House GOP smears military veterans as anti-American in new attack ads

Today’s Republican party isn’t exactly known for its civility or honesty — but if you thought the GOP couldn’t sink any lower, think again.

Apparently fearing an electoral bloodbath in November, House Republicans have released a series of ads attacking their Democratic opponents — many of whom happen to be military veterans and former intelligence officers — by questioning their patriotism, smearing them as anti-American, and even falsely labeling them as terrorist sympathizers.

The ads are funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Congressional Leadership Fund, Politico reports.

In one ad, Republicans slam House candidate Jason Crow — a Colorado Democratic candidate who received a Bronze Star for heroism in the Iraq war and an award for being a “lawyer of the year” for his veterans advocacy work — by falsely claiming he “neglected” Colorado veterans.

Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA operative who risked her life fighting terrorists, is targeted in another attack ad. Citing the fact that she once taught at a school where two terrorists once attended, the GOP falsely accuses the nearly 10-year CIA veteran of being a terrorist sympathizer.

Several other ads target military veterans, calling their patriotism into question based on deceptive insinuations and, in some cases, patently false claims about the candidate. As Politico describes:

West Virginia Republican candidate Carol Miller ran a clip of her Democratic rival, Richard Ojeda, saying “the United States of America is not the greatest country.” One vet in the spot accuses Ojeda, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, of “stepping on the graves of every dead soldier.”

 

What Ojeda actually said is that U.S. isn’t the greatest country because homelessness is rampant, the health care system is lacking and the opioid epidemic has been allowed to fester. Ojeda issued his own ad in response, talking about the names of fallen soldiers tattooed his back.

[…]

In New York, Republicans have accused Democratic hopeful Antonio Delgado of “attacking our democracy” because the former rapper once sung about finding peace in the Middle East. In the years-old anti-war jam, Delgado, who went on to graduate from Harvard Law School and become a Rhodes Scholar, says “God bless America, God bless Iraq, God bless us all.”

 

But an NRCC ad highlights only the “God bless Iraq” line.

The ads reflect the desperation of the Republican party as November approaches and a strong field of Democratic candidates threatens to take control of the House away from the dysfunctional GOP.

Many of the Democrats targeted in the ads are new to politics and come with a strong record of service, leaving Republicans scrambling to find something — anything — to use against them.

The GOP’s shameful attempt to maintain their death grip on power by taking aim at military veterans and former intelligence officials has drawn swift rebukes from clergy members, local radio stations and newspapers, and even former Republican House members, Politico reports.

If Republicans had any shame, this would be the time to show it.

Instead, they’ve chosen to take a page from the Trump playbook, hurling racist smears, deceptively edited footage, and outright falsehoods in the general direction of voters, apparently hoping something will stick.

Unfortunately for Republicans, most voters are looking for more than outrage when they go to the polls — which explains why so many voters are looking away from the Republican party.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.