As Carl DeMaio attempts to change the story going into tonight’s first debate after a brutal stretch of negative press coverage, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is providing a debate viewing guide to what debate watchers will likely hear from DeMaio: his favorite – discredited – false claims and exaggerations.
FALSE CLAIM #1: Carl DeMaio Stands Up to the Extremists in His Party
DeMaio Compared Himself To Senator Ted Cruz On First Day Of Government Shutdown. In 2013, while speaking at the San Diego Lions Club, DeMaio compared himself to Senator Ted Cruz in explaining how he would be able to change Washington as a junior congressman. “Take a look at what Ted Cruz is doing. Freshman Senator, he’s certainly creating a lot of stir. So I do believe one individual can make a difference. And it’s a question of whether you are willing to stand your ground.” [San Diego Lions Club Video 4, 10/1/13]
House Republicans Credit Ted Cruz for Government Shutdown. “House Republicans give one person the most credit for bringing Congress to its current standoff over funding for the federal government: Ted Cruz […] Many lawmakers said they would have been here had it not been for the junior Senator from Texas.” [Huffington Post, 9/29/13]
DeMaio Called the Tea Party the “Conscience” of Government Reform and Assured he would “Owe” them “Everything.” In 2011, speaking at a gathering of Tea Party members, DeMaio called the Tea Party the “conscience of the accountable government movement” and assured them that he would “owe you [the Tea Party] and our collective movement everything.” [San Diego Tea Party event, 12/14/11, 13:45]
Called the Ryan Plan a “Decent Start” and Said it Contained Some “Good Ideas.” In 2013, DeMaio praised Paul Ryan’s budget plan, calling it a “decent start” that contained “good ideas.” “People have said what do you think about Paul Ryan’s budget…“It’s a decent start. There are some good ideas in it. I want people to talk about the DeMaio budget in a year or two.” [Temple Adat Shalom Men’s Club, 9/15/13; The Hill,12/12/13]
Accepted $26,500 from Tea Party Leaders in Congress. From 2013 to 2014, DeMaio accepted $26,500 from Tea Party Leaders in Congress, including $3,000 from Rep. Tom Price, $2,000 from Rep. Tom McClintock, $1,000 from Rep. Lynn Jenkins, $7,500 from Rep. Ed Royce, $10,000 from Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi, $2,000 from Rep. Pete Sessions, and $1,000 from Rep. Steve Scalise. [FEC, 8/07/13, 1/31/14, 7/15/14]
FALSE CLAIM #2: Carl DeMaio Has Fought to Cut Wasteful Spending and Saved San Diego Taxpayers’ Dollars
DeMaio Gave Staff Members $35,000 In Pay Raises While Pushing Cuts To Firefighter Pay. From 2008-2010, DeMaio gave three staff members pay raises that totaled approximately $35,000. The pay increases were revealed in a report released by the San Diego Firefighters Union after DeMaio criticized pay rate for firefighters who were trained as emergency medical technicians. DeMaio referred to the pay rate as a “dubious bonus.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/21/10, 10/22/10]
DeMaio Sent More Mailers Than The Entire City Council Combined, Wasted Nearly $32,000. In 2009, after his first year in office, DeMaio spent $31,740 in taxpayer money on 50,851 mail invitations for 11 town-hall events. The mailers were invitations to town-hall meetings DeMaio held on city issues, including water conservation and public safety. The 50,851 mailers sent by DeMaio was 45 times more than mailers sent by the entire city council combined. [San Diego Union Tribune,1/31/10]
FALSE CLAIM #3: Carl DeMaio is a “New Generation Republican” Who Will Bring Both Sides Together
Headline: “’He’s Been A Flamethrower’: Gay GOPer Irks Both Left And Right” [Talking Points Memo, 7/16/14]
Headline: “Frye Calls DeMaio a ‘Political Sociopath’: VOSD Radio” [Voice of San Diego,2/13/12]
Union-Tribune: DeMaio is “Too Polarizing” And Would “Leave Behind a Divisive Legacy.” In 2012, the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that DeMaio was “too polarizing” and that his defeat in the mayoral election “means that DeMaio will leave behind a divisive legacy.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 11/08/12]
DeMaio Was The Lone Dissenting Vote On The City Council 102 Times In His 4-Year Tenure. From 2008-2012, DeMaio was the lone dissenting vote on the San Diego City Council 102 times. [City Council Minutes, 2008-2012]
FALSE CLAIM #4: Carl DeMaio Will Bring Fresh Ideas to Washington
Headline: California Republican Appears to Plagiarize to Make Case Against Opponent[National Journal,5/12/14]
Headline: Not the First Time DeMaio’s Been Accused of Borrowing ‘Right Down to the Color Scheme’ [Voice of San Diego, 5/12/14]
FALSE CLAIM #5: Carl DeMaio Has Taken on the Big Issues
Refused to Take Pay Cut during Budget Crisis, City Employees Took 6-Percent Pay Cut. In 2009, city employees’ pay was reduced by 6-percent. Although City Council members and their staff were exempt from the pay cut, Mayor Jerry Sanders urged members to “lead by example” and take the same cuts imposed on nearly 10,000 city employees. The pay reduction was instated to close an $83 million budget deficit. DeMaio said he would not take a pay cut because he never accepted a city pension, which, he claimed amounted to an 18 percent cut in overall compensation. DeMaio said he would shield his staff from the pay cut as well because they were hired at a lower pay rate than their predecessors. [San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/17/09]
San Diego Union-Tribune: Critics say DeMaio Employs “Revisionist History.” “Critics say one of DeMaio’s biggest sins is the revisionist history he applies to his role in the fiscal crisis. He didn’t uncover or blow the whistle on the pension underfunding deal that began a decade of scandal at City Hall. That credit belongs to former pension board member Diann Shipione, who endured an onslaught of criticism from city leaders and power brokers for speaking out in 2002.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/27/12]