Search
Close this search box.

New Critz Ad Hits Back Against Altmire (With Video)

http://youtu.be/T8NhDMDp2ww

Mark Critz has blasted Jason Altmire for an ad Altmire’s campaign began airing this week. Now, Critz is taking his case to TV with a rebuttal. The ad will begin airing Friday evening.

“I’m Mark Critz, and this attack from Jason Altmire is simply not true.  I’ve fought against every  Republican attempt to dismantle Medicare and gut Social Security,” Critz says to the camera. “The vote Jason is attacking me for was actually an effort by Democrats in Congress to defeat the Republican budget.”

“Every Pennsylvania Democrat except Jason voted the same as me,” he notes.

In his ad, Altmire criticized Critz for failing to vote against a Tea Party budget that would have slashed entitlements including Medicare.

Critz’s campaign responded immediately, noting that the vote was a parliamentary tactic by Democrats aimed at defeating the GOP. Indeed, all but 16 Dems in Congress voted with Critz. Some, including Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and Rep. Bob Brady, have spoken out in Critz’s defense.

The idea was, if Democrats voted ‘present’ rather than no on the Tea Party alternative to Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget, then the threshold for passing it would be lower and the GOP Majority in the U.S. House might actually pass a product even less likely to pass the U.S. Senate.

Altmire’s ad isn’t technically false, but it is misleading. His campaign says that political maneuvers aren’t an excuse.

“The last thing we need are more politicians playing insider games, failing to take a stand and putting partisan politics ahead of protecting seniors’ benefits. If you’re against something, you vote NO,” said Altmire spokesman Richard Carbo.

Indeed, he addressed that issue in a radio ad airing in the district.

“He’s never missed a vote,” says a woman playing bingo, “and he’s never voted ‘present.’”

Responding to a negative ad with another ad is tricky; a campaign must refute the charge quickly and attack the opponent strongly without simply bringing more attention to a negative issue. The ad spends a fair amount of time talking about the vote, but Critz doesn’t go for the kill – instead signing off with, “I approved this message because Jason is better than this.”

To bolster his credibility on entitlements, today Critz rolled out an endorsement from the Alliance for Retired Americans, an organization with about 15,000 members in the 12th district.

“Nobody has a stronger record of fighting to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare than Mark Critz,” said Pa. Chapter President Jean Friday said. “His 100 percent record on seniors’ issues, and his willingness to stand up to those who want to cut benefits makes him the clear choice in this race.”

Here are the line-by-line citations for Critz’s new ad, courtesy of his campaign.

Critz Rebuttal to Altmire ad

8 Responses

  1. We’re so lucky to have Stephen Van Meter here. Where else would we be able to get the inside scoop on what “really” happens in Congress.

    I’m glad that you know “for a fact” that Altmire waited for “Pelosi’s permission”. Did the Congressman tell you that?

    Big talk, backed up by little thought. Exactly what’s wrong with political discourse today…

  2. Stephen-

    I’m not sure what universe you are in. Everyone knows Mark Critz was against Obamacare. He’s made several horrible votes. You need to examine those as well.

    The thought of having critz out here makes me cringe.

  3. I don’t know about any negotiations with the nrcc, you you sure have his voting philosophy right. From 2008 to 2010 every important vote was done with Pelosi’s permission. That means “we have enough votes Jason so you can vote with the Republicans because that is what you think you need to survive.”. That doesn’t help the democrats because he isnt providing a needed vote and it doesn’t help the republicans because the vote was controlled by Pelosi. The only person it helped was Jason. But that’s just how he operates.

  4. When will Altmire discuss his negotiations with the NRCC? Altmire is a political survivialist. We need to stop letting him decieve voters, the way he has deceived labor, Democratic leadership and his own Democratic voters. Reps like Altmire are causing this nation to have Gridlock. Vote and hide. Never working towards a solution.

  5. Altmire is the king of wishy washy. How many times does he wait until the Democrats have enough votes for their initiatives then vote with the Republicans. I know for a fact that’s what he did with Obamacare. Critz should call him out for that.

  6. I like the TV script from Murphy Vogel Askew Reilly in Alexandria, Virginia. It’s nice to see the Congressman is spending his campaign dollars in his district….

  7. Glad to see that the Dems and labors unions will help me elect Congressman Keith Rothfus in November! Go Critz!

  8. How can Critz get up and say the ad isn’t ‘true.’ The Altmire ad is true because Critz voted present instead of No. Everyone knows that voting present allows someone to be wishywashy on the subject to fool the voters on both sides.

Email:
  • Do you agree that ByteDance should be forced to divest TikTok?


    • Yes. It's a national security risk. (60%)
    • No. It's an app used by millions and poses no threat. (40%)
    • What's ByteDance? (0%)

    Total Voters: 30

    Loading ... Loading ...
Continue to Browser

PoliticsPA

To install tap and choose
Add to Home Screen