Larsen Caught Telling Another Whopper
Press Release
Those who watched the Koster/Larsen debate on KING TV 5 Up Front over the Labor Day weekend or read Rick Larsen's Sept. 3 press release, were witness to yet another dishonest attack on John Koster. This time, Larsen (employing the same tactic as other congressional tax and spenders) intentionally misrepresents the language of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and the meaning behind it.
During the KING 5 debate and in his press release, Larsen accuses Koster of signing a pledge to give tax breaks to companies who send jobs overseas. In truth, the pledge that Koster signed was authored by an organization (Americans for Taxpayer Reform) dedicated to protecting the American people from tax hikes. By signing the pledge, candidates and elected officials put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing.
"Anyone that reads the language of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge will plainly see that the purpose of signing is to oppose efforts to raise taxes," said Koster. "Rick knows this yet he continues to mislead those who still listen to him, Koster continued. "While I find Larsen's misrepresentations during this campaign to be disturbing at best, equally so are his comments equating lower taxes with "sending American jobs overseas."
"Unlike Rick Larsen, I have pledged to the people of Washington that I won't reach into their pockets to pay for more government spending. If Larsen wants to have a debate on the wisdom of raising taxes during the most devastating recession in generations, I'm happy to have it. By attacking my promise to cut taxes, cut spending, and get the country back on track, Larsen is telling voters that he's planning to do the exact opposite - and drive the country further down the road to bankruptcy."
Link to FACTCHECK.ORG to learn more about false attacks on those who sign the anti-tax pledge
Link here to watch the entire Koster/Larsen debate featured during the second half of the KING 5 Up Front segment Initiative 1053: Making it tougher to raise taxes Watch host Robert Mak hold Rick Larsen accountable during the "fact check" at the conclusion of the 20 minute program.
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