As avid readers of this blog know, I am not a big fan of reproducing canned press releases up onto this site (though I personally receive over 100 press releases each and every day from various candidates and causes).
Every once in a while, though, I get one that is noteworthy. Usually it is NOT because of the "content" of the release, but because it represents something novel in political tactics. So I am passing this one along which happens to be from the Schwarzenegger campaign and it is about Phil Angelides making claims that don’t bear out when you check the facts.
Check it out — kudos to whomever at TeamArnold thought up this one!
Of course, while you are reading it, you may as well wonder what other lies Angelides is out there spinning. This at a time when he Angelides is trying to say that his opponent is a liar — right. Look in the mirror, Phil!
(Sorry for the awkward formatting on some of the links below — moving the release to the FR format was not flawless.)
Facts On Phil: LexisNexis – "No Documents Found"
"Yesterday, Phil Angelides told a reporter that he was the ‘only Democrat’ who stood up to Gray Davis while college tuition fees skyrocketed 40-60 percent in 2003.
"There’s absolutely no public record of him doing that.
"What’s more, there is clear public record of other Democrats protesting fee increases.
"Watch the clip below from
— Matt David, Californians for Schwarzenegger Spokesman
WATCH Phil Angelides Falsely Claim He Was The "Only Democrat" To Stand Up To
· KNBC-TV: "But There’s No Record Of Angelides Attending Any Anti-Fee Hike Rallies Back Then." REPORTER: “… that back when former Governor Gray Davis raised tuition by 40 percent, the State Treasurer was silent – a claim Mr. Angelides disputes.” ANGELIDES: “In 2003 I was the only Democrat who stood up, and I said to Gray Davis the last thing we ought to do is cut back on education.” REPORTER: “But there’s no record of Angelides attending any anti-fee hike rallies back then, such as this one held by Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, also a Democrat, at LA City College.” (KNBC’s “Evening News,” 10/10/06)
In Five Years Of Angelides’ Policy Goals And Initiatives As Treasurer, The Word "Tuition" Appeared Only Once.
· The word "tuition" does not appear anywhere in his official 2003 Policy Goals and Initiatives: http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/policy/2003policygoals.pdf
· It appears once in his 2002 Policy Goals and Initiatives: http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/policy/2002policygoals.pdf
· It is nowhere in his 2001 Policy Goals and Initiatives: http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/policy/2001policygoals.pdf
· No references to "tuition" in 2000: http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/policy/2000policygoals.pdf
· Nowhere in his inaugural year as Treasurer in 1999: http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/policy/1999policygoals.pdf
Our Search Of 2003 News Clips Turned Up Not A Single Reference To Angelides And Tuition Increases. "No Documents Found! No documents were found for your search terms: ‘Angelides AND tuition w/20 increases AND date aft 12/2002 AND date bef 1/2004.’" (LexisNexis News Archive Search, www.lexis.com, Accessed 10/11/06)