On Friday, Americans for Tax Reform announced plans for a half million dollar ad buy in Georgia’s 12th Congressional District. Vying for the seat are Democrat incumbent John Barrow and Republican Lee Anderson. As a result of the ads, the Barrow campaign seems perplexed as to why Americans for Tax Reform got involved in the race. Here are the top four reasons:

1. Republican Lee Anderson is the only candidate in the race to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to Georgia voters. John Barrow refuses to make that same promise to oppose all net tax hikes in Washington. Barrow’s Democratic allies in Washington propose tax hikes on a daily basis, which is reason enough to have concerns for his re-election in November.
2. Democrat John Barrow refused to denounce a proven-false ad in the district. When the Democrat Super PAC Center Forward aired more than $300,000 in false television ads attacking Lee Anderson for signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to Georgia taxpayers, Barrow remained silent. Both the Georgia Republican Party and Americans for Tax Reform urged him to take action but instead, he stood silent as his allies did the bidding for him.
3. Tax and spend liberal Democrats count on John Barrow’s vote in Washington. Barrow voted for San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. Barrow voted for the failed $700 billion stimulus. Barrow voted against repealing Obamacare. Barrow cannot escape his party’s failed record even if he refuses to get truthful about his allegiance to the Democrat party.
4. John Barrow is not being truthful about his support for $700 billion in Medicare cuts. When given the opportunity to repeal Obamacare, John Barrow voted no. He voted to hit the middle class with a tax hike and keep the $716 billion in Medicare cuts in place. The Medicare cuts Barrow voted for amount to more than $1 billion in Georgia’s 12th District alone.

Americans for Tax Reform will be running two ads in the district. The first responds to Center Forward’s proven-false ad attacking Lee Anderson for signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and can be seen here:

The second ad, entitled “Wrong Prescription,” targets John Barrow for his refusal to preserve and protect Medicare. It can be seen here:

“John Barrow had more than enough time to denounce the proven-false claims being made against Lee Anderson on his behalf. Instead, he sat idly by as Democrat allies lied for him,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Perhaps even worse is this idea that Barrow is not someone who tax and spend liberals in Washington count on. From the failed stimulus to the refusal to vote in favor of repealing Obamacare, Barrow has voted against the interests of Georgia for too long.”

Posted by Paul Blair on Monday, October 15, 2012 4:31 PM EDT

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