Nobody has ever accused FreedomWorks of performing quality research.
Now, FreedomWorks, a special interest group advocating extreme privatization and unlimited free trade, has accidentally admitted that the candidate they have been attacking in the 12th District wants to preserve Social Security while his opponent, who they support, wants to privatize it. Oops!
Throughout this election cycle, FreedomWorks has been a key supporter of Congressional candidate Keith Rothfus. The group funds a website dedicated to tying Rothfus’s opponent, Congressman Mark Critz, to liberal ideas from outside the district.
The only problem is that FreedomWorks screwed up their messaging and accidentally admitted that Congressman Critz wants to preserve Social Security while his opponent, Keith Rothfus, wants to privatize it.
Apparently, FreedomWorks thought that the voters in PA-12 were all raging privateers—a horrible mistake given that the new 12th Congressional District is one of the oldest by average age in the nation.
Now FreedomWorks is trying to scrub the public record by editing their website and video by removing all references to Social Security. It seems that they finally got the message that it is not a good idea to advertise Keith Rothfus’s support for sending retirement funds to Wall Street (instead of keeping them on, say, Stanwix Street).
“FreedomWorks may have changed their attack website and video, but they cannot change the fact that Keith Rothfus wants to privatize Social Security and Medicare,” Critz spokesman Mike Mikus said.
“Keith Rothfus was caught red-handed last week when FreedomWorks – one the first groups to support him – attacked Mark Critz for opposing privatization of Social Security.”
Mikus challenged the Rothfus campaign to explain itself, saying that “if Keith Rothfus has any guts, he will come forward and tell the voters why he thinks it is a good idea to gamble seniors’ retirement income in the stock market,” Mikus added.
Here is the original video attacking Mark Critz for opposing Social Security privatization:
And here is the scrubbed version:
And in case you fall into the “screenshot or it didn’t happen” camp, click here for the link to a screenshot of FreedomWorks’ original website attacking Mark Critz for opposing Social Security privatization.
[Full Disclosure: I worked as a Research Associate for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in the 12th District over the summer.]
Critz is no great shakes, inasmuch as he learned pork barrel politics at the feet of Jack Murtha and brings nothing new or imaginative to the table. however, a TPer in charge of our congressional district would be a larger disaster. Nobody around here swings to the far right and would be inadequately represented by Mr. Rothfus.