FactFinder 12: Tiahrt campaign ad "Palin/Tea Party endorsement"

June 29, 2010|By Michael Schwanke | FactFinder 12 Investigator

(WICHITA, Kan.) — Claim #1: “….which is why Todd Tiahrt was named a national tea party hero."

Fact. The Tea Party Express is backing Tiahrt. “We just thought he has been a champion for taxpayers and warranted our support,” says Tea Party Express spokesperson Sal Russo.

Watch the Entire Tiahrt Ad

Claim #2: "Sarah Palin endorses Tiahrt"

Fact. Palin calls Tiahrt a protector of our constitution, a pro-family, pro-second amendment, common sense conservative.

Claim #3: "…because he's not backing down on taxes, bailouts, or illegal immigration."

There's no direct claim in that statement so FactFinder 12 won’t label it fact or misleading, but here’s what we found:

Although Tiahrt has opposed bailouts, and the original “Cash for Clunkers” program, about a month later he did vote to re-direct money into the program.

Tiahrt’s campaign says he had a choice to either give the stimulus money to a “green jobs” program or “Cash for Clunkers.

"When Congress had the opportunity to transfer $2 billion from under the control of self-professed Communist Van Jones and President Obama's "green jobs" program to a program that was helping consumers, Todd Tiahrt voted to help consumers,” says Spokesperson Chuck Knapp.

In regard to his stance on immigration, Tiahrt did co-sponsor the "Dream Act" that would provide temporary amnesty for younger illegal immigrants and give them in-state tuition.

Tiahrt says he's now changed his position on that, and strongly opposes the act.

"His original thought was the Christian position was not to punish children for the acts of their parents. However, he listened to his constituents and realized the policy was actually an incentive for illegal immigration and unfair to the parents of U.S. Citizens,” says Knapp.

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