With new poll showing Kay ahead, Dole Campaign releases first negative ad

Dole “Fibbing” on Running a Positive Campaign, Effectiveness, Clout

GREENSBORO, NC- With a new poll showing state Senator and U.S. Senate Candidate Kay Hagan (D-Guilford) leading 50% to 45%, Elizabeth Dole has panicked and gone negative in an attempt to revive her sagging poll numbers and tepid support. Dole’s commercial says she has clout, but like her previous ads, Dole offers no concrete examples to back up her claim of so-called clout. She also continues to ignore her rating as number 93 out of all her Senate colleagues in terms of effectiveness, having voted with President Bush 92% of the time.

“It’s not a bit surprising that Elizabeth Dole would push the panic button and release the first negative ad approved by either candidate in this race. She had a lot of practice when she chaired the NRSC, bankrolling ads that even her Republican colleagues were embarrassed about,” said Hagan Communications Director Colleen Flanagan. “It’s obvious that there’s only one “fibber” in this campaign – Elizabeth Dole, who promised to run a positive campaign for re-election.” (Dole’s proclamation from the North Carolina Bar Association Forum Attached)

While claiming to be one of the “ten most admired women in the world,” Dole neglects to mention that her rankings in the past six years have dropped, just like her support in North Carolina, and she has failed to rank in the top ten for the past two years in a row.

“Aside from the fact that this is an inconsequential ranking that has absolutely nothing to do with her time in the U.S. Senate, it’s embarrassing that she would try to point to that when people in North Carolina are struggling to make ends meet, afford gas prices nearing $4 per gallon and afford healthcare for themselves and their families because of her abysmal record advocating on their behalf.”

Elizabeth Dole’s “clout” comes with her dubious distinction as number 93 out of all her Senate colleagues in terms of effectiveness, having voted with President Bush 92% of the time. She lent her clout to President Bush when voting with him to privatize Social Security, giving Big Oil and Gas $17 billion in tax breaks while they realize record profits and families pay record prices, and increasing our nation’s debt by 43% to $9.2 trillion.

“It never gets old to watch Elizabeth Dole, who’s voted 92% of the time with George Bush, try to pretend she’s anything but George Bush’s lapdog,” Flanagan said. “If she had a real record, she’d point to it, instead of attacking Kay, and if she had a real interest in doing this job, she’d advocate on behalf of the best interests of North Carolinians instead of selling out to the special interests and their lobbyists.”

AD WATCH

Elizabeth Dole Committee
:30 Television
9/3/08

TRANSCRIPT	FACTS
Narrator: They call her fibber Kay Hagan. Fib after fib. She tries to turn us against Elizabeth Dole. On Screen: White picket fence with little brown dog jumping and barking. Written: “Fibber Kay” Hagan	DOLE ACCUSED HAGAN OF LYING WITHOUT OFFERING ANY EVIDENCE Dole Ad Offers No Cites For Her Claims. [Dole ad, 9/3/08] DOLE HAS TWISTED THE TRUTH DURING THIS CAMPAIGN Dole Made “Tenuous Claim” About Hagan’s Record On Illegal Immigrants. The Greensboro News & Record’s “Off The Record” blog reported that Elizabeth Dole’s claim that Kay Hagan made it easier for illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in 2001 was a “tenuous claim,” and said, “The Dole camp insists it is true because applicants no longer were required to present a social security card to get a driver's license but were allowed by the 2001 change to give a taxpayer ID number, which illegal immigrants easily could obtain. But the catch is, applicants were never denied a driver's license before then for not having a social security number.” [Greensboro News & Record Off the Record blog, 6/26/08] Dole Ad Contained Incorrect Implications. In an “ad watch” on Dole’s most recent television advertisement, the Charlotte Observer noted that the “ad omits some details.” Furthermore, the article noted that, “The ad implies incorrectly that Hagan's campaign sponsored the ad attacking Dole. It also omits any detail on the “Best of Congress” award, and there is no way to quantify her role in helping the state's military bases.” [Charlotte Observer, 8/31/08] HAGAN HAS A RECORD OF INTEGRITY 2008: Hagan Showed Personal Responsibility And Integrity In Standing Up To Party Leaders. Senate leader Marc Basnight said Hagan was one of the few senators who would stand up to him as a Democratic leader. He described an incident where he spoke harshly to a freshman senator, and after the meeting, Hagan insisted on speaking to Basnight immediately. The Raleigh News & Observer reported, “‘“You were wrong,’” Basnight remembers Hagan telling him. ‘“You were so wrong. You should call him and apologize.” And I did…It was only her in the entire Senate,’ Basnight said, ‘who had the courage to come in and tell me I should apologize to a freshman.’” [Raleigh News & Observer, 3/25/08] 2002: Chairman Of Guilford Technical Community College Said Hagan Provided “Integrity.” In 2002, J. Patrick Danahy, the chairman of the Guilford Technical Community College Board of Trustees, wrote a letter to the editor to the Greensboro News & Record praising Hagan’s accomplishments. He claimed she “provides the competence, integrity and influence that are critical for Guilford County's future” and called Hagan “a communicator you can trust.” [Greensboro News & Record Editorial, 10/29/02] 2002: Greensboro News & Record Named Hagan “Conscientious.” In 2002 the Greensboro News & Record endorsed Hagan for re-election, and claimed, “She is knowledgeable, conscientious and fiercely devoted to her constituents.” [Greensboro News & Record Editorial, 10/31/02]
Narrator: But we know Elizabeth has been consistently voted one of the ten most admired women in the world. On Screen: Picture of Dole Written: “Ten Most Admired Women In the World” [Source: Gallup Poll]	DOLE WAS NOT CONSISTENTLY VOTED AMONG THE MOST ADMIRED WOMEN Dole Was Not Listed Among The Ten Most Admired Women In 2006 or 2007. According to Gallup, Elizabeth Dole did not rank as one of the top 10 most admired women at the end of 2007 or at the end of 2006. [Gallup poll release, 12/26/07; historical Gallup polling data, viewed 9/3/08] Dole Consistently Dropped In Rankings. In 2000 and 2002, Dole received approximately two percent of the vote in Gallup’s poll of admired women, but consistently dropped in subsequent years, garnering only one percent from 2004 to 2006 and eventually dropping out of the rankings altogether. [Gallup poll release, 12/26/07, 12/29/00; historical Gallup polling data, viewed 9/3/08]
Narrator: Her clout works wonders for North Carolina On Screen: Dole with woman pointing to pointing at ship; Dole with several men with helicopter; Dole looking out of car with driver; Dole talking to a group of sheriffs Written: Saved Jobs/Saved Bases/Saved Farmers/Helped Sheriffs	DOLE IS INEFFECTIVE Dole Was Ranked 93 Out Of All Senators In Terms Of Effectiveness. Knowledgis rated each current Member of Congress on “various criteria that demonstrated power and the ability to be effective in Congress in 2007.” Dole was ranked as the 93rd most effective member of the Senate. [Knowledgis Power Rankings, Congress.org, viewed 5/28/07] Dole Was Given An “F” Score For Her Votes On Behalf Of Working Families. The Drum Major Institute gave Dole an “F” for her work on behalf of working families. [themiddleclass.org, Drum Major Institute, viewed 6/13/08] Dole Has Voted With President Bush 92% Of The Time. From 2003 to 2007, Dole voted with President Bush 92% of the time. In her first year in office, she supported his positions 98% of the time. [Congressional Quarterly Vote Studies, viewed 3/3/08]
Narrator: So bark away fibber Kay. That dog don’t hunt. On Screen: White picket fence with little brown dog jumping and barking Written: “Fibber Kay Hagan” Narrator: I’m Elizabeth Dole and I approved this message. On Screen: Dole in a office Written: North Carolina’s Elizabeth Dole	DOLE FALSELY PLEDGED TO RUN A POSITIVE CAMPAIGN Dole Promised To Run Positive Campaign; Take Responsibility For Her Ads. At the North Carolina Bar Association candidates forum on June 21, 2008, Dole said, “I will run a positive campaign for reelection. I’ll take responsibility for my campaign’s political advertisements.” [NC Bar Association Forum, 6/21/08] DOLE’S AIDES LIED IN HER 2002 CAMPAIGN 9/20/01: Dole Raised $20,000 At Ken Lay Fundraiser; Dole Campaign Said Before And After Fundraiser That Campaign Activities Were “On Hold” Because Of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. The Raleigh News and Observer reported that, “The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole disclosed…that it had raised $20,000 at a Houston fund-raiser for which Enron chairman Kenneth Lay was host nine days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.” On September 12, Dole campaign spokesman Jay Warshaw said, “Things are on hold.” On September 20th, the day of the Ken Lay fundraiser, Dole spokesman Jaw Warsaw said, “campaign activities are still on hold in the wake of the tragedy.” [Raleigh News & Observer, 1/18/02; Raleigh News & Observer, 9/13/01; Raleigh News & Observer, 9/21/01] Winston Salem Journal: “[Dole’s] Aides Lied.” In an editorial, the Winston Salem Journal noted, “The fund-raiser is troubling for several reasons. Most transparently, it shows that Dole is one more politician into whom Lay appears to have sunk his financial claws… Just as serious is an apparent lack of truthfulness by the Dole campaign about its political activities immediately after Sept. 11... Dole raised money with the help of Lay, her aides lied about having suspended activities, and her aides carried on with political activities during the mourning period for the victims of the terrorist attacks.” [Winston-Salem Journal editorial, 1/23/02]

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