Thread: Wisconsin Democratic party demands that conservative groups'

Wisconsin Democratic party demands that conservative groups' 'outlandish' ads be pulled by TV stations
Health care claims about illegal immigrants are 'outlandish,' party says
By Todd Richmond
Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 10/21/2008 10:47:12 PM CDT


Television ads accusing Democratic Assembly candidates of supporting free health care for illegal immigrants are lies and should be pulled from the air, the state Democratic Party's attorney said Tuesday.

Party lawyer Mike Maistelman has sent letters to stations in western and northeastern Wisconsin demanding they stop running ads from the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership and the Coalition for America's Families. The ads make "outlandish" assertions and state law bars people from knowingly publishing lies about candidates, the letters say.

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership and the Coalition for America's Families are independent, conservative- leaning political groups. The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership issued a statement Tuesday saying it stood behind its ad. No one from the Coalition for America's Families returned a message seeking comment.

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership has been running an ad in northeastern Wisconsin targeting state Rep. Jim Soletski, D-Green Bay. It accuses Soletski of voting to make health care more expensive through a $400 million tax increase. It also accuses him of saying that raising a family's taxes to provide government-run health care for illegal immigrants was a good start toward affordable health care.

The Coalition for America's Families has run a similar ad implying illegal immigrants can get free health care in Wisconsin and Soletski's government-run health care plan means higher taxes.

Maistelman's letter said there's no evidence to back up those claims. Senate Democrats inserted a universal health care plan into a version of the state budget that had no citizenship requirements, but it never came to the Assembly for a vote.

But the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership said in its statement that Soletski voted for a version of the state budget that contained a $418 million tax on hospitals.

The statement also cites a June interview in which Soletski said he considered the Senate Democrats' health plan a good start toward reforming Wisconsin health care, and a Wall Street Journal editorial that stated the health plan would cost every Wisconsin worker an average of $510 a month more in taxes.

The Coalition for America's Families also has run an ad in western Wisconsin against state Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, and Assembly candidate Kristen Dexter, D-Eau Claire, that is nearly identical to the group's Soletski ad.

Smith, like Soletski, never voted for universal health care because the plan never got to the Assembly. Dexter never voted for it either because she wasn't a state lawmaker. Maistelman called the assertions a "deliberate and unsubstantiated lie."

WBAY and WLUK in Green Bay both said the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership ad's scheduled run ended over the weekend, making Maistelman's request to pull the spot moot. The stations said they are reviewing Maistelman's concerns about the Coalition for America's Families' Soletski ad.

On the western side of the state, Terry McHugh, general manager of WEAU in Eau Claire, said his station will continue to run the Dexter-Smith ads after attorneys told him they were acceptable. He declined to elaborate.

Lisa Patrow, news director at WQOW in Eau Claire, said her station would continue to run the ad after investigating its claims.

"We did not find the information to be a lie," Patrow said.

Soletski called the ads "hooey."

"I have no health care plan. I have none," he said. "The whole argument is just ludicrous."

Dexter's campaign had no comment. Smith didn't return messages Tuesday.

Soletski faces Republican Tony Theisen, of Green Bay, in the Nov. 4 election. Smith goes up against Republican Darcy Fields, of Eau Claire. Dexter is trying to unseat Republican Rep. Terry Moulton, of Chippewa Falls.

http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_1 ... source=rss

On the western side of the state, Terry McHugh, general manager of WEAU in Eau Claire, said his station will continue to run the Dexter-Smith ads after attorneys told him they were acceptable. He declined to elaborate.

Lisa Patrow, news director at WQOW in Eau Claire, said her station would continue to run the ad after investigating its claims.

"We did not find the information to be a lie," Patrow said.

This information should have been near the top of this article and NOT buried at the bottom.

W