Candidates tweak ad campaigns -- Wording of attack messages by Bryant, Corker changed

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 8/1/6 | TOM HUMPHREY

[SmithL]

Ed Bryant and Bob Corker have revised attack advertising after questions arose over the truthfulness of earlier versions, though both continue to insist as Thursday's election approaches that they have done nothing wrong.

Van Hilleary, the third major candidate in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, told a news conference Monday that Corker ads remain "devoid of honesty and integrity" and unfairly lump him and Bryant together.

One of the revised Corker attack ads, aired for the first time Monday, continues to paint Bryant and Hilleary as "ineffective congressmen" who are "making personal attacks" on the wealthy businessman and former Chattanooga mayor.

The other targets only Bryant, although it uses similar language. It is being aired only in West Tennessee, which polling suggests is Bryant's strongest geographic area.

Neither of the new Corker ads mentions that Bryant and Hilleary, both former congressmen, voted to raise their own pay. Tennessee media had questioned the validity of that contention, and www.factcheck.org, a non-partisan group that reviews campaign advertising, called it "grossly misleading."

That marked the second step back from the original pay raise claim by Corker. The original version simply said the two congressmen voted to raise their own pay. The first change added language to say "the press" had characterized a vote in question as one to raise their own pay.

Corker, at a Franklin news conference, said he was "amazed" that advertising had become the focus of the campaign in its waning days. At the same time, he said all his ads mentioning Hilleary or Bryant, including prior versions claiming a congressional pay raise, were fair "contrast ads."

"We felt that here, at the end of the campaign, it was most important to show how various organizations and outlets have been critical of the fairness and accuracy of our opponents' ads," said Ben Mitchell, Corker's campaign manager, when asked the reason for the pay raise omission.

Bryant, meanwhile, had been criticized by www.factcheck.org for an ad that said Corker "avoided" paying taxes in two years. It declared that without evidence to show Corker had taxes due in the years in question, "we must judge (Bryant's) ad to be false." In essence, the group said that if no tax was due then none was avoided.

Bryant stopped airing the criticized ad over the weekend, substituting a new version that contains no reference to Corker not paying federal income taxes in two years.

In a statement, Bryant said "an examination of the record clearly indicates that Bob Corker has twice used loopholes in the tax code to lower his taxable income to zero" and that it is "a fair extension of logic" to make the statement used in his ad.

"Regrettably, however, this was one of those times in campaign politics where there is not enough time in a 30-second TV ad to adequately explain the way" that Corker "used loopholes in an effort to avoid paying income taxes," Bryant said.

Bryant also criticized the new Corker ad for "twisting the facts beyond recognition and leaving out crucial parts of his own record."

* * *

Hilleary, at a Nashville news conference, also focused on advertising - Corker's in particular. He said of Bryant's ads, "I've seen nothing he's put up that's been dishonest," including the matter of Corker not paying taxes.

"You cannot buy integrity and honor with a $2 million check," said Hilleary, referring to Corker putting more than $2 million in personal funds into his campaign coffers.

Hilleary said Corker, though a solid frontrunner in most polls, has been losing ground and the attack ads are an attempt to stop that trend.

"I think he's sinking like a rocket ship," said Hilleary.

When a reporter pointed out that rockets typically rise, Hilleary replied "good point" and said the Corker campaign was "sinking like a rock" or "like a rocket ship going down."

Corker, at his news conference, sought to characterize Hilleary's remarks as those of a desperate or losing candidate.

"The only thing missing was the Howard Dean scream," he said.

* * *

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Bryson on Monday released a list of 38 members of the state House Republican Caucus who are backing his candidacy in advance of Thursday's election.

They included House Republican Leader Bill Dunn of Knoxville, who called Bryson "a leader on the social and economic issues that matter most to Tennesseans."

Only six GOP House caucus members were missing from the list. They were Reps. Tre Hargett, R-Bartlett; Mike Harrison, R-Rogersville; Russell Johnson, R-Loudon; Bob McKee, R-Athens; and Dennis "Coach" Roach, R-Rutledge.

[PDR]

this negative this late ??? -- corker's internals may be telling him some bad news

[cpanter]

Van Hilleary should have said he is going down like a North Korean rocket. It would have been funnier.

Regardless, Van's rocket should have been grounded about 3 weeks ago.

[Coldwater Creek]

That is exactly what my husband said this morning when we first heard Corkers new ads.

Exit polling at early voting sites may indicate that despite the endless ads on West Tenn. radio and TV we are not going to vote for Corker in the primaries.

[secret garden]

I got my vote in for Bryant. No line, no waiting here in Williamson County. I voted no for every SC judge. They said they were busy all day at my precinct. I had a phone call inviting me to a breakfast with Bredesen tomorrow. Funniest message I've had all week!