Ads continue running despite fact checks
Friday, Oct 16, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Daily Herald…
Republican congressional candidate Jim Oberweis will continue to air a misleading advertisement about Democratic rival Lauren Underwood.
The Daily Herald, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Better Government Association’s PolitiFact Illinois fact-checking enterprise have disproved the 30-second commercial’s implication that Underwood described recent looting and riots as “beautiful protests.”
But that hasn’t been enough to sway Oberweis to pull the spot.
“The ads are staying up,” campaign spokesman Travis Akin said in an email this week.
* KMOV…
The ad begins by saying, “Betsy Londgrigan is lying to you,” then using a quote of her saying, “I have not taken any money from Speaker Madigan.”
The narrator continues, “The truth is Madigan spent nearly $300,000 to elect Londrigan.”
That $300,000 did not come from the controversial Illinois Speaker of the House, but from the Democratic Party of Illinois.
While Madigan is the chairman of the party, the group party is dedicated to electing Democrats to offices in all of Illinois and makes donations to numerous Democratic candidates.
So that claim is false.
* Another one from KMOV…
The [Dirksen Londrigan] ad goes to state, “The PPP loan debacle; Davis’ family got to the front of the line for a million dollar payout.”
It’s true that Davis’ father and brother own several fast food franchises in central Illinois and they did receive federal PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) funds.
But there is no evidence showing Rep. Rodney Davis had anything to do with his family getting PPP.
And the Davis campaign stated that he “has no financial stake or involvement in his dad and brother’s franchises and was not involved in their PPP loan application through their local bank.”
The claim is misleading because there was no line to get PPP, and to date almost 700,000 businesses received government aid.
The ad also says, “and he (Davis) voted to keep it secret while businesses and families suffered.”
Davis did vote “No” in those measures, which did not pass the U.S House, but the first bill cited in the ad would only have disclosed those business that received more than $2 million in PPP. Davis’ family received less than that.
* Center Square…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker didn’t answer questions Wednesday about why the Vote Yes For Fairness campaign spent more than $10,000 with Facebook to promote a fake tweet in an effort to persuade voters to support a progressive income tax amendment.
Pritzker has given $56.5 million to Vote Yes For Fairness, which is working to persuade voters to change the state’s flat income tax to a progressive income tax system with higher rates for higher earners. Voters will decide on the constitutional amendment on Nov. 3.
On Oct. 9, Vote Yes For Fairness shared a screenshot on Facebook of a tweet from @Liz_Uihlein. The Uihlein family owns Uline, one of the largest companies in Illinois. Vote Yes For Fairness also spent between $10,000 and $15,000 to promote the fake tweet on Facebook, with a potential reach of more than 1 million people, according to publicly available information from the social media giant.
The fake account purportedly belonged to Liz Uihlein, president of Uline. But Liz Uihlein said through a spokesperson that the Twitter account was fake. The account soon was removed from Twitter. But Vote Yes For Fairness kept its Facebook ad promotion of the fake tweet going through Tuesday, several days after it was disavowed.
- truthteller - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 7:29 am:
considering how much lying Rodney Davis has done to the people of Il-13th over the years, the small “glorifications” of Londigran;s ad is but a blip and more truthful than not.
- Pundent - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 8:23 am:
In every cycle Oberweis has proven to be a one trick pony. Whether it’s the helicopter ad or painting his opponent as encouraging riots his message is always the same - scare the white people.
- Fav Human - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 8:51 am:
That $300,000 did not come from the controversial Illinois Speaker of the House, but from the Democratic Party of Illinois.
And if you think Madigan had nothing to do with raising that money, or allocating it, I have some well watered land, teeming with wildlife for a very reasonable price to sell you….
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 9:07 am:
If he’ll lie about this, what’s in his ice cream?
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 9:17 am:
Television stations aren’t required to air television ads that make untrue claims simply because they’re political ads.
Neither does Facebook.
There are two parties that need to be held accountable, and just complaining about an entity or campaign running false political ads isn’t going to address the platforms that continue to knowingly air or place false information.
===- Fav Human - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 8:51 am:===
I think you’ve forgotten that there are literally millions of Democrats in the State of Illinois and a lot of things would happen regardless of Speaker Madigan, like the party receiving contributions and supporting congressional candidates, or the legislature consisting of two Democratic super majorities due to the absolute failure of the Illinois GOP to recognize and address the needs, wants, and desires of the overwhelming majority of Illinoisans and instead focusing on fomenting separatist movements that have existed in this state ever since some folks wanted to join the Confederacy.
Madigan is why the GOP nominated a literal Nazi for a U.S. house seat, right?
Madigan is why GOP legislators are running around the state spreading false information that has literally encouraged the deaths of their constituents, right?
The GOP tendency to blame Madigan has turned in to a slogan that is more about that specific party avoiding any introspection or responsibility for why millions of voters across the state look at their alternative and continue to tolerate voting for a party where Mike Madigan is the chair.
Just imagine how terrible you have to be for folks to find you so unpalatable to vote for that they’ll continue to support members of a caucus lead by Mike Madigan.
- walker - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 9:32 am:
“”The claim is misleading because there was no line to get PPP”",
?
This “fact check” is itself misleading because banks did favor their own good customers, and cut out a lot of minority-owned businesses and economically challenged communities from receiving the funds.
(No criticism of Davis implied)
- Behind the Scenes - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 9:50 am:
When The Feed Store closing was announced in the SJ-R (https://www.sj-r.com/news/20200701/feed-store-to-close-after-43-years)there was no mention of the owners being unable to get PPP funds, they were closing because they wanted to retire. I’m sure I’ve seen Dick Durbin in there on more than a few occasions. It’s not like they couldn’t have called someone for a little help with their PPP request.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 10:39 am:
Lies are still lies even when they’re told about Black people, Mr. Oberweis.
– MrJM
- Streator Curmudgeon - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 11:00 am:
“Truth? We don’t need no stinking truth.”
- Oscar - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 11:21 am:
Lauren is literally on tape saying it. And I have seen her refuse to condemn rioting and looting several several times. She avoids it everytime
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 11:24 am:
=== But that hasn’t been enough to sway Oberweis to pull the spot.
“The ads are staying up,” campaign spokesman Travis Akin said in an email this week.===
The racism that infects the Oberweis narrative is not the bug, it’s always been the feature.
It’s staying up to signal Oberweis’ racist thoughts, and signal them. The facts, or lacking of fact, are not the message Oberweis wants, it’s the signaling Oberweis wants most.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 11:29 am:
In too many instances, the candidates of the 13CD feel the need to either mislead or fabricate and both candidates are adverse from finding a truthful way to run a campaign.
The only way we as a country can overcome the last for years, or Illinois can overcome the past 6 (Raunerism was a phony as any political message policy… ) is that the sense of being factual and arguing the policy differences… to the known and absolute fact… (Sigh)
My dream (pipe dream in this era) would be all accepting fact, arguing the policy of thought to the obvious and agreed fact(s), allowing the politics be as raw and bare knuckle, but the facts are facts
I also want to play 2B for the Cubs when not looping on the PGA Tour, so…
Facts matter.
Honesty matters.
Facts and honesty allow the discussion of policy differences and campaigns better.
Now?
Now I need to go feed my unicorn…
- Pundent - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 11:40 am:
=And I have seen her refuse to condemn rioting and looting several several times. She avoids it everytime=
“I think it’s really important that we continue to lift up the peaceful protesters, those who are exercising their First Amendment rights, but it is a tragedy when people are injured, when there’s violence, when there’s damage and the like as a result of these types of demonstrations,” Underwood told editors and reporters from the Daily Herald and Shaw Media. “That’s not appropriate.”
You’re welcome.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 11:59 am:
=== The fake account purportedly belonged to Liz Uihlein, president of Uline. But Liz Uihlein said through a spokesperson that the Twitter account was fake. The account soon was removed from Twitter. But Vote Yes For Fairness kept its Facebook ad promotion of the fake tweet going through Tuesday, several days after it was disavowed.===
The social media bottom feeding, where accounts either attempt to fool or leave up to inspection the authenticity…
If ya think ya got a “gotcha”… ya better be extremely careful about deciding to put your name and reputation on a silly tweeter-thingy that can be a false lens because it’s too juicy not to highlight.
In life, sure, I’ve texted or told of a tweet that I later found wrong, I’ve tried to learn from mistakes, but I’m not a multi-million dollar media committee touting a CA and trying to also educate folks to get passage. I’ll merely get a text back telling me to fact check.
- Back to the Future - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 1:26 pm:
I actually remember a time when people apologized for publicizing a lie about someone, but that is just not the way Team Trump or Team Pritzker roll.
- Keeping Track - Friday, Oct 16, 20 @ 4:46 pm:
Alternative facts?