In the last 24 hours, Republican Gordon Smith has aired two attack ads against Jeff Merkley and one ad portraying himself as some sort of anti-war hero. Today, Republican Gordon Smith used Obama yet again to attempt to portray himself as an environmental champion.
Full disclosure, I am the netroots director for OR-Sen candidate Jeff Merkley
Before I show you the ad, it's important to remember that Barack Obama not only supports Jeff Merkley for Senate but he also had some choice words for Gordon Smith. Here's what Obama said about Smith during his visit to Oregon:
I think Gordon Smith's problem is that he rarely breaks away from George Bush and the Republican agenda that I think has done this country great damage.
Check out the new ad:
So far, Republican Gordon Smith has aired an ad claiming Obama said, "Smith fought for a cleaner environment," which was not true. Smith aired an ad cozying up to Kerry even though Smith himself called Kerry, "The chief of chumps," back in 2004. Smith aired an ad claiming he was one of the first to oppose the war even though he not only supported the Iraq War initially but has continued to vote to keep the war going. Yesterday, Smith aired an ad trying to portray himself as an anti-war hero even though he has done nothing to put an end to the war and support our troops. Now, he's using Barack Obama to try and greenwash his harmful record on fighting climate change and investing in alternative forms of energy.
For a Senator with a lifetime rating from the LCV of 32%, Gordon Smith is hardly a champion for the environment. Jeff Merkley otoh, was given a 95% rating last year from the OLCV and was endorsed by the Sierra Club and the OLCV/LCV. As Oregon's House Speaker, Jeff Merkley led the greenest session our state has seen in thirty years. He helped protect the Oregon Coast from offshore drilling, updated the bottle bill to include plastic bottles, passed a massive renewable energy package and ensured that 25% of Oregon's electricity comes from renewables by 2025. Make no mistake about it, Jeff Merkley is the real environmental champion.
This new ad is just another desperate attempt by Smith to latch onto Obama's popularity in hopes of staying in power. Gordon Smith has already aired eleven attack ads against Jeff Merkley. That's not including his misleading ads where he cozies up to Obama and Kerry. Can Gordon Smith go any lower?
Help us fight back against the one of the most negative campaigns in the country. We just put this ad out yesterday which is a sneak preview of what's to come from the Merkley Campaign this election season. Help us keep it on the air by donating to the Merkley Act Blue Page for Kossacks.