State - AdWatch Cox ad chides Hoekstra for bank bailout

TITLE: "Blueprint" LENGTH: 30 seconds. AIRING: Statewide on broadcast and cable stations, except in the Detroit area. SCRIPT: Announcer: "Congressman Hoekstra follows the big government blueprint. "He voted for the Wall Street bailout and grew the budget by a trillion dollars, even funding a lobster institute. "Hoekstra gave Congress more money to spend, expanding our debt limit an additional five trillion (dollars), then he pushed a multibillion-dollar tax hike. "As attorney general, Mike Cox did more with less, cutting his office personnel even as workload increased. "Tough enough to lead Michigan. Mike Cox for governor." KEY IMAGES: The attorney general's ad repeats the theme of the first ad he ran last week, showing blue images on a blue background, this time starting with the words, "Hoekstra's big government blueprint" and the U.S. Capitol dome. The Capitol shifts to the side and the ad shows the words, "Taxpayers" and "$850 billion bailout." It next shows a lobster rotating atop a building and the words, "$200,000 to a lobster institute." The ad returns to the outline of the Capitol dome and the words, "Debt limit $7 trillion," with the number ratcheting up through "$8 trillion," "$9 trillion," "$10 trillion" and ending with "$11 trillion." The words "Hoekstra pushes tax hike" then flash on the screen. The image switches to color video of Cox speaking and working at his desk, with the words, "Cutting wasteful spending." It ends with him standing with his arms crossed, as his first ad did. ANALYSIS: Cox's latest ad continues to criticize Hoekstra's congressional votes for issues that have proven to be unpopular with voters, including the bailout of Wall Street banks and expensive earmarks. Hoekstra has gotten the largest share of votes in the five-way GOP race in recent polls and Cox is attempting to undermine him with primary voters by questioning his record as a fiscal conservative. Hoekstra has voted for appropriations bills that included many earmarked projects, but the popular Fox News guest has consistently been ranked by conservative and anti-tax groups as among the lawmakers most in line with their thinking. He recently got an 85 percent rating from the anti-tax group Club for Growth -- the highest percentage of any Michigan congressional member. Hoekstra was among many GOP congressional members who voted for the economic relief bill proposed by then-President George W. Bush, also a Republican, to shore up the financial industry. Cox is correct that Hoekstra said in 2005 he'd consider a temporary tax hike to help pare down the federal budget deficit. The idea didn't get very far, and the money would have gone toward cutting the deficit, not more spending. Cox has seen the amount of his budget paid for by the general fund fluctuate while he has been in office, going from $29.6 million in fiscal 2003 to $32.3 million in fiscal year 2006, then down to $28.8 million in the current year, so he has had to trim 100 staff members and make other adjustments. But when all funds are taken into account, the attorney general's annual budget is 44 percent larger this year than when he took office in 2003, in part because many of the assistant attorney generals are funded with restricted funds from other departments and salary and benefit costs have risen. The ad repeats that Cox is "tough," which could help challenge ads by GOP candidate Rick Snyder that say the businessman is "one tough nerd." Cox again takes a risk in running an attack ad before voters know much about him, making it harder for him to be seen in a positive light. Political watchers will be looking to the next polls to see if the tactic is working against Hoekstra or backfiring on Cox. Published: Thu, May 20, 2010

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