Scozzafava focus of attack ads from both sides

Gov. Paterson quipped Wednesday about a flurry of negative television ads: "By the time I finished watching those ads, I didn't even like myself."

I've got to wonder if Dede Scozzafava feels the same way this morning. The Republican assemblywoman is the target of new television ads released this morning by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and her opponent, Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party's candidate.

No, they didn't work in tandem. But they might as well have.

Doug Hoffman: "Return to Sender"

The spot was produced by Nelson Warfield, a former Pataki operative. whose ads for the state Conservative Party on behalf of George Pataki lead to a victory in the 1994 gubernatorial race.

Mr. Warfield said of his creation: "The fact that someone with Dede Scozzafava's liberal record tries to pass herself off as mainstream Republican in this race for Congress is an example of politics at its silliest….or perhaps, most cynical. So, I thought I'd use a little humor to highlight that point in the campaign's first ad."

Here's the text:

Female voice: "A fake is easy to spot. A costume can't make you fly. And pretending can't make you a Reagan Republican. See, Albany politician, liberal Dede Scozzafava twice voted for gay marriage. She supported that $180 million mortgage bank bailout. And she backed job-killing higher income taxes. That's Liberal. That's Dede Scozzafava."

Let's see how the claims stack up.

1) Ms. Scozzafava did, in fact, vote twice for gay marriage as an Assemblywoman - once in 2007 and the second time this past May.

2) The narrator says, "She (Dede) supported that $180 million mortgage bank bailout." The bill they are referring to is the "Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008" (A10083-A, 2008) which would have set up a fund to help eligible homeowners make mortgage payments so that they could avoid foreclosure.

My copy of the bill text doesn't list any cost. A companion bill didn't make it out of the Senate, so the act never became law. And I'm not familiar with any $180 million mortgage bank bailout. I'll have to ask the Hoffman campaign what this all means.

3) "And she backed job-killing higher income taxes."

I don't know that anyone could successfully prove or disprove a claim that higher income taxes on millionaires kills jobs.

You've got two schools of thought here. The first is: The wealthy are primarily business owners. If you tax their income exorbitantly, they may be convinced to move to another state where they aren't taxed as much. And they may move their businesses when they relocate - obviously, only if the climate in the new state was as good or better for business than it was in New York.

Then you've got the Warren Buffett-type people. Mr. Buffett is the world's second richest man. He thinks the scales are unequally tipped in favor of the rich and that they need to pay more taxes.

I will note, however, that the bill in question was going to, according to its drafters, provide $1.7 billion in property tax relief to people who probably need the money more than millionaires. Of course, the state was going to take $2.6 billion from the millionaires by taxing them more. It didn't pass the Senate and didn't become law, so the issue is moot.

Dede Scozzafava: "A Tax Record We Can't Afford"

Here's the transcript:

"Albany is a mess. But Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava takes the cake. Scozzafava was criticized for managing the investment arm of a company whose subsidaries owe $192,000 in back taxes. The icing on the cake? She voted for more taxes and fees for you - 190 times. Typical Albany politician Dede Scozzafava. A tax record we can't afford.”

Let's see how the claims stack up:

1) "Scozzafava was criticized for managing the investment arm of a company whose subsidiaries owe $192,000 in back taxes."

The Polticker article in question does not criticize the Republican candidate directly, but instead notes criticisms that appeared on a Conservative blogger's site.

Jimmy Vielkind is right, while the blogger he links to is wrong.

Ms. Scozzafava is a "passive investor" in Seaway Valley Capital Corp., but holds no managerial position there.

Seaway Valley Capital Corp. acquired North Country Hospitality, which owed $192,000 in back taxes. (I haven't yet looked up if these have been extinguished.)

Ms. Scozzafava was, until recently, the vice president and chief operating officer of Seaway Capital Partners. Ms. Scozzafava's spokesman, Matt Burns, said the Seaway Capital Partners is not "an investment arm" of Seaway Valley Capital Corp.

The source of the confusion seems to be this Politico story from July, which apparently mischaracterizes Seaway Capital Partners as an investment arm. That article, among others, was widely circulated by the New York State Democratic Party with that specific sentence highlighted.

Mr. Burns wasn't aware of the story before I pointed it out, but said he'll be asking for a clarification.

So final verdict? The statement is false. I think.

2) "She voted for more taxes and fees for you - 190 times."

I've reviewed some of the votes they are using. Most of them are votes for sales tax extenders, which are requested by the counties and do not result in "more taxes and fees." This is factually inaccurate.

UPDATE: The NRCC and Ms. Scozzafava's camp have weighed in. Surprise! They don't like the ads.

Paul Lindsay, NRCC spokesman:“Dede Scozzafava is being attacked because she is the only candidate in this race who is not beholden to party labels, but to the people she seeks to represent. It was to be expected that Dede's principled record would be distorted by a nasty and negative campaign, but the unexpected irony is that the attacks are coming from two political opportunists who could never match her service to New York and are cowardly hiding basic information from voters about their own shady business dealings.”

Matt Burns, Ms. Scozzafava's spokesman: "Dede has voted to cut taxes dozens and dozens of times, protecting small businesses and hard-working families from billions in wasteful government spending. She voted against the entire, reckless state budget this year. These attacks further proof that her opponents — Doug Hoffman and Bill Owens — will do and say anything to smear Dede's principled record of fighting for Northern and Central New York. Bill Owens can claim whatever he wants, but the truth is he is lining up to tax health care benefits and cut Medicare to seniors. Doug Hoffman can quote Reagan all he wants, but he's the only candidate in this race who asked Jimmy Carter for a bailout (By the way, he was rejected, but the state government bailed him out; and he says he'd ask for a bailout again). Instead of attacking Dede, the only principled candidate in this campaign who has been fully honest and transparent, Owens and Hoffman may want to get around to filing the necessary financial disclosure statement required of all candidates. The voters of the 23rd Congressional District deserve to know what they're hiding."

Mr. Burns has mischaracterized Mr. Owens' stated positions. The Democrat actually opposes Medicare benefit cuts and taxing health care benefits.