Mike Sodrel's congressional campaign is threatening to sue GOP primary opponent Todd Young for defamation over Young's campaign commercials. It's the latest development in what appears to be a competitive primary in the fight to choose who will challenge Democrat Baron Hill in the fall.
Sodrel news release:
Todd Young Continues Deceptive Advertising
Jeffersonville, IN- We informed the Friends of Todd Young Campaign Tuesday afternoon that we would sue them for defamation if their deliberate, deceptive, and negative ad is not withdrawn by the end of day.
Too often politics has become the art of professional deception. Initially, we were willing to concede that the gross misstatement of Mike's record could be the result of inexperience or misinformation.
However, when Mr. Young is informed that the ad is grossly exaggerated and he continues to air it, such action is obviously deliberate. This all is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter of record.
The ad says in part, "Mike Sodrel not only voted for 23,000 earmarks in one term alone...," which is patently false. Here are the facts. According to the Office of Management and Budget, the "earmarking continued virtually unabated during the ten-year period that ended in 2005" (emphasis added).
Mike took the oath of office in 2005. According to Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the number of earmarks were reduced each year Mike was in Congress saving the taxpayer billions of dollars.
CAGW reported in FY2007 the number of earmarks were further reduced to 2,658--a seventy-three percent reduction. The taxpayer saw a fifty-five percent drop in earmark expenditures-- over $15 billion.
Someone must bring a semblance of truth to political advertising. Television and radio stations will not take them down, even if they are untrue.
The tag line, "I'm Todd Young, and I approve this message" makes him responsible for the content. We are going to hold every opponent responsible beginning with Mr. Young.
