July 29, 2010 09:17 AM UTC

Message to Dem Senate Candidates

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• by: Phoenix Rising

Knock it off.  Really.

This recent factually vacuous exchange about Social Security displays the absolute worst of both sides of the campaign – and I’m not talking about the truth of the attacks, either.

First the Bennet campaign goes on the attack and says Andrew Romanoff ‘voted to privatize Social Security’.  The Fort Collins Coloradoan has the analysis: Romanoff voted for one of the Republican ‘gotcha’ votes in 2004 that stated “the members of Colorado’s congressional delegation support optional personal retirement accounts and not support increases in payroll taxes and cuts to Social Security benefits.”  Like so many Republican bills/resolutions that year, this was a question designed to bolster Republican claims while giving potential fodder to the GOP for campaign attacks against Democrats.

Then the Romanoff campaign, bolstered by an independent group, goes on the attack saying Bennet voted against increasing Social Security benefits.  (The official campaign message at least does the courtesy of recognizing that the proposed one-time $250 payout was a stimulus, not part of a COLA increase; the independent expenditure is not so honest.  I’d link to it, but it’s been pulled from the Web.)

To both campaigns: you’re not really good at this.  Stop before you inflict damage on yourselves.

I’d also like to add: Speaker Romanoff, you wanted to get PAC money out of this campaign.  Do you denounce this independent expenditure ad that appears to support your campaign?

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