Following a televised debate on Sunday, former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz acknowledged that certain aspects of her latest attack ad against Democratic primary frontrunner Rep. Chris Murphy were “inaccurate.”
The ad has sparked a back-and-forth between the Democratic candidates, who are both gearing up for the Aug. 14 primary in Connecticut.
In the 30-second ad, which is viewable here, Bysiewicz takes aim at campaign contributions Murphy has received since being elected to Congress in 2006. Bysiewicz claims Murphy has received more hedge fund donations than any other Democrat in Congress.
This claim, as her campaign acknowledged, was inaccurate. However, as reported by CTNewsJunkie.com, Bysiewicz says the overall message stands: Murphy has received significant financial backing from Wall Street.
From 2006 to 2011, Murphy has accepted more than $700,000 in contributions from financial entities, although not all of that was straight Wall Street cash, according to OpenSecrets.org. In fact, as CTMirror.org points out, the category is broad because it includes many Connecticut-based financial houses as well as insurers within Hartford.
"Here's the larger point," Bysiewicz spokesman Jonathan Ducote told CTMirror.org. "There is a whole series of data points we were trying to demonstrate. He has benefited from Wall Street cash to the detriment of the middle class."
Murphy’s campaign has argued that the ad should come down, citing the fact that it contains the inaccuracies.
Murphy told CTNewsJunkie.com the following:
“If Susan is continuing to insist on running the ad it reflects a denial of reality that is both sad and a little frightening.”
What is your take on this ad? Should Bysiewicz remove it and apologize because a portion of it is incorrect? Or should she continue to run the ad because, as her campaign puts it, the overall message of the ad is accurate? Take our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
Bysiewicz cannot raise this kind of money so she has to resort to negative advertising to defeat Murphy. Bysiewicz is partially correct. Chris Murphy is the poster boy for taking money from special interest groups. He may be the number one Congressman for PAC money. Where Bysiewicz went wrong is saying it was from Hedge Funds. If you look where Chris Murphy gets his PAC money on open secrets web site the contributers include Insurance companies, Security & Investment Firms, law firms, colleges and electric companies (Northeast Utilities). They list $5,455,987 as the amount for the 2011-2012 cycle fundraising campain committee. Follow the money.
By refusing to discontinue this attack ad, even after admitting that it is false, Bysiewicz has shown voters what she stands for morally and ethically. This is not the shining example I want representing me or my state in Washington.
While I have no intention of voting for Suzy or Murphy, if Suzy gets the nomination it will make it that much easier for the GOP candidate to win. That she insists on continuing to run the attack ad, even after admitting it is false, she shows her true moral and ethical values. This is not who I want representing me or our state in the US Senate.