Outside Ads Mislead in California | FactCheck.org
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Outside Ads Mislead in California
In the governor’s race, Republican Whitman and Democrat Brown are attacked by union-funded and pro-business groups.
Summary
In the race for California governor, outside groups supporting Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown are airing new TV ads that mislead voters.
An independent group financed by labor unions distorts Whitman’s record as president and chief executive officer of eBay, the online auction site. The ad:
* Says “overhead” expenses rose 2,000 percent from 1999 through 2007, without taking into account the phenomenal growth of a company that saw its payroll expand during that time from 138 employees to approximately 15,500;
* Blames her for “failed mergers,” although she had more successes than failures, and falsely accuses her of resigning as a result of bad business deals;
* Claims the new CEO cut her “bloated spending” after taking control of the company, but the economic downturn — not Whitman’s performance — was cited as the principal reason for the layoffs and spending cuts.
Another ad, this one from a pro-business group, attacks Whitman’s Democratic opponent, Jerry Brown, the attorney general of California. Among the ad’s claims:
* Brown “makes it harder to create jobs.” That’s a stretch based on the opinion that California’s litigation environment under Brown is discouraging to businesses.
* Spending, debt and unemployment increased under Brown. That’s true, but doesn’t tell the whole story. Brown spent surplus money on schools and emergency operations. Revenues during his administration were diminished by a voter-backed initiative he opposed. And unemployment when he left office was high nationwide.
* Brown proposes “more debt” as a deficit fix. That’s an oversimplification of his position that borrowing may be necessary while the economy is bad.