Ladies and gentlemen, the billionaire Koch brothers are at it again.

Their front group, Americans for Prosperity which masquerades as a grassroots tea party group, has sent out an online mailer to Nebraskans that makes the following claims:

  • Tom White supports NelsonCare – the federal government takeover of our health care
  • Tom White supports the $862 BILLION stimulus bill that failed to create jobs

  • Tom White opposed cutting government spending

  • White opposed reforming the Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR), which is responsible for out-of-control government spending at the local level
  • White voted against cutting more than $40 Million from state spending
  • Tom White would be a rubber-stamp for Speaker Nancy Pelosi

NelsonCare, stimulus and spending, oh my!  Don’t get too scared, though.  There are few facts that this AFP email leaves out.

We’ll start with the mythical “government takeover of our health care.”   I would like to take this opportunity to direct these prosperous Americans to PolitFact, a Pulitzer Prize-winning political fact site, which explains that the Affordable Care Act is not a government takeover of health care. Strike one, for not just misinformation, but an outright lie.

Next, let’s examine the stimulus package.  Boy oh boy.  According to nonpartisan forecasters and the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus worked to create 1.6 million to 1.8 million jobs, which is quite few more than the ZERO claimed in this email.  And because times are still hard, you’ll want to elect someone who supports the stimulus. If the stimulus had failed as Terry wanted it to, unemployment would be almost 4% higher by conservative estimates.  Strike two, this one just for bad policy.

Finally, on the issue of spending: if you’re all about those small government values that Terry claims to epitomize, you’ll actually be casting a vote for White in two weeks.  Terry, who bashes White as scheming to support a “liberal, big government agenda”, was part of the Congress under the Bush administration, which expanded government more than any of six preceding administrations, and managed to turn a budget surplus into a deficit, and doubled the national debt.  Compare this to White who, contrary to what that email states, has worked to balance the Nebraska state budget and passed the largest tax cut in Nebraska history. Strike three aaaaaaand you’re out!

As for the rubber stamp on Speaker Pelosi?  Last time I checked, voting for a non-incumbent who has never, in any capacity, ever worked with Speaker Pelosi is a far cry from gift-wrapping and sending her a “rubber stamp.”

Also, Americans for Prosperity, if you want to call anyone a rubber stamp, we suggest look at Terry’s record.  He’s voted with his party 95% of the time.  Using the typical school report card, Terry’s a grade A rubber stamp.