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Rove group ad pits Clinton against Obama; Clinton denies it

Posted Nov 9, 2011 by William March

Updated Nov 9, 2011 at 01:49 PM

A new television ad airing in the Tampa Bay area attacking President Barack Obama, created by a political committee founded by Karl Rove, suggests former Pres. Bill Clinton opposes Presisdent Barack Obama’s jobs bill.

Clinton has denied that, saying the ad uses video edited to misrepresent his views.

The ad appears to show Clinton saying, “I personally don’t believe we ought to be raising taxes. It won’t solve the problem,” in reference to Obama’s new jobs bill, which includes higher taxes on the wealthy sometimes known as a “millionaire’s tax” or the Buffett Rule, referring to wealthy investor Warren Buffett, who favors such an approach. You can see the ad here.

In fact, the statements “I personally don’t believe we ought to be raising taxes” and “It won’t solve the problem” are several minutes apart in the actual interview with Clinton, who supports the jobs bill, he said in a news release from the Obama campaign today.

“The advertisement implies that I opposed the Buffett Rule,” the release quotes Clinton as saying.  “In fact, I support both the American Jobs Act and the Buffett Rule. I believe that it’s only fair to ask those of us in high-income groups—who have received the primary benefits of the last decade’s economic growth and the majority of its tax cuts as well—to contribute to solving our long term debt problem.

“What I did say was that the Buffett Rule cannot solve the problem alone. Reducing the debt requires three things: more economic growth, more spending cuts, and more revenue. Right now, the most important thing is to put America back to work.  That’s why I support the American Jobs Act.”

The ad, by Crossroads GPS, begins running today in the Tampa Bay, Orlando, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach and Ft. Myers-Naples media markets, with a $707,000 buy, part of a $2.6 million buy in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, according to a news release from Crossroads GPS.

Crossroads was formed by former George W. Bush political strategist Karl Rove and former Republican national chairman Ed Gillespie. In 2010, it spent some $120 million on electioneering, making it the biggest spender of any independent political group, and has pledged to double that in next year’s campaigns against Obama and Democrats in Congress.