Dems: Virginia Station Won't Air GOP Climate Change Ad, Citing Factual Errors (VIDEO)

Congressional Republicans were dealt a setback Thursday in their attempt to punish Democrats in swing districts for voting for climate change legislation in the House last week.

WDBJ-TV, a Roanoke television station, will not air a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) ad attacking freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.), citing factual inaccuracies, according to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee communications director Jen Crider. A source familiar with the station's decision confirmed Crider's account; WDBJ general manager Jeff Marks confirmed that the ad would not run, but declined to say why.

"The ad is not running, be we have not characterized why that is," said Marks. "We don't characterize why an ad is not running. We looked into the complaints [from national Democrats], but other than saying that, you really need to find out from the NRCC."

An NRCC source said that Democrats are mischaracterizing the station's decision. "One station has temporarily pulled the ad. The station manager has also informed us that he plans to notify the DCCC about their mischaracterization of what exactly has transpired. The ad is still set to run on the other stations in the local market," said the source.

Marks said the station has made no public statement saying that it rejected the ad for factual reasons. He confirmed that he notified Democrats that he had made no public statements about the ad. He did not reject the assertion that the ad was pulled because it was inaccurate, declining to comment instead.

Earlier, the nonpartisan organization FactCheck.org called the ad "wrong."

Adjudicated FactCheck:

The ad says the bill will result in lost jobs and cost "middle class families" $1,870 a year. That sounds pretty dire, until you consider that this week we posted an item about the Office of the Republican Whip Eric Cantor's claim that the same bill would "impose a national energy tax of up to $3,100." So is the cost of the legislation going down? Did the NRCC make a mistake in its math?

Hardly. While it may seem curious that House Republicans would flog two different cost figures for the proposed legislation, it is indicative of the difficulty in determining how a cap on carbon emissions could affect Americans' electricity bills. The NRCC ad credits a Washington Times editorial for its claim that the Waxman-Markey bill would make electricity prices "skyrocket," costing families $1,870 a year. But the NRCC is wrong.

Here's the ad:

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Comments

[fairtaxplease]

Obama - rates will skyrocket
GOP - rates will skyrocket
CherokeeGirl - those mean GOP liars!

[CherokeeGirl]

fair tax please

oh, thank you mister president

[FightTheLies]

Personally I'd like to see the full video of Obama stating what he did. Fox has cut and pasted clips before just so they could make a story out of nothing. Anything the GOP says, I usually believe the opposite. Remember the Republican motto. Party before Country.

[BlackWidowPilot]

Hmmmm... a bankrupted coal industry and higher utility rates, or keep our Hummers and Chevy Tahoes and cheap corporate trash food and keep spewing CO2 into the atmosphere leaving a dead planet Earth for our children.

Let me think.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Rhetticent]

Pilot, add to that the loss of our domestic oil and gas industry, which employs thousands in my state.

Maybe you can answer my question. We could immediately convert all cars, trucks and buses to CNG: the technology is already available and in use. We could convert coal fired plants to NG. Our country is floating on oceans of natural gas, and we could become virtually completely energy independent. We would create jobs at home, and the money generated by taxing this domestic source could be used to expedite R&D into alternative fuels. THAT's the alternative to Waxman Markey, not "Hummers and Tahoes and cheap corporate trash food." What's wrong with that, other than the fact that it won't generate huge tax revenues?

[BlackWidowPilot]

Um, while even a broken clock is right twice a day, the GOP is hardly a credible source of information these days, citizen:

http://www.armchairsubversive.org

http://www.republicanoffenders.com

Hypocrisy incarnate, thy name remains GOP, as in "Greedy Old Perverts" "Gutting Our Prosperity" and "Goring Our Progress."

Yeeeach.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[elbzee]

I'm not familiar with the interview in which Obama stated rates will skyrocket, but quite certain there was more to that statement. Sure wish I could quote the next sentence.
And yes, I DO think GOPers are mean and liars.

[fairtaxplease]

if you call this ad a lie then you are calling Obama a liar, hes the one that said rates will skyrocket.

[lazercat2008]

There's a storm coming, a gaye storm.

[fairtaxplease]

so let me get this straight, the ad has Obama saying in his own words that rates will skyrocket, but the GOP is lying? makes alot of sense to me. NOT!

[CherokeeGirl]

typical, focus on one little thing in the ad and ignore the rest of the hate spewing from it.

[fairtaxplease]

what are you talking about? Obama said rates will skyrocket and he even said under his plan the coal industry would go bankrupt.

[fairtaxplease]

wow you lefties are something else entirely.

is there a tipping point? probably. are we anywhere near that tipping point? not even close.

our atmosphere only contains 385 parts per million co2, thats miniscule, its not enough to effect the climate and even going by dire climate models it still wont be nearly enough in 100 years.

even if you want to talk about oceanic co2 intake and ph levels, anything under 7 is considered acidic and the worst i have seen forecasted is 7.5 after 100years but thats assuming we keep pumping co2 at current levels.

of course we can end this whole debate and pursue nuclear fast and furious right now but we know that will never be allowed.

in short the whole thing is a scam to get more of your money.

[CherokeeGirl]

science and facts are really good things and the truth will set you free.

you'll see a tipping point, when the earth has had enough and shakes us off like fleas.

[fairtaxplease]

so do you have any science or facts to back this up? LOL

[FormerReaganite]

Don't count on the oceans to take up much CO2.

(A) Being nonpolar (hydrophobic) it has low water solubility (1.45g/L @ 100kPa @20deg.C)
(B) It has very low atmospheric partial pressure (39Pa)

This means that most CO2 is in the atmosphere. About half that much is dissolved in the oceans, with an undetermined amount locked up in carbonates (limestone, coral reefs, etc)

[fairtaxplease]

yet we only have 385 parts per million co2 in our atmosphere, not enough to make any difference.

[jmklein]

This is the first time in my life I have ever heard of an ad rejected for factual reasons.

To me it sounds like the repression of information that global warming proponents tell us is necessary to save the planet. After all, if we just let everyone read all the information out there and use reason and analysis they may come to the "wrong" conclusion.

[CherokeeGirl]

global warming proponents? is that a new conspiracy theory? (LOL! :)

It's about time one of these ads comprised of complete lies is kept off the air. Facts = Good.

science is science it can't be disputed unless you believe in the garden of eden and that eve came from adams rib. fairy tales will come true...good luck with that under water thing.

I'll be laughing when the South is under water wondering where's their Noah and his Ark? LOL :)

[Rhetticent]

You need to understand the difference between experimental science, and observational science. Our science has degenerated to primary use of observational science (often called "junk" science), where observations are correlated statistically to come to some conclusion. This is the source of the "eggs are good/no bad/no good/no bad" kinds of studies, and many use small samples and are hastily prepared because those guys have to publish articles or they don't keep their jobs. Many of them are examples of the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" logical fallacy: "after this, therefore because of this". Science, especially junk science, is disputed all the time. Just go watch a products liability or medical malpractice lawsuit being tried.

[Emerald1943]

In North Carolina, we have been deluged with ads by lobbyists against health care reform. They, too, are full of lies. distortion, and some of the worst fear-mongering I have seen!

Kudos to this TV station! I wish others would do the same!

[burt2009]

They are all lies when they don't agree with your position.

[CherokeeGirl]

nope, they are just plain and simple lies.

thinks you best turn that statement around on yourself and look in the mirror

[FormerReaganite]

But what have denialists said that is factual? Where's the beef?

[jsgaetano]

When the GOP can't even spew it's lies onto the TeeVee, you know they are truly done.

Their future is a region hate-based fringe party. Sadly, they won't do the honorable thing and disolve, like the Whigs, because the GOP has no honor.

[CherokeeGirl]

fanned, and I luv your Avatar/pic.

[CherokeeGirl]

anybody who buys what these ads are selling drags us all down from getting what we deserve as Americans. These ads are unamerican and against the public interests.

The GOP doesn't care if people are dying from no health insurance or filing bankruptcy.

It boils down to one thing with the GOP and those that sheild these lobbies:

"Don't let the little guy have anything that's fair. Our model is based on raping the people while pretending we're for the little guy, and it should stay that way."

Their time is coming to an end. Get the popcorn, it's gonna be a long movie.

[hopefulinpa]

Republicans wouldn't know "good legislative practice" if it slapped them in the face.

[burt2009]

One thing you can count on is government figures are always low.

[KLordsha]

I never thought I'd see this day. Kudos to them for holding the GOP accountable.

[JPWright]

Right on....maybe there's hope!!

[JEP57]

The only reason the far left wants this cap and trade legislation to go through is because it's a means for more government control over businesses and industry. They can see as well as anyone else that even though Co2 levels continue to rise globally, the average global temperature has stabilized over the last ten years. So deception and declaring the debate over are tactics used. Do we want to hurt our economy with this bill when it won't do a thing to alter climate.

[RuinedSaint]

Oh, silly JEP... Of COURSE we want to control business. It makes it easier to ensure that we can more smoothly usher in the New World Order.

[WASanford]

Have you even looked at the science that lead the vast majority of climatologists to warn us of global warming? I have and I found it very compelling. You can bother to read at least one book on the subject can't you? Read "Climate" by George Ochoa, Jennifer Hoffman, and Tina Tin, 2005 Rodale Books International. Then after you've approached the subject with an open mind and gained some knowledge about the subject, let's see what you think then.

I remember in the sixty's sitting on my back porch watching the annual forest fire in the San Bernardino Mountains during September, the hottest month of the year. It's not like that any more. California begins burning with the advent of Spring and is subject to wildfires through November. I won't claim to know what's causing our fire season to lengthen so much over the years, but it's either caused by something like a climate change or God's just punishing us! Or maybe it's just the GOP's way of beating us down.

[RuinedSaint]

"...or God's just punishing us!"

You forget who's against this legislation; don't give them an easy-out like that.

[CherokeeGirl]

it's due to the rapid increase in carbon emissions since the start of the industrial revolution. The ice samples show that it skyrocketed after we started polluting. It's also due to polluting the planet in other ways and underground nuclear testing.

God is not punishing us, but Earth will cleanse herself. I hope we get that green grid in, cuz otherwise we won't have power if this stuff happens.

It's up to us how bad this cataclysm could be, and I won't sacrifice my future on the alter of Big business anymore.

[seatris]

I have and i found that the earth has a cycle, what about the ice age? The planet had to heat up for the glaciers to melt.
"

More than 31,000 scientists across the U.S. – including more than 9,000 Ph.D.s in fields such as atmospheric science, climatology, Earth science, environment and dozens of other specialties – have signed a petition rejecting "global warming," the assumption that the human production of greenhouse gases is damaging Earth's climate.

"There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate," the petition states. "Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth."

[DeSwiss]

I think your tinfoil coming loose.....

[RuthlessDictator]

Bush and the ReThugs, along with big corporations and industry running amok without any kind of restraint, did a very good job hurting our economy. No further help necessary.

[Davonne Rushing]

What on earth are you talking about? The Global temperature has not stabilized. This planet is in dire need to reduce it's Co2 emissions. You're just like every other Republican out there. You don't listen to facts and you don't research. No matter how beneficial a plan is, if it has anything to do with the government you're always against it. And that's why you're going to continue to lose elections.

[MacQ]

What? They won't air the propaganda???? How dare they!!!

[BrighterStar]

I don't see anything wrong with this ad. While it is true that we don't know exactly how much cap and tax will cost people(remember there was not even a bill in print when it was passed), we do know the number is going to be huge. If anything this bill probably errs on the side of the Democrats.

[Liberal2]

OTOH, we don't know the exact cost of not capping carbon, do we? So capping carbon may actually **SAVE** money in the long run. Remember the ad "Pay me now or pay me later"?

[woodwakr]

Really? How do you "know"?

Oh, right: Fox said it, so it must be true.

Have you ever considered what it would cost to reorganize agriculture when cropland turns to desert and vice-versa? Or to build hundreds(or thousands) of miles of dikes when the sea level rises? Or what happens when CO2 acidifies the oceans until the marine ecologies collapse? Or to tourist spots near coral reefs when they become ghostly dead skeletons?

You happy with your gas money going to the Sheiks who bankrolled the 9/11 highjackers?

Nah... you just stay in your warm little cocoon of ignorance, where it's safe.

For now.

[seatris]

There is nothing we can do, it's the cycle of the planet. We do need to conserve more and think about the environment but many things are not under our control. It was warmer in 800AD than it is today how do you explain that?