Kerry: Yes)
2003: Kerry Cosponsored Plan, Voted to Expand Eligibility for Child Tax Credit. (Vote #153, 5/15/03, Tax Reductions (S. 1054) (Amdt 578), motion failed 49-51, Kerry: Yes)
2003: Kerry Voted to Make Child Tax Credit Increases Retroactive.. (Vote #166, 5/15/03, Tax Reductions (S. 1054), motion failed 49-51, Kerry: Yes)
2003: Kerry Voted to Extend the Child Tax Credit Increase to Some Low-Income Families.(Vote #210, 6/5/03, Child Tax Credit (HR 1308), amdt passed 94-2, Kerry: Yes)
2003: Kerry Cosponsored Plan To Make Child Tax Credit Refundable As Part of Relief Working Families Tax Act of 2003 (S 1434, introduced 7/21/2003)
2003: Kerry Cosponsored, Bill To Increase Refundability of Child Tax Credit. (S1162, introduced 6/2/03)

John Kerry’s Support For Marriage Penalty Relief. "I'm certainly in favor of doing away with the marriage penalty," Kerry said. Kerry underscored his support for not re-instituting the marriage penalty, “I don't want to roll back the marriage penalty,” Kerry said. (Senate Roll Call vote, 1999, #226; 2000, #53; 2001, #112, #144; Washington Times, June 3, 1998; PBS, News Hour with Jim Lehrer, 7/2/03)

John Kerry has voted repeatedly for marriage penalty relief, including plans specifically designed to ensure that middle class families the most penalized by the marriage penalty are the ones who receive the relief.

1998: Kerry Voted To Start Phasing Out Marriage Penalty In 1999. (Vote #59, 4/1/98, amdt to S.Con.Res. 86 passed 99-0, Kerry: Yes)
1998: Kerry Voted to Provide Tax Relief Targeted at Those Who Pay Marriage Penalty, (Vote #155, 6/10/98, Universal Tobacco Settlement (S. 1415), motion on S. 1415 passed 55-43, Kerry: No)
1998: Kerry Voted for Amendment Repealing the Marriage Penalty.. (Vote #243, 7/29/98, Fiscal 1999 Treasury-Postal Service Appropriations (S. 2312), motion to kill passed 57-42, Kerry: No)
1999: Kerry Voted For Tax Cut Plan Including Marriage Penalty Relief: (Vote #226, 7/28/99, Budget Reconciliation (S. 1429), amdt failed 39-60, Kerry: Yes)
1999: Kerry Voted to Delay 15% Tax Bracket Expansion to Repeal Marriage Penalty. (Vote #233, 7/30/99, Budget Reconciliation (S. 1429), amdt passed 98-2, Kerry: Yes)
1999: Kerry cosponsored Democratic economy plan that included repeal of Marriage Penalty (S8)
2000: Kerry Voted to Expedite Marriage Penalty Relief. (Vote #53, 4/5/00, Fiscal 2001 Budget Resolution (S.Con.Res. 101), amdt passed 99-1, Kerry: Yes)
2000: Kerry Voted to Target Relief to Couples Actually Experiencing Marriage Penalty. (Vote #200, 7/17/00, Alleviate Marriage Penalty Tax (H.R. 4810), amdt failed 46-50, Kerry: Yes)
2001: Kerry Voted to Accelerate Elimination of Marriage Penalty (Vote #112, 5/17/01, Tax Cut Reconciliation (H.R. 1836), amdt failed 44-56, Kerry: Yes)
2001: Kerry Voted For Tax Plan Including Marriage Penalty Relief: (Vote #143, 5/22/01, Tax Cut Reconciliation (H.R. 1836), motion failed 43-55, Kerry: YES)
2001: Kerry Voted For Tax Plan Including Marriage Penalty Relief (Vote #144, 5/22/01, Tax Cut Reconciliation (H.R. 1836), motion failed 41-58, Kerry: YES)
2003: Kerry Voted to Accelerate Marriage Penalty Relief for Couples Accepting the Earned Income Tax Credit. (Vote #155, 5/15/03, Tax Reductions (S. 1054), motion failed 49-51, Kerry: Yes)

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP

Narrator: “He voted to raise taxes on social security benefits.”

THE RECORD

Social Security Tax Repeal - Kerry voted to repeal the 1993 income tax increase on Social Security benefits. It was blocked by Republicans who preferred to pass dividend tax cuts and upper income tax rate reductions. (S1054, 5/15/2003, #149)

· Bush and Republicans BLOCKED repeal to preserve cuts for the wealthy. The 1993 increase on the wealthiest beneficiaries was successful in extending the solvency of Medicare and eliminating the deficit. Democratic efforts to REPEAL the 1993 Social Security tax last year increase were thwarted by Republicans who were bent on enacting George Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy.

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP

Narrator: “98 votes for tax increases.”

THE RECORD

JOHN KERRY HAS A RECORD OF FIGHTING FOR LOWER TAXES FOR FAMILIES.

John Kerry Opposes Marriage Penalty on American Taxpayers - John Kerry opposes the marriage tax penalty and will work to keep Americans from having to pay more in taxes simply because they are married. In the Senate, Kerry voted to do away with marriage penalty because he felt it was penalizing married couples for no reason. "I'm certainly in favor of doing away with the marriage penalty," Kerry said. Recently, Kerry underscored his support for not re-instituting the marriage penalty, "I don't want to roll back the marriage penalty," Kerry said. (Senate Roll Call vote, 1999, #226; 2000, #53; 2001, #112, #144; Washington Times, June 3, 1998; PBS, News Hour with Jim Lehrer, 7/2/03)

Kerry Supports Keeping the Child Tax Credit - John Kerry favors the child tax credit which helps families pay for the upbringing of their children. Kerry has voted for and cosponsored measures to expand the tax credit and ensure it remains in law. While some candidates for President have suggested doing away with the child tax credit, "Kerry said these provisions, among others, should be retained." Kerry has also stated that it was not right to "take away a tax credit for families struggling to raise their children." (Senate Roll Call vote, 2001, #144; 2003, #107, #153; 107th Congress, S.Amdt. 741; Washington Times, Lambro, 8/4/03)

Kerry Supported Small Business Tax Relief. He has been a leader on tax help for small businesses, helping them with capital gains rules that encourage investment in small businesses and creating new deductions and new flexibility for this essential component of the American economy. (108th Congress, S. 842 John F. (MA) (introduced 4/9/2003))

Kerry Support For Military Tax Benefits. John Kerry has repeatedly supported legislation – spearheaded by John McCain – to help our men and women in uniform when it comes to tax day by creating special capital gains tax rules on the sale of a house for members of the military serving away from home. (S309, 106th Congress; S1678, S.AMDT.2157, S.AMDT.2700, S.AMDT.2811, S.AMDT.2812, S.AMDT.2790 107th Congress)

JUST ANOTHER ONE OF BUSH’S MANY ATTACK ADS THE MEDIA HAS BUSTED FOR BEING “BOGUS”

Brooks Jackson: Bush Uses “Bogus Number”& “Procedural Trickery.” “Bush Ad: ‘Kerry supported higher taxes nearly 350 times.’ (FactCheck.Org President Brooks Jackson): ‘That number is so bogus. What they're talking about here is votes he cast that would have made taxes higher than they might have been if some other amendment had passed. Procedural trickery, in other words. some votes counted twice.’ ” (NBC Nightly News, 4/6/04)

NY Times: Bush “Commercial’s Assertion is Misleading.” “Even Mr. Bush's campaign cites figures saying that such a move would bring in (or cost taxpayers) $250 billion over a 10-year period — not $900 billion. . . . Though independent analysts have questioned how Mr. Kerry can play for his plan, the commercial's assertion is misleading.” (New York Times, 3/13/2004)

Washington Post: Bush Ads Fall Short of “Minimum Level of Honesty.” Voters are entitled to a minimum level of honesty in the argument. On that score, Mr. Bush's initial attacks fall short. … Likewise, it's fair to ask how Mr. Kerry's spending plans can be squared with his pledge to cut the deficit and whether he's over-promising. But the Bush campaign takes an unjustified leap in accusing Mr. Kerry of plotting to "raise taxes by at least $900 billion" because that is the estimated cost of his health care program.” (Washington Post, 3/14/2004)

Newsweek: Bush uses a “made up number.” "The Bush administration now has an old-fashioned credibility gap. If numbers are released saying that the economy is perking up, why should anyone believe them? After all, it counts hamburger flippers as manufacturing jobs. The context of the election only magnifies the issue. New Bush ads charge that Kerry wants to raise taxes by $900 billion. This is a made-up number; Kerry has no such proposal. But even if he did, voters would not be able to take the Bush campaign's word on it, because its word is no longer good." (Alter, Newsweek, 3/29/2004)

LA Times: Bush Ads Are “Misleading in Some Respects.” “The 30-second ad focuses on potential political vulnerabilities for Kerry, based on his voting record as a senator from Massachusetts and programs he has offered as a presidential candidate. But the ad omits the context of various Kerry statements and votes, and is misleading in some respects.” (LA Times, 3/26/04)

Scripps Howard’s Martin Schram: Bush Ads Descend Into “Liar’s Poker” “Making Charges That Were Unproven by the Facts.” “Once again, presidential politics has descended to the political version of liar's poker. Once again, a presidential candidate has blatantly bent the truth, distorting his opponent's position. Once again, a candidate -- in this case, President Bush -- has accomplished his goal. Translation: He got away with it. He succeeded because the leading journalists failed to do their job by reporting the real news -- in this case, that the president and his advisers knew they were making charges that were unproven by the facts.” (York Sunday News, 3/21/04)

ABC’s Stephanopoulos: Bush Ad “Jumps to” a “Conclusion.” George Stephanopoulos – “The real story, Kerry has explicitly proposed raising only about $250 billion in taxes over ten years by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans. But his health care plan would cost almost $900 billion. And he hasn't spelled out how he's going to pay for it. The Bush ad jumps to the conclusion that only tax increases can fill the gap.” (ABC World News Tonight, 3/12/04)

Columnist Michael Kinsley: New Bush Ad Is “Unfair”, “Ridiculous” & “Phony.” Bush’s most recent misleading statements about John Kerry’s record on taxes is “unfair,” “ridiculous, and “phony.” (Kinsley, Washington Post, 3/24/04)

Detroit Free Press: Bush’s Ad is “Wrong.” “THE FACTS:…To call that "Kerry's tax increase" as the ad does is wrong. It was another senator's bill, Kerry didn't cosponsor it and it never came to a vote.” (Detroit Free Press, 3/31/04)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bush Accuses Kerry of Something he “Never Sponsored or Voted For”, Opposed & “Doesn’t Support Now.” “In a recent campaign ad, George Bush derides John Kerry's ‘plan’ to raise gas taxes by 50 cents a gallon. It's not a perfect world. Ads are about selectively using information. But it's a plan you won't hear about from Kerry - because he doesn't support it. The basis for the Bush claim? A comment by Kerry reported in two Boston newspapers 10 years ago saying he backed the idea. But the Massachusetts Democrat never sponsored or voted for it, later voiced his opposition and doesn't support it now. Yet the following words appear across the screen of the Bush ad: ‘Kerry's Plan: Pay $657 More a Year for Gas.’” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/4/04)

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BUSH-CHENEY CREDIBILITY GAP

Narrator: “There's what Kerry says and then there's what Kerry does.”

THE RECORD

John Kerry and John Edwards Will Cut Taxes for 98 Percent of American Families and 99 Percent of Businesses. In addition, he will:

Propose At Least $250 Billion In Tax Cuts For Health Care, Child Care, and Education - Without Increasing the Deficit By One Dime. As president, John Kerry will close corporate tax loopholes and use some of the money gained from repealing Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans - families making over $200,000 a year - to pay for tax credits without increasing the deficit by one dime. The Kerry-Edwards tax cuts include:

A tax credit on up to $4,000 of college tuition; a tax credit to help small businesses and vulnerable workers pay for health care and buy into John Kerry's new Congressional Health Plan; and a tax credit on $5,000 of child care expenses.

Propose More Than Twice As Much In New Pro-Jobs, Pro-Families Tax Cuts As Bush-Cheney. In total, the Kerry-Edwards plan proposes $419 billion of new tax cuts to help middle-class families and create jobs. This is more than twice as much as the $175 billion in new tax cuts Bush-Cheney are proposing. And the Kerry-Edwards tax cuts would not increase the deficit by one dime.

Create a New Jobs Tax Credit. Research has demonstrated that new jobs tax credits increase employment. The Kerry-Edwards New Jobs Tax Credit will cover an employer's share of payroll taxes for net new jobs created in manufacturing, other businesses affected by outsourcing, and small businesses. The credit will be available in 2005 and 2006. For example: a medium-sized manufacturing company employs 1,000 workers. If this company hires an additional 100 employees at $40,000 each - bringing the total number of employees to 1,100 - it would receive a tax cut of 3,060 per worker, or $306,000 total. This would roughly offset the additional cost of health care premiums, which have risen about $2,700 under President Bush.

-30-

www.johnkerry.com
Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Hey, Skin-skin!

I copy 'n pasted this thing and when I tried to save with a txt editor, said editor(KWrite) complained that it was a strange unicode encoding.

So you know.

Luckily, Oo.org kicked its ass. ;-)