BRUNSWICK, Maine — U.S. Senate candidate Angus King on Tuesday lambasted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s $400,000 television campaign labeling him “king of spending,” saying he cut taxes, made prudent investments and eliminated budgetary “gimmicks” during his two terms as governor.
The political independent is irked over the ad’s claim that he was a free-spending chief executive who left the state with a “$1 billion budget shortfall” when his term ended.
“It’s an easy potshot and it’s wrong,” he told The Associated Press.
The ad refers not to a budget deficit but to a theoretical budget gap that’s common before the governor and Legislature set priorities, King said in an interview.
The ad overlooks his success in cutting the sales tax, providing property tax relief through the homestead exemption, and giving incentives to job creation through the business equipment tax, as well as his work to eliminate budget “gimmicks,” invest excess cash in infrastructure and bolster the rainy day fund, King said.
“The real question is: The money came in. What did you do with it? It’s a fair question,” he said. “Fix gimmicks, cut taxes, make investments, and put money in reserves.”
The Washington-based chamber has endorsed Republican Charlie Summers in the race.
Lance Dutson, Summers’ campaign manager, said the ads were factually correct and said it’s ironic that King attacked former Democrat Gov. Joe Brennan spending too much as governor when they faced off in the 1994 gubernatorial campaign.
“As governor himself, Angus made Brennan look like a pinchpenny,” Dutson said.
The U.S. Chamber ads that began airing last week during NBC’s prime-time coverage of the Olympics represent the first major negative advertising blitz in the campaign for Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe’s soon-to-be-empty seat.
Other candidates are Democrat Cynthia Dill and three additional independents: Steve Woods, Andrew Ian Dodge and Danny Dalton.
On Tuesday, King made his first direct remarks about the negative attacks, which he’d predicted when he announced his candidacy.
The issue of the so-called structural gap is complicated, and it’s not easy to give a rebuttal in a 30-second time slot, King said.
State revenues were slowing down after the 9/11 attacks and end of the dot-com bubble, but King said the state spending was prudent and that Mainers should know that there was never a deficit, which is barred by the state Constitution.
The chamber stood by the ad, saying it was accurate.
“Facts are stubborn things,” said Rob Engstrom, the chamber’s national political director.
For everyone who thinks King was a free-spender and ultra liberal, keep in mind that he vetoed a bill that would have increased minimum-wage by $0.25, and he vetoed a provision in the famous education fingerprinting law that would have grandfathered all of the then current employees. He is a moderate, but as is the case with all moderates, he will be disliked by some on both ends of the political spectrum.
King is most definitely a free-spender. Do some research on how he and the Ds bastardized the Governmental Facilities Authority to bond tons of money without voter approval in the late 90s.
Why don’t you just provide the links to show what you are claiming?
King transformed the Court Facilities Authority established by McKernan into the Governmental Facilities Authority with the help of Senate Majority Leader Rochelle Pingree to be be able to float bonds without voter approval.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1914&dat=20000605&id=TtZGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ovMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1378,681856
Gerry, I’ve got an autographed copy of his book….do you have one? Read it lately? He did nothing he proposed to do in that book. Wait until Crash reads it.
I don’t see any claims by the BDN that the statements in the ad are wrong. One would think that would be an important part of the story if it were true.
If they want to write that, that would appear in an editorial, not a news item. Some readers too often can’t differentiate.
So you’re saying until we see the editorial everything they claim in the ads are true.
Note that this is an AP article. The BDN is reprinting it. They’re passing on what has been written elsewhere. They do pass on right wing stuff too you know.
What? Sorry, but a reporters job is to ascertain if statements are true. Unfortunately, much of what counts as journalism today is reporting the he said/she said, in which the “other side” is left to rebut claims.
While there are often two sides to a story, it’s not always the case – facts are facts. Budget issues like that found in this article are complicated, and take time to investigate and then report in a way that regular folks can understand. As newspapers continue to cut staff, their simply isn’t the time – editors have to make choices of where best their scant resources can be used.
One of the high lights of the Baldacci Administrati0n was the closing of the billion dollar budget gap left by the prior administration. (Angus King) Just ask David Farmer he will keep you inf0rmed of all the “good” done by the Baldacci Administration.
King exemplifies all that is wrong with the country – all starting with dishonesty and elitism.
Go Summers.
The USCC exemplifies all that is wrong with the contry: all starting with dishonesty and elitism and regressing to misinformation and carpetbagging.
Bwahahahaha. Dream on. The LeBUFFOON toadie Summers, like that other goofball Charlie running the TeaPublican party here in Maine, couldn’t get elected to be dog catcher. He will lose in a big way, Angus will WIN in a big way, and the TeaPublicans in general are going to get SLAMMED at the polls in November. Folks have had enough of LeBUFFOON and his croanies like Summers.
The Chamber of Commerce are a bunch of corporate stooges for the TeaPublicans, and all this does is make Mainers despise the LeBUFFOON toadie Summers even more than they already do. Summers couldn’t get elected to be dog catcher right now. Go Angus !
Actually I think the TeaPublicans are stooges for the US Chamber of Commerce. Bought and paid for. But, either way they’re bad for America, and I agree. Go Angus!
The negative ads and their distortions can be expected through the November election. Maine people have a chance to repudiate them by voting for candidates like King who does not employ them We get to decide what kind of politics we want in Maine. I think we want something very different from what the U. S. Chamber is offering. Let’s see.
Among other delusional traits typically associated with liberal megalomaniacs like King is an overwhelming desire to appear untainted and “above the fray” without so much as a modicum of compunction wrinkling his smiling countenance. King’s dismal record speaks volumes to those who remember, or are willing to search the record. Propelled by occasional gusts of flatulence and delusion, this mildewed remnant o f average intellect has found comfort in deceiving Mainers for far to long: his defeat in November will be most welcomed.
I think you’re the delusional one.
Talk about delusional flatus.
Summers is in bed with Lepage, if that isn’t an image that turns your stomach you must be a pinky tea drinker.
Whoever the US Chamber supports, you can bet they’re a bad choice for all but the rich and powerful.
I’ve seen the anti-US Chamber of Commerce, aka “Chamber of Horrors,” anti King ad, it’s weak cheese produced by out of touch wingnuts.
The US Chamber of Commerce is nothing more then a front of the Tea Republican Radicals. Maybe 30 to 40 years ago they cared about US Corporations and trade, but now they are nothing more than Political Hacks and Cronies for the Tea Party. GO Angus !
Please, like the people of Maine care what the country’s biggest lobbying group has to say.
Angus King is an “Independent” in name only. Short term memory or no
memory @ all for many I think. He was a life long liberal D until he took a look
@ the political landscape, knew he couldn’t beat Brennan in the ’94 primary,
& changed his party affiliation. Mainah’s love the “independent” label.
Witness James Longley 20 years prior to “the King.” This guy is an opportunist
& he’s living proof that Abraham Lincoln was right, indeed “you can fool
some of the people all of the time.” Not good, because the fools decide
elections for the rest of us & our children…