Driehaus says Chabot is 'down and desperate' in new TV ad

The campaign of state Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Price Hill) is accusing U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Westwood) of being "down and desperate" in a new TV ad from the Chabot campaign in Ohio's 1st Congressional District.

The Driehaus camp is calling the Chabot ad a "desperate attempt to distract voters from his own record of voting to raid the Social Security trust fund." The Driehaus camp said the ad was "bizarre" and "misleading" in what they called its false claim that Driehaus wants to cut Medicare benefits.

The Driehaus camp said that as proof, the ad cites a University of Cincinnati student newspaper article that makes no mention of Medicare or Social Security, and a bill to expand the state children's health insurance program that was passed by the U.S. Congress and vetoed by President Bush in 2007.

The Driehaus campaign said that Driehaus is not a member of the U.S. Congress and has not taken a position on the particular piece of legislation cited, although Driehaus strongly supports expanding SCHIP.

Driehaus campaign manager Melissa Wideman said Chabot's attacks are getting more confused and desperate.

"His latest attack ad shows no regard for the truth or facts, hurling completely false claims against Steve Driehaus that are intended to scare seniors and distract from his own poor record on Social Security," Wideman said. "With this latest attack ad, Steve Chabot has stretched his credibility to the breaking point."

Wideman said that the facts were clear.

"Steve Driehaus has been a champion for seniors in the Ohio legislature and has never supported cutting Medicare or Social Security benefits," Wideman said. "Meanwhile, Steve Chabot has voted five times to raid the Social Security trust fund to pay for other out-of-control government spending. Despite his false accusations and negative attacks, Cincinnati voters are catching on that Steve Chabot has a history of saying one thing and doing another."

Driehaus' campaign said he has never supported cutting Medicare benefits for seniors.  The campaign said Driehaus has been an advocate for seniors, "working to lower their property taxes and reduce the cost of prescription drugs."

The Driehaus campaign touted his record in the state legislature:

"As the Democratic whip in the Ohio House of Representatives, Steve Driehaus built support for the Governor's Fiscal Year 2008-2009 budget that cut property taxes for Ohio's senior citizen and disabled homeowners.  The budget, which was became law in June 2007, expanded the Homestead Tax Exemption for seniors and the disabled, giving a tax cut to approximately one in four Ohio homeowners.

Driehaus also cosponsored legislation that set up a discount prescription drug program that lowered drug costs for millions of elderly and low-income Ohioans. The Ohio's Best Rx Program, which was signed into law in 2003, lowered drug bills between 25-40% for about 1.7 million Ohioans, many of them seniors."

The Driehaus camp also again hit Chabot on what they call his repeated support for "raiding the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for out-of-control government spending."

The Driehaus camp said Chabot told Gannett News Service in 2005 that private accounts were one of the keys to saving Social Security, and said he told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he favored privatization in 2002.

The Driehaus camp also criticized Chabot for his voting record in Congress:

"While Chabot's ad claims he's 'fought to... stop Congress from raiding the Social Security Trust Fund,' a check of his voting record shows that Steve Chabot has voted five times for budget resolutions that attempted to balance the federal budget by raiding the surplus in the Social Security Trust Fund:

• 2005: Chabot voted for both a budget conference report and a budget resolution that would spend $1.1 trillion of the Social Security Trust Fund over five years to pay for other government spending.  [H.C.R. 95, Vote 149 on 4/28/05 and vote 88 on 3/17/05]
• 2002: Chabot voted in favor of a budget that the President's own Office of Management and Budget said would spend 86 percent of the Social Security surplus over that fiscal year and the following five-year budget window (2002-2007).  [HCR 353, Vote 79, 3/20/2002]
• 2001: In 2001, Chabot voted twice in favor of a budget that called for using about $600 billion of the Social Security surplus to fund new privatized retirement accounts for stock market investment. [HCR 83, vote 70, 3/28/001 and vote 104, 5/09/2001]"

PolitickerOH.com is awaiting a more detailed response from the Chabot campaign. Spokesperson Katie Fox called the "raiding Social Security Trust Fund" claims "basically bogus."

TRANSCRIPT of Chabot Ad, provided by Driehaus camp: 

"Who wants to cut Medicare by $193 billion? Steve Driehaus.  (Onscreen: Driehaus cut Medicare by $193 billion)

Steve Driehaus supported legislation that would reduce patient choice and cut Medicare benefits by billions, hurting thousands of local seniors. (Onscreen: Driehaus supports reduced patient choice in Medicare)

If Driehaus has his way, there will be Medicare cuts and fewer choices for your healthcare. (Onscreen: Medicare cuts and fewer choices for health care.)

But Steve Chabot is on our side.  He's fought to protect Medicare, and stop Congress from raiding the Social Security Trust Fund. SC: "I'm Steve Chabot and I approve this message."