HUGE controversy has blown up over the lawsuit currently being filed against Robin Carnahan by Fox News for use of a Fox News clip in her TV ad. In fact, almost the entire ad besides Carnahan's disclaimer at the beginning is this clip from Fox News!

Fox News is suing because they say that Carnahan is misleading people into thinking that she has the support of Fox News. It is our opinion that this is absolutely ridiculous. It is clear that they are in fact questioning Blunt's abilities, but it doesn't support the claim that they support Carnahan. First off, the video clip itself looks like it is not something very recent simply by the video quality and the appearances of the people. And second, it's fairly well held knowledge that Fox is very conservative. Questioning a Republican candidate does not at all imply that they are therefore supporting a Democratic candidate! They were questioning Blunt when he was running for Majority leader against other Republicans and therefore were helping out other Republicans with this line of questioning, not Democratic candidates.

Now despite what we believe to be absurd reasons for legal action, Carnahan does cut off the clip so short that the audience does not get to hear the responses by Blunt to the accusations being put forth. In fact, he claims his wife is not allowed to lobby the House of Representatives in response to the accusation that he inserted legislation into the Homeland Security Act to support his wife's (then his girlfriend) tobacco company, Phillip Morris. He claims that the numbers given over his contributions to a firm that supported a shamed lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, were incorrect. And finally that the Homeland Security Act was a good piece of legislation that eventually passed both parties.

Carnahan isn't expected to show Blunt's replies to accusations, however. This shows legit issues that even conservatives had with Blunt being a center of reform in Washington. She did not misrepresent what the reporter asked Blunt either. While still a very typical negative ad for her, we find it a bit ridiculous that Fox is trying to cover their tails for questioning a Republican so harshly by claiming misrepresentation.

Roy Blunt's "Bull"?

Robin Carnahan’s campaign, last week, launched a new fact-check website titled “Call Roy’s Bull”. According to Carnahan’s website, Roy Blunt and his “corporate special friends” have been using various deceits and fiction to cover up “Blunt’s 14-year Washington record of waste, corruption and sticking it to the middle class."

Linden Zakula, Carnahan’s campaign spokesman, said that the newly launched website will be updated regularly and “will be a helpful resource for those sticking to find the facts amidst all the bull that Congressman Blunt and his friends are slinging.” Zakula also added that as Missouri newspapers began to expose the truth behind Blunt’s 14-year Washington record, Blunt has been escaping questions and altering the truth about both his and Carnahan’s record. (See Carnahan's article here). Thus, Zakula says, this website to call Roy Blunt’s “bull” was necessary.

The website, while seeming to have positive intentions, also focuses on trying to make Blunt seem like a liar who is viciously attacking Carnahan. However, one of the “fact checks” of Blunt is actually an advertisement from an independent group called Independent Women’s Voice. In fact, the radio ad ends by saying, “Paid for by Independent Women’s Voice which is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.” For a website with the title “Call Roy’s Bull” labeled across the top of each webpage, it sure seems to be attempting to convince the readers that any misconceptions in the advertisement is that of Blunt, rather than the actual sponsors of the bill. The website also makes no attempt to draw a connection between the Independent Women’s Group and Blunt and there is no clear connection between the two other than their opposition to Carnahan.

Blunt's "Big Oil Bailout"

The TV ads for the upcoming Senate election have begun and the majority of them are extremely negative. They include statements from Carnahan accusing Blunt of being “the very worst in Washington” and Blunt nicknaming Carnahan “Rubberstamp Robin”, accusing her of doing whatever Obama does. However, with all these accusations flying around toward the end of the campaigns, it’s important to make sure what they’re saying is true. This blog looks to focus specifically on the ads by Democrats, in this case Carnahan, in Missouri.

On May 20, Robin Carnahan released her first TV commercial directly attacking her opponent for the U.S. Senate, Roy Blunt. In her extremely negative ad, Carnahan attacks Blunt for (1) supposedly putting the burden of the oil cleanup (99.6% of it) on the general public and (2) for accepting large amounts of money from the oil and gas industries.

1. Her first claim specifically attacks a sound bite of Blunt stating that BP shouldn’t have to pay more than the current cap of $75 million in fines for the oil spill. Carnahan is implying that Blunt thinks that the cost of cleanup should not be held by the oil company, but rather by the American taxpayers. However, Carnahan neglects to mention that Blunt was stating the cap that was put in place by legislation (the Oil Pollution Act of 1990) and that the legislation also makes the oil company liable for paying clean up fees as well! In other words, while the “fine” that BP has to pay is only approximately 0.4% of the total cost of the spill, they are also responsible for the billions of dollars in clean up fees as well (See section 1004.a.3 and 1004.c.3 of the act). Additionally, Blunt has recently helped sponsor a bill that seeks to increase the fees for oil companies in the event of an oil spill to $150 million plus cleanup costs (See H.R.5356, sec. 102).
2. Her second main claim has much more truth to it than the first. Carnahan says that Blunt has received over $1 million in campaign contributions from oil and energy interests! Opensecrets.org reports that Blunt has in fact received approximately $1.4 million from the energy and natural resources sector. However, of that sector a little less than $600,000 is actually from oil and gas, rather than other energy interests such as electric utilities (powered by coal, not oil) who gave a little under $450,000. While that is indeed still a high number, it does exaggerate the amount from oil interests to include the entire energy sector as well.

          There seems to be some serious exaggerations and words taken out of context for this advertisement. We find that although it’s entirely probable that Blunt does seek to avoid making the oil companies too poor off because of the amount he receives from them in campaign contributions, the attacks that he wishes to place the burden on the American public is unfounded and the amount he receives from oil companies is exaggerated. 

Consulted with Factcheck.org

Welcome!

      Welcome to Check Dem Facts!, a nonpartisan blog whose aim is to check the advertisements of Missouri Democrats for accuracy. This blog is run as a class project for COMM 429: Political Communication at Truman State University. It's purpose is to report on an aspect of political communication, while also contributing to it as well. Neither of the writers have a strong party affiliation to any party. Our goal is to provide impartial information about the truthfulness of advertisements put out by Democratic candidates.
      The Democratic candidates who will be focused on are those whose campaign directly affect Adair County voters: Robin Carnahan for U.S. Senate; Rebecca McClanahan for Missouri House; and Wes Shoemyer for Missouri Senate.
      This blog will be updated at least twice a week on Monday and Thursday. Check back in for our fact checks! Let's keep these politicians honest on the campaign trail!