It’s starting to feel like campaign season again.
Crossroads GPS, a conservative-aligned political group, is launching radio ads across the country this week targeting a dozen Democrats for scorn and tossing audio bouquets to 10 Republicans — including U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler — for their votes on the big budget-cutting bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month.
The ad campaigns began Wednesday and will run in the districts for a week at a cost of $375,000 nationwide. Crossroads GPS is not required to name its contributors under federal campaign disclosure laws.
Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, voted for the House budget, which would cut $61.5 billion from federal spending for the rest of this fiscal year. Among the cuts: Money for home heating for the poor, education and research, Planned Parenthood, public broadcasting and environmental protection. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
According to the Washington Post political website, The Fix, Crossroads GPS spent $95,000 earlier this month on radio ads in 19 Republican-held districts where the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had launched ads of its own attacking GOP members who voted for the cuts.
Meanwhile, the DCCC announced Wednesday that it was mounting its own campaign using automated phone calls, Web ads, live phone calls and e-mails in Herrera Beutler’s district to hold her accountable “for backing a partisan plan that makes the wrong budget choices.”
An excerpt from the text of the DCCC robocall:
“Everyone knows we need to cut spending and reduce the deficit in Washington. And we can do that by reforming government, cutting wasteful spending, and getting rid of taxpayer subsidies for the Big Oil companies making record profits.
“But instead, Representative Jamie Herrera Beutler voted for a partisan plan to raid $694 million from public education. Yep, Jamie Herrera Beutler voted to cut 10,000 teachers from the classroom and over 200,000 kids from early childhood education to pay for subsidies to Big Oil. Her priorities don’t make any sense.”
The automated calls encourage people to contact Herrera Beutler directly to let her know how they feel about her priorities.
Herrera Beutler defended her vote in a statement after the House voted for the Republican cuts Saturday, largely along party lines.
“Today marks an important step toward breaking the federal government’s addiction to spending, and restarting our economy,” she said. “My message has been consistent: Our massive national debt is a barrier to job creators and is harming residents of Southwest Washington seeking work.”
