In Carl DeMaio’s first TV ad, he desperately tries to rewrite his well-documented record of being a divisive political opportunist who, if elected to Congress, would make life easier for special interests and the ultra-wealthy at the expense of middle-class San Diego families.
“Carl DeMaio made a lot of promises about taking on his party – but he didn’t mention how he would rubberstamp the Republican budget plan to give tax breaks to special interests and the ultra-wealthy while shifting the burden to the middle class. DeMaio claimed to be a problem solver – but didn’t acknowledge that San Diego knows him for being ‘divisive’ and a ‘flamethrower,’” said Tyrone Gayle of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “DeMaio pretends he’ll be ‘taking on big issues’ – but ignores the fact that he kept taking his paycheck during the budget crisis. The bottom line is that no matter how many times he calls himself a ‘reformer,’ Carl DeMaio’s divisive, damaging agenda is well-known and it’s not what California voters want in Washington.”
BACKGROUND:
ON “BEING A PROBLEM SOLVER”
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]
ON “NEVER BEING ABOUT A PARTY AGENDA”
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]
Tax Policy Center: Ryan Plan would Give Millionaires a Tax Cut of $265,000. According to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center, under the Ryan Plan, millionaires would receive a $265,000 tax cut: “TPC found that in 2015, relative to today’s tax system, those making $1 million or more would enjoy an average tax cut of $265,000 and see their after-tax income increase by 12.5 percent.” [Tax Policy Center, 3/23/12]
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]
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]
ON “TAKING ON 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]