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McCann wants TV stations to pull down ads claiming he voted to raise taxes

Thursday, Oct 4, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* You’ll recall that the Illinois Economic Freedom Alliance new TV ads attacking Sen. Sam McCann claim the gubernatorial candidate “voted with Mike Madigan to raise taxes $3 billion.”

I asked the alliance for documentation about that tax hike claim. Click here to read their full response. They sent me news stories which reported that McCann voted against the tax hike, but also voted for the budget that spent all the tax hike’s revenues. You could use that same logic to claim that Gov. Rauner supported the tax hike, too. But I doubt that the alliance, which appears to be run by the Illinois Manufacturers Association, would ever say something like that.

* From the McCann campaign…

Today, Conservative Party gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann delivered cease and desist letters to downstate networks that began airing attack ads this week paid for by the Illinois Economic Freedom Alliance, a “super PAC” linked to the Rauner-allied Illinois Manufacturers Association.

McCann’s letter centered around the ad’s false claim that he voted for a $3 billion tax increase. Vote results provided by the Illinois General Assembly prove that McCann voted “no” on Senate Bill 9, which increased taxes, and also voted “no” to override Governor Rauner’s veto of the bill.

McCann issued the following statement:

The claim that I voted to raise taxes is a bold-faced lie. That the Governor’s allies would spend more than $1.5 million to spread lies on television shows the desperation they feel as voters continue to distance themselves from four years of Bruce Rauner’s catastrophic attempt at leadership.

After consulting with counsel, I delivered cease and desist letters to all stations airing these ads with evidence of their falsehood and am urging them to stop airing the ads immediately.

…Adding… Oops, I forgot to note that McCann’s campaign just got $265K from the Fight Back Fund, which is connected to Local 150 of the Operating Engineers. McCann said this week that he’s spending about $275K on his own TV ad.

13 Comments

- Trapped in the 'burbs - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:11 am:
Wow, Rauner’s accused of lying. How unusual. Keep alienating the conservative part of the GOP. What exactly is his path to victory? Looking forward to him explaining why he lost. Madigan, corruption, term limits and now, inherited money.

- RNUG - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:14 am:
Wonder if Sam’s lawyer also asked the stations to run retractions with an equal amount of air time? Or to run an equal amount of his ads free of charge?

- Perrid - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:14 am:
I think it’s an outright lie, if they are using the word “raise”. He didn’t vote to raise the taxes, he voted to spend them. You could interpret that as a vote to “keep” the tax hike, but he simply didn’t vote to “raise” taxes. It’ll be interesting whether the stations think it’s a big enough lie that the 1st amendment doesn’t apply. Or if not on that level, if it’s a big enough lie they simply don’t want to air it.

- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:15 am:
Nice job, Bruce, to elevate McCann’s name out of obscurity.

- Skeptic - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:19 am:
Don’t forget this is the same Rauner crew also claimed that by not letting the 5% rate drop back to 3.whateveritwas (at the end of the Quinn administration) they were raising taxes.

- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:20 am:
===They sent me news stories which reported that McCann voted against the tax hike, but also voted for the budget that spent all the tax hike’s revenues. You could use that same logic to claim that Gov. Rauner supported the tax hike, too.===

This is a typical Raunerite thought;

You apply this to them, but don’t apply it to Rauner.

Rauner signed a budget using every dime of that 32% tax increase. If you ask Rauner apologists, Rauner is absolved, but those voting to send that budget to him… well…

Raunerism and Rauner apologists are tiring.

- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:22 am:
The first line from IMA’s “documentation” states that McCann voted against the tax hike.

“Voted with Madigan to raise taxes” doesn’t even qualify as weasel-word. It’s a lie.

- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:38 am:
==Nice job, Bruce, to elevate McCann’s name out of obscurity==

Sam is having quite the “Streisand Effect” week, thanks to Bruce and friends.

- Dr X - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:47 am:
Ok, ok, we’ll pull them.

Hey guys, go get those ads about McCann the Marine.

- don the legend - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:52 am:
We need to stop and realize the genius behind Rauner’s strategy. After all he’s succeeded at everything he’s ever done.

- VanillaMan - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 9:54 am:
The ad is lying.
Sam has another issue for voters to hear.
This gives him coverage.
This forces Rauner to spend more.
Perhaps that is the reason the ads originally ran?

- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 10:28 am:
This is a pants on fire lie.

- Stumpy's bunker - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 5:08 pm:
Illinois conservatives still have “Jeanne Ives is Mike Madigan’s favorite Republican” ringing in their ears. Now its “McCann voted with Mike Madigan to raise taxes…”.

Its an insult to their intelligence, and these absurd assertions will be on their minds when they enter the voting booth on November 6.

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