Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic challenger Roxanne Conlin both launched new television commercials today, their first in a couple of weeks.

Videos and transcripts are after the jump.

Latest 30-second ad called “Learn”:

My transcript:

Female voice-over: Senator Chuck Grassley has helped Iowans get by in these tough economic times. [screen shows Grassley with different people]

He authored the largest middle-class tax cut in a generation. [screen shows smiling family standing in front of their house, also words “GRASSLEY: LARGEST TAX CUT”]

Unidentified young man: For us.

Voice-over: He created the college tuition tax deduction when there was none. [screen shows college campus, also words “GRASSLEY: COLLEGE TUITION TAX DEDUCTION”]

Unidentified young woman: For us.

Voice-over: Provided tax relief for student loans. [screen shows footage of college students, also words “GRASSLEY: STUDENT LOAN INTEREST DEDUCTIBLE”]

Voice-over: And classroom supplies for teachers.

Second unidentified young woman: For us.

Voice-over: Grassley works… [screen shows Grassley putting on jacket, walking down street]

Child: For us.

Grassley: I’m Chuck Grassley, and I approved this message.

This commercial isn’t as big a spin job as the time Grassley portrayed the Medicare prescription drug benefit as a victory over pharmaceutical companies, but it’s close.

The 2009 stimulus Congressional Democrats passed (against Grassley’s wishes) was the biggest middle-class tax cut in history.

The George W. Bush tax cuts, which Grassley takes credit for in his new ad, benefited the highest income earners far more than middle-class families. Truth be told, lots of Americans didn’t get any benefit from the Bush tax cuts, because “because their income was so low they were not paying federal income taxes before the cuts. This number includes 15.1 million workers who are paying federal payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare.”

The tax cuts Grassley helped write accelerated the income gap, bringing income inequality to its highest point since the late 1920s. “[B]y 2007 the top 1% – the 1.5 million families earning more than $400,000 – reaped 24% of the nation’s income. The bottom 90% – the 136 million families below $110,000 – accounted for just 50%.”

Those Bush tax cuts also were the “largest contributor” to U.S. deficits that emerged after the surpluses of the late 1990s.

Roxanne Conlin’s campaign pointed out a few other problems with Grassley’s latest commercial:

“Senator Chuck Grassley has gone too far in his most recent television ad,” said Paulee Lipsman, Communications Director for U.S. Senate Candidate Roxanne Conlin.  “He is simply not being truthful with Iowans.  He wants to take credit for helping Iowans but not that he took away that help. The biggest whopper is that Grassley claims he offered the largest middle class tax cut in the generation,” noted Lipsman.  “What he actually did is offer the largest tax cut for the wealthiest taxpayers, a break he wants to continue for them.”

Here are the facts.

·         The Bush/Grassley tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 did next to nothing to help the average Iowan, and actually disproportionately benefitted the state’s and nation’s wealthiest taxpayers.  For example, with the 2003 tax cuts, the top 1% of wage earners in Iowa received a $47,021 tax cut while the bottom 60% got $390.  (Citizens for Tax Justice analysis, 6/13/03)

·         Grassley says he created the college tuition tax deduction.  What he did not say is that [he] actually voted to cut $12.7 million from college loans, the largest cut to the program in history.  This cut came in the final version of the 2005 budget reconciliation bill.  (Vote 363, 12/21/05)

·         Grassley says he provided tax relief for student loans.  What he actually did was eliminate that deduction, which allowed 3.6 million students and their families to deduct these college tuition costs.  This cut was in the 2006 tax reconciliation bill.  (Vote 118, 5/11/06)

·         Grassley says he provided tax relief for teachers who provide classroom supplies.  What he actually did was to remove this provision, which allowed 3.27 million teachers – including 33,812 Iowa teachers – to save $814 million through the deduction.  This too was in the 2006 tax reconciliation bill.  (Vote 118, 5/11/06)

“No wonder Senator Grassley refuses to debate,” said Lipsman.  “He wants to tell only part of the story via 30-second TV ads, rather than face up to all he has done in his 30 years in Washington.”

Conlin hasn’t been able to match Grassley’s advertising budget, but her campaign released a new ad today too:

My transcript:

Conlin: I’m Roxanne Conlin, and I approved this message.

Al Bode of Charles City, Iowa: My 88-year-old mother developed dementia and had to go into assisted living. [screen shows photo of Marge Bode]

The insurance company gave us the runaround, not answering phone calls, [screen shows tall buildings, “The Insurance Companies Refused to Pay for Marge Bode’s Long-term Care”

Bode back on screen: having us file paper after paper after paper. Their tactic is, if we can delay long enough, we won’t have to pay a cent. [screen shows photo from Bode family event]

We turned to Roxanne [screen shows footage of Conlin on the phone, words “Took on the insurance companies/Roxanne Conlin U.S. Senate”]

Bode back on screen: She went at it tooth and tongue, and she won.

Roxanne is a fighter. She has a deep concern for the citizens of Iowa. She could make a difference, and she did. [screen shows footage of Conlin with different people, also words “www.RoxanneforIowa.com and Roxanne Conlin U.S. Senate”]

I like this much better than Conlin’s first and second television commercials of the general election campaign. I wish she had raised enough money to start running this kind of ad months ago. Handicappers have moved Iowa’s Senate race back to “safe Republican” after the Des Moines Register’s Iowa poll showed Grassley way ahead, but the whole Democratic ticket would benefit from Conlin closing the gap to some extent.

Share any thoughts about the U.S. Senate race in this thread.