In Case You Missed It: We Are Ohio Caught Lying

(Columbus) - Supporters of a YES vote on State Issue 2 responded today to recent independent media reports that found We Are Ohio's multi-million dollar television ad campaign to be deceptive.
• A new analysis by Politifact.com found We Are Ohio's ad regarding staffing levels for nurses to be "mostly false," noting the reforms of Issue 2 affects "only a tiny fraction of Ohio nurses are public employees" and "a listener knowing those critical facts would have a different impression of the claim." The Columbus Dispatch notes that even the nurse featured in the ad already works for a hospital facility that uses the staffing reforms in Issue 2, and "the group runs into a problem in that there’s nothing in Senate Bill 5 that mandates a reduction in staffing levels."

• Another analysis by Politifact.com finds that We Are Ohio lied about its claim that politicians "exploited a loophole exempting themselves" from the reforms of Issue 2, adding that, once again, the ad "leaves out important details that would give a different impression. Those details include that lawmakers have long been exempt from Ohio’s collective bargaining law, that they already pay the same percentages for medical and pension benefits as SB 5 would require and that their wage is set by statute."

• The Columbus Dispatch had to run a correction recently because of misleading information provided by a person featured in We Are Ohio's first television ad. Doug Stern, of Cincinnati, told the paper that as a Cincinnati employee he pays 20 percent toward his health-care premiums. The Dispatch had to clarify that Stern and other employees in his department actually "pay 5 percent of their health-insurance premiums." Stern also gave the same inaccurate information to the Youngstown Business Journal and the Toledo Blade.

"Opponents of Issue 2 will stop at nothing to deceive voters," said Jason Mauk, spokesman for Building a Better Ohio. "Unfortunately, they're now spending millions of dollars on misleading television ads, disparaging their own integrity and that of the thousands of honest government employees they represent. Ohioans deserve to make a decision based on honest facts, and it says a lot that Issue 2 opponents don't think they can win on the truth."

Typical of all politicians - half truths, lying outright or seriously misrepresenting facts without any context - is going on for both sides. In addition to the two things noted above that We Are Ohio got caught on being mostly false by politifact, a couple of groups on the opposite side have been caught also stretching the truth or misrepresenting facts.

Building a Better Ohio has put out a television ad that over 30 stations have pulled after learning that the group took a video with statements by a person who was against Issue 2 and through some creative editing made it appear she was in favor of voting for Issue 2. Another group, Alliance for America's Future has sent out mailings whose context try to lead people to believe that if Issue 2 fails we will have to pay 100% of public employee benefits - something that isn't even true now. Some areas the public employees are paying higher rates of their benefits plan than SB5 would enforce if enacted. Many however are currently paying less as well.

So basically what we have is politics as usual. Both sides saying pretty much whatever they can to get the "W" on election day, even if what they're saying isn't entirely true.