Ad Watch: Group backing McClintock bashes rival Ose as a liberal

The conservative Club for Growth was an early supporter of state Sen. Tom McClintock in his bid for the Republican nomination to succeed Rep. John Doolittle in the 4th Congressional District. This week the club's political action committee began radio and television ads in an independent campaign against the Thousand Oaks Republican's opponent, former Rep. Doug Ose. Following is the television ad's text and an analysis by David Whitney of The Bee's Washington Bureau:

•ANNOUNCER: Doug Ose has lots of ads, but they leave out several pieces of the puzzle.

Ose had a really liberal record in Congress. He voted to waste billions on pork projects like indoor rain forests in Iowa, peanut competitiveness and the cowgirl hall of fame.

Ose even voted for a Democrat budget and huge new entitlement spending.

Doug Ose – a lot more liberal than he wants you to think.

Club for Growth PAC is responsible for the content of this advertising.

•ANALYSIS: The ad's theme is familiar to anyone in the Sacramento area with a television: Doug Ose is a liberal.

It suggests Ose backed specific money-wasting earmarks while in the House. While Ose's voting record leaned to the GOP's moderate wing, the votes highlighted here aren't good examples.

Only one of the votes was an up-or-down vote on a program – a 1999 amendment to eliminate $300,000 for the peanut competitiveness center. On that one, Ose stood with the majority of his party in upholding the spending.

Spending for the other programs was embedded in compromise year-end bills that could not be amended. They passed with strong Republican support.

The budget vote was on an amendment offered on behalf of the House Blue Dog Coalition, an organization of fiscally conservative Democrats. It would have stopped the practice of propping up spending by tapping the Social Security surplus. It also would have allocated half the federal surplus in the last years of the Clinton administration to debt reduction and the other half equally between tax cuts and high-priority spending, such as defense programs. Many Republicans wanted more tax cuts. The budget measure was defeated, with Ose one of only 26 Republicans in favor.

The Club for Growth is well known to 4th District Republicans. Its report last year on Doolittle's voting record on earmarks began a cascade of GOP defections, contributing to his decision in January to retire at the end of the year.

Unlike McClintock, Ose refuses to sign a pledge not to seek earmarks – funding for specific local projects – if returned to Congress, saying that full disclosure and other reforms are better.

About the writer:

• Call David Whitney, McClatchy Washington Bureau, (202) 383-0004.