With the primary next week, many campaign commericals have been running on TV in Michigan.
One local group is working to make sure citizens get the truth in these ads.
It's called the Michigan Truth Squad. For the next week and throughout the campaign they will choose an ad a day and analyze each asserstion made in the ad. The truth squad will fact check it and offer some background to its legitmicay. Their goal is to offer more knowledge to the average citizen about these campaign ads that many times stretch the truth.
Monday's chosen ad was from Restore our Future, targeting Rick Santorum's spending and voting record.
The ad says, "Rick Santorum voted to raise the debt limit 5 times and voted for billions in wasteful projects."
The Michigan Truth Sqaud says he did in fact vote five times to raise the debt ceiling between 1997 and 2006, but until recently, votes to actually raise the debt limit were strictly routine and those earmarks for projects, the Truth Sqaud points out actually account for less than 1/3 of one percent of the federal budget.
Whether those earmarks were watseful or not is up to the voter.
The ad went on to say, "Santorum even voted to raise his own pay and let convicted felons vote."
The Truth Squad found that when it comes to raising his own pay Congress passed an amendment for annual increase and Santorum voted against bills that would have stopped those automatic increases from going into effect.
The Michigan Truth Squad says Santorum did vote to allow felons to vote, it was an amendment that would have allowed convicted felons to vote if they completed their prison term and were not on parole.
Again, the Truth Squad's goal is to offer just a little more background for voters. The Michigan Truth Squad says they gave this particular ad a "foul" rating, meaning it distorts the facts involving policy.
The group says it oversimplifies the critical but complex issues of spending and debt and instead goes after gimmicky or misleading targets like the bridge to nowhere.
To find out more about the truth squad click here.
