Talks Social Security, Attack Ads, and Economic Recovery with WAFB

(click on image to see interview)

Bill Cassidy believes in having an open dialogue with American people about the challenges facing our nation.  Don Cazayoux and his liberal supporters in DC have spent close to $1 million to spread lies about Bill Cassidy’s position on Social Security.  In an interview on WAFB this morning, Bill Cassidy set the record straight.

Excerpt of remarks by Bill Cassidy on WAFB:

“I have never said I wanted to privatize Social Security, and if you don’t want to talk about issues, if you don’t want to talk about the fact that I am the pro-life, pro-Second Amendment candidate who supports John McCain; who is for lower taxes – who would actually vote for lower taxes instead of just talk about it – then you make up lies about other issues.”

(…)

“Don Cazayoux voted to put the State Retirement system in the Stock Market. Now, he voted for that, thinking it was a good idea – the State workers version of Social Security – but now he criticizes me because I point out that people have done that in the past as a way to improve the financial standing.

Now again, if you don’t want to talk about the fact that 70% of your contributions are from out of state; that you want to take away the workers’ right to a secret ballot, as Mr. Cazayoux does, then instead of talk about my positions – which is to let the workers have a secret ballot, lower taxes rather than raise them, strengthen Social Security and find a way to do it – then you attack me.”

Responds to “attack ads from Washington”

(Baton Rouge, LA): Bill Cassidy for Congress will begin airing a new television ad this week, featuring Governor Bobby Jindal.  Governor Jindal endorsed Bill Cassidy early in the race and hosted the first campaign fundraiser, but this is the first ad featuring the Governor.

According to a survey of likely voters taken October 22-23 by Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates, the race in Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District is a statistical dead-heat between incumbent Don Cazayoux and Republican challenger Bill Cassidy. In that poll, only 40.6% stated that they believed “Don Cazayoux has performed his job as Congressman well enough to deserve re-election”.

The ad by Governor Jindal responds to the attack ads from Don Cazayoux and his Washington DC supporters.

Chris Ingram, a spokesman for the Bill Cassidy campaign, issued the following statement:

“Governor Bobby Jindal has a proven record of reform, integrity, and conservative values that the voters of Louisiana know and trust.  The Governor was disturbed by the national Democrats’ misleading attack ads against Bill Cassidy, and he offered to help set the record straight. Congressman Cazayoux and Liberal Special Interests have spent a million dollars lying about Bill Cassidy, but the voters of Louisiana are tired of DC lies.”

Hiding from public forums, while using Special Interest Money to finance attacks

Yesterday, Rep. Cazayoux continued his refusal to attend public forums, while launching attack ads through TV and direct mail that lie about his opponents.  As reported in today’s Advocate, “Cazayoux said he could not attend the forum because he had already scheduled another event in advance.”  Earlier this week, after skipping another forum, Cazayoux’s campaign told the Baton Rouge Business Report, “it will be difficult to change our busy schedule to coordinate additional debates.”  Don Cazayoux has lied about Bill Cassidy’s position on Social Security, but does not defend his lies in public.  He refuses to attend a public forums where voters would have the chance to ask him about these lies or his own votes in Congress. 

His campaign has been contacted by all of the following civic groups, and Don Cazayoux has refused to attend:

·       AARP

·       League of Women’s Voters

·       West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce

·       People’s Voters League of Livingston Parish

·       LSU Student Government

·       Citizens for Highways and Infrastructure in Livingston Parish

·       Southern University

·       Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce

Chris Ingram, a spokesman for the Bill Cassidy campaign, issued the following statement:

“Don Cazayoux is hiding behind a curtain of lies woven with the money of Special Interests PACs in Washington, DC.  Cazayoux has only been a Congressman a few months and he is already avoiding the voters of Louisiana and financing his partisan attacks with out-of-state money.

 

Cazayoux’s hoping that if he spends enough money on a big enough lie, voters will believe it, but his DC consultants underestimate the intelligence of Louisiana voters.”

Cazayoux Rallies with Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gun-Control, Pro-Tax Congressman

At an Obama/Cazayoux Rally at Southern University, Don Cazayoux will stand on stage with a Congressman who is pro-abortion, pro-gun-control and pro-taxes to rally support for Obama who is pro-abortion, pro-gun-control, and pro-taxes.  In previous Obama/Cazayoux rallies, Cazayoux has told predominantly African-American audiences that he was, “proud to endorse Senator Barack Obama for President,” and that he supports Obama’s economic agenda to tax small businesses and “share the wealth” with those who don’t pay taxes.

Chris Ingram, a spokesman for the Bill Cassidy campaign, issued the following statement:

“Congressman Cazayoux says on TV that he is pro-life, pro-gun and wants lower taxes, but in his rally today Cazayoux will stand with the Congressman responsible for rounding up the votes for Nancy Pelosi’s pro-abortion, pro-gun-control and pro-tax agenda at a rally to support a candidate for President that the NRA said would be the “most anti-gun President in U.S. history.” 

Don Cazayoux has only been a Congressman for a few short months, but he is already showing voters that he says one thing in Louisiana and does something different when it is convenient. The voters of Louisiana are smart enough to know that a Congressman who is pro-life, pro-gun and wanted lower taxes would never support Barack Obama for President.”

 

From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Get ready for ‘change’ we haven’t seen since 1965, or 1933.

In both 1933 and 1965, liberal majorities imposed vast expansions of government that have never been repealed, and the current financial panic may give today’s left another pretext to return to those heydays of welfare-state liberalism. Americans voting for “change” should know they may get far more than they ever imagined.

When TV is Dominated by Special Interest Ads, Voters Deserve Straight Talk

With Special Interest Ads dominating the airwaves and attacking Bill Cassidy with lies, it is important that voters hear straight from their candidates for Congress.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is hoping to partner with WBRZ to host a debate.  Bill Cassidy’s campaign accepts the opportunity to discuss the issues and notified AARP today that Bill Cassidy would be happy to attend such a debate.

Rep. Don Cazayoux and his DC supporters have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in attack ads that lie to voters about Bill Cassidy. These ads lie about Bill Cassidy’s commitment to protect Social Security benefits; a promise Bill has consistently referred to as “a contract with the American people that must not be broken.”  In truth, it was Rep. Don Cazayoux who voted to increase the amount of state retirement money invested in the Stock Market[i].

Statement of Bill Cassidy:

I look forward to any opportunity to discuss the issues. I challenge my opponents, and the media, to find time for a televised debate.

Over 76% of Rep. Don Cazayoux’s campaign contributions in the last report came from Special Interests.  Voters deserve more than thirty second attack ads on TV.  It’s time they heard directly from us.

Bill Cassidy for Congress has released a new television ad that tells voters about his decades of service to the community as a Physisician, his service to the state’s taxpayers as a State Senator, and how he plans to serve the country in Congress.

Click below to watch the new ad, and send it to all your friends in Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District:

Bill Cassidy - Service

Gas isn’t cheap, but it seems that talk in DC is still a buck-a-gallon. When real solutions are needed, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are looking to water down real solutions and give up just enough in “compromise” to be able to claim they are doing something, without effectively doing anything. 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting on a “bipartisan compromise”, but unfortunately:

 ”the plan is a Democratic giveaway. New production on offshore federal lands is left to state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hurdles are huge. And the bill bars drilling within 50 miles of the coast — putting off limits some of the most productive areas. Alaska’s oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still a no-go.

The highlight is instead $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and federal handouts for alternative fuels and renewables. The Gang of 10 intends to pay for all this in part by raising taxes on . . . oil companies! The Sierra Club couldn’t have penned it better. “

When politicians are challenged in a tough re-election, you can always count on rhetoric during the campaign that doesn’t match their record. So, when you hear an incumbent talk about “compromise” on energy, red flags should go up and you should check the record.

Labor Day is weeks away, but the political attack season has begun.  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is nervous and they aren’t wasting any time.  The Advocate has reported on an attack ad by the DCCC that is being aired on the radio:

The ads, funded by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, say Cassidy stands with special interests, particularly drug companies.

“The special interests have their candidate. Don Cazayoux stands up for Louisiana,” the advertisement concludes.

Cassidy, a Baton Rouge doctor, said Friday the ads are hypocritical.

“If you look at the money Don has raised, $200,000 came from special interests in Washington, D.C.,” Cassidy said. “Ninety-nine point nine of the money I raised came out of Baton Rouge.”

(…)

Cassidy said he makes no apologies for going anywhere to advance research in Louisiana, to promote the LSU medical school, or to benefit the state’s patients. He said his only association with pharmaceutical companies for the last two years has been through research done at LSU, which has allowed patients’ access to medicine they otherwise would not have.

“If people criticize that, it gives you an idea of who those people are,” Cassidy said.

The Grassroots Know Better

A local blogger has taken a detailed look at the finance reports and breaks down where the money comes from:

if special interests have any candidate it’s Don Cazayoux.  As I wrote then, 73 percent of Cazayoux’s total contributions came from PACs.  Almost three out of every four dollars Don Cazayoux took in came from a special interest group.  How much PAC money for Bill Cassidy?  Zero.

But that’s not all.  Of Cazayoux’s itemized contributions (excluding PAC money) almost 40 percent came from outside Louisiana (with almost all of that coming from DC).  Cassidy on the other hand raised about 97 percent of his money inside Louisiana.

In total, Cazayoux raised $218,950 from special interests outside of Louisiana — 78 percent of his total.  Cassidy raised $4,500 outside of Louisiana — 2 percent of his total, and none of it came from anywhere near the Beltway.

So which candidate do you think belongs to the special interests?