Herschensohn Ad Targets Boxer on Gulf War Resolution

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn continues on the offensive with a new television commercial attacking Democratic opponent Barbara Boxer. The 30-second spot reiterates Herschensohn’s criticism of Boxer’s use of congressional perks and her spotty attendance record. It opens a new battlefront, calling into question her judgment in the days leading up to last year’s Persian Gulf War.

THE AD: The screen fills with a list of already-familiar Herschensohn complaints about Boxer, as a woman announcer ticks them off: “You heard about Barbara Boxer bouncing 143 checks, voting herself a 40% pay raise in a recession and then skipping work.”

The announcer adds ominously, “But there’s even more.”

Against the backdrop of a report by the National Taxpayers Union and other text, the announcer says: “She sponsored $900 million a day in new spending to double the deficit. She proposes a 70% tax increase on Social Security benefits.”

Finally, with a copy of the bill in the background, the announcer finishes: “She even authored a resolution to disclose our military secrets to Congress on the eve of Desert Storm, a proposal so ridiculous it lost by 390 to zero .

“Boxer’s way out of step with California.”

THE ANALYSIS: Boxer has already responded to some of the criticisms: She voted for the pay raise because it was linked to banning honorariums, and her attendance in Congress began to suffer only when she began campaigning for the Senate.

As for the spending, Boxer’s staff disputes the $900-million figure because the National Taxpayers Union report counts bills that Boxer co-sponsored at some point, not the ones she ultimately voted for. Consequently, votes that cut spending are not figured in.

Similarly, the proposal to raise taxes on Social Security benefits is one element of one of three health care reform bills that Boxer has co-sponsored. She does not support all provisions of the three bills, campaign manager Rose Kapolczynski said, and “does not necessarily” think raising taxes on Social Security benefits is the best way to finance health care reform. The bill that would raise taxes, Kapolczynski says, also stipulates that people earning less than $25,000 would not be taxed.

“He knows he’s vulnerable on Social Security,” Kapolczynski said, referring to Herschensohn’s statements in favor of privatizing the benefits system.

Finally, the “military secrets” resolution that Boxer introduced would have required the President to inform Congress of anticipated battlefield casualties in the Gulf War and to identify potential targets of Iraqi terrorism. Kapolczynski said it was “really a distortion” to claim that Boxer wanted to reveal military secrets since the information would have been given to Congress and not the public.

A compromise resolution was eventually written, which Boxer supported. Consequently, she did not vote for the original resolution.