Conservative group makes major ad buy to charge President Obama with using the health law to raise taxes

May 18 2012

News outlets report on the details of the ad campaign, which is being paid for by Crossroads GPS -- and also provide fact checking regarding some of its assertions.

Los Angeles Times: Crossroads GPS Fires Back At Obama With $25-Million Ad Buy
The 2012 campaign air battle grew more intense Wednesday with the news that Crossroads GPS, the cash-flush conservative advocacy group, is pouring another $25 million into television ads castigating President Obama for "broken" promises. The massive ad buy matches the $25 million that Obama's reelection campaign announced last week it would be spending on a month of TV airtime. … The commercial charges Obama with, among other items, raising taxes through his health care reform plan and failing to meet his pledge to cut the deficit in half (Gold, 5/16).

The Associated Press: Ad Attacks Obama Health Care, Tax, Debt Promises
Obama's promise that if people like their health care plan, they will be able to keep it, is also questionable. Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they'd be free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or drop insurance altogether. Few are predicting a stampede by employers -; especially major companies -; to drop coverage. But some could avoid the hassle of dealing with insurance companies and take advantage of new financial assistance from the government their workers may qualify for (Miga, 5/16).

Boston Globe: Conservative Nonprofit Makes $25m Ad Buy
Countering the Obama campaign's massive ad buy of last week, the independent conservative group Crossroads GPS on Wednesday announced a plan to spend $25 million airing an attack ad in 10 swing states. The 60-second ad accuses the president of breaking promises to assist struggling homeowners, hold down taxes for households making less than $250,000 per year, let people keep private health insurance plans they like, and cut the federal deficit in half (Borchers, 5/16).

The Washington Post's The Fact Checker: Obama: Broken Promises On Taxes And Health Care?
The Republican-aligned Crossroads GPS has scheduled a massive $25 million ad buy, starting with this hard-hitting ad that purports to list a bunch of "broken promises" by President Obama. We are not going to quibble with some of these claims. The president, for instance, certainly has not met his pledge to cut the budget deficit in half. But we were interested in exploring more carefully the two health care-related items (Kessler, 5/17).

Meanwhile, Jill Biden, the "Second Lady," makes a campaign trail appearance in Iowa -

Des Moines Register: Jill Biden Pitches Reasons Why Iowa Women Are Better Off With Obama
The call, the first official campaign event for the Second Lady, was meant to underscore the importance of women to Obama's re-election. ... Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, she said, insurance companies can no longer deny women coverage on pre-existing conditions such as breast cancer, and they must cover cancer screenings and mammograms. Soon, they must cover contraception and domestic violence screening and counseling, she said. In Iowa, 229,000 women on Medicare now can get mammograms and flu shots with no copay or deductible, she said (Jacobs, 5/16).