If you're watching TV, then they're hard to miss. Political attack ads are everywhere, with U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene attacking Democrat primary opponent Kendrick Meek. Meek has been swiping back.
Are we to believe it all? No, says St. Petersburg Times political writer Aaron Sharockman, who spends hours researching candidates' commercials then posts the political truth on website Politifact.com/Florida.
One of Greene's commercials claims a watchdog group labeled Meek a crooked candidate.
“Look at who else is on the list,” said Sharockman. “Jeff Greene is on the same list, so this is a great example of a guy who's calling his campaign opponent crooked using the same information that says he's just as crooked.”
Another claim by Greene: Meek opposed a cigar tax to fund children's health programs.
“Every time we come to the same conclusion - he voted for the tax rate,” said Sharockman.
Meek may have argued for a lesser tax, but when push came to shove he voted for the tax. Can you call Greene’s commercial a lie? “We certainly have deemed it such,” said Sharockman.
Local
At least one of Meek’s commercials doesn’t pass Sharockman’s sniff test. Early on in the campaign Meek ran a commercial featuring financial mogul Warren Buffet.
“Warren Buffet called his scheme financial weapons of mass destruction,” says the announcer. It was a direct reference to Greene and the millions he made investing in controversial credit default swaps.
Turns out Buffett never mentioned Greene when he made the statement. Meek revised the commercial to say, ”Warren Buffet called credit default swaps financial weapons of mass destruction and Greene was the first individual to use them.”
The commercials start with a shred of truth and devolve from there. Sharockman advises voters to watch the ads with a grain of salt.
