Unions are dusting off a go-to play from their political playbook, hitting congressman Roy Blunt for his refusal to approve minimum wage increases over the years.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has forked over $700,000 to pay for ads that paint paint Blunt as enemy to the common man, the Hill reports. But Blunt is crying foul, and some broadcasters have already pulled the ads, apparently because the union's wording wasn't entirely accurate. (Do political ads have to be accurate? When did they add that rule?)
A union spokesman told the Hill that the ad is running in 200 markets across the state. "He's been in Washington for 14 years, and he gets paid a $170,000 every
year," the ad claims. "So, he's pocketed a
couple of million dollars since he went to Washington ... But when he had a chance to raise the minimum wage, Congressman
Blunt voted no. ... He's really out of touch."
The trouble is, congress can't vote to give themselves pay increases; they can only vote against them. Otherwise, they're automatic. And the House actually did vote earlier this year to freeze members' pay -- with only Democrats voting against the wage freeze.
So, yeah, the ad was a little slippery -- and unnecessarily so, since just telling people that he voted down the minimum wage increases while pulling $170,000 a year probably would have achieved the same outrage.
Blunt is asking stations to pull the ad, and says one station -- in Springfield -- already has.
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