While enjoying some family TV time tonight I saw a new ad for the Jon Powers campaign.
And I gotta tell ya, it pissed me off.
It was – in essense – a rehashed Tom Reynolds ad from two years ago. And that Tom Reynolds ad featured a sound bite from my show … as well as one from the Tom Bauerle show.
The two allegations of the ad: That Davis wants to decrease social security and increase the retirement age. At least one of those allegations were previously debunked by FactCheck.org … with my help.
The sound bite from Dialog from Oct. 26, 2o04 says: “I think we should increase the retirement age.” And it’s played as though it’s a Davis plan … although that’s not at all what Davis said.
I had asked Jack what we might need to do if we were faced with a complete economic failure. To which he replied:
Let’s say we have a serious problem there and some changes are going to have to be made. I’m a rich person … we can have a means test on it. Social Security was set up in the early 30’s, when people died at 62. People did not live till 80 to 85. Now it’s a longer period of time and the system is not set up so I think that we should have, not to change the people who are already retired, or close to retirement, but I think we should increase the retirement age.
In other words, IF there’s a complete economic meltdown, we should increase the retirement age before Social Security benefits begin. Not quite what the commercial would have you believe, huh?
Look, I was pissed about that commercial when Tom Reynolds ran it. And I think Tom Reynolds is a weasel. It fit his character. I had previously had some hope in the Powers campaign … but now?
The Powers campaign hits Davis for not doing a debate on WBEN … meanwhile the Powers campaign ignores my invite to do a debate on WLVL. And one of the reasons Davis doesn’t like to do radio is because he gets taken out of context by weaselly Republicans … and now by Powers.
I don’t have a problem with candidates lifting Q&A from my interviews with politicians. Hey, the more pub, the better. But don’t twist it around … or I won’t be pleased. And right now … I’m not pleased.