The National Education Association, alongside the Betty Sutton Campaign, is the most recent contributor to the long list of false attacks on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

By signing the Pledge, Tom Ganley has made a solemn commitment to the taxpayers of Ohio’s Thirteenth Congressional that he will oppose any and all tax hikes. Yet, the NEA has decided to attack Ganley for his promise citing false claims about “outsourcing.” This is a blatant attempt by the NEA to distract voters from the real issues this election cycle: jobs and the economy.

FactCheck.org’s Brook Jackson debunked a similar claim made by the  Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) back in April–labeling it “blatantly false”.  Democrat Patty Murray’s failed attempts to discredit the Pledge were identified as “a stretch” by King 5 TV in Washington State.

These attacks lead one to wonder how many times this tiresome statement must be addressed and proven to be inaccurate before the claims subside. Perhaps Democrats should begin to use more effective strategies to keep their seats, such as voting in the interests of their constituents.

Tom Ganley should be commended for his commitment to taxpayers. By signing the “No New Taxes” Pledge, Ganley has taken tax hikes off the table while his opponent Betty Sutton left Washington without putting a stop to one of the largest tax hikes in American history.

NEA and Betty Sutton Campaign Caught Telling Lies about the “No New Taxes” Pledge
NEA and Sutton campaign desperate to distort Ganley’s “no new taxes” promise

WASHINGTON, DC—The NEA and the Betty Sutton campaign recently launched a new line of attack on Tom Ganley by attempting to mislead voters about the actual meaning of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The goal of the Pledge is to protect taxpayers and businesses from tax increases. The NEA and Sutton campaign’s charges follow the patently false claims made by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) earlier in the year – claims that the non-partisan FactCheck.org agrees are “blatantly false.

The “No New Taxes” Pledge commits a signer to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.” By making this promise, Ganley has taken tax hikes off the table for all taxpayers in Ohio – something Betty Sutton has not done.

This is not the first time Democrats have tried to misrepresent the meaning of the Pledge. During the special election in HI-01, the DCCC ran misleading attack ads against the Pledge. FactCheck.org, a non-partisan "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics, responded by condemning the DCCC and agreeing that the ads were “blatantly false.”

Similar claims about the Pledge were made recently in Michigan, Nevada, and Washington. In Michigan, the Jackson Citizen-Patriot, a Jackson, Michigan newspaper, deemed Rep. Mark Schauer’s claims about the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and Tim Walberg to be “not true.”  In Nevada, Jon Ralston of Face to Face “reality checked” the Dina Titus campaign ad and found the claims made against the “no new taxes” Pledge to be “thoroughly misleading.” King 5 TV in Washington called the accusations against the Pledge and senate candidate Dino Rossi to be a “stretch.”

“Why are Betty Sutton and the NEA going out of their way to shamelessly distort Tom Ganley’s position on taxes? The Pledge signed by Ganley is a promise to constituents and businesses to never raise taxes. Sutton has yet to make the same promise and should explain to voters how tax hikes revive a struggling economy and promote job growth in Ohio,” said ATR President Grover Norquist.

“Tom Ganley has committed to never raising taxes on his constituents while his Democrat opponent has left the door for tax hikes wide open,” continued Norquist.

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