Don Young radio ad cites wrong group

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) recently released a radio ad touting his “Hero of the Taxpayer” award from Taxpayers for Common Sense.

One problem: The only award Young has received from the group is its “Golden Fleece” award. Young’s support for the $398 million “Bridge to Nowhere” in Ketchikan, Alaska won him that dubious honor in 2003.

{mosads}Young did receive a “Hero of the Taxpayer” award in 2007, but it was from Americans for Tax Reform, the conservative watchdog headed by Grover Norquist. That group gives the award to all House members and senators who score 85 percent or higher on the group’s congressional scorecard.

The Young campaign released a statement Friday promising to fix the radio spots immediately, saying it had mistakenly cited the wrong group.

Young’s spokesman Michael Anderson called the error an “honest mistake.”

Norquist told The Hill that Young is not eligible to receive his group’s honor in 2008 because of his vote for a new GI bill that pays for additional benefits to veterans with what Norquist said was a tax increase.

“You cannot get a ‘Hero of the Taxpayer’ award if you screw taxpayers,” Norquist told The Hill. “It is accurate that [Young] won the award in 2007. It is clear that he will not get it in 2008, and he has not mentioned to Alaskans that he broke his pledge in 2008.”

Anderson said Young was in a tough position on the GI bill, and was forced to choose between better benefits for GIs or blocking a tax increase. He called the GI bill a “smart piece of legislation.”

He also said Young’s campaign will continue to tout the 2007 award, despite being ineligible for the 2008 award.

Young is facing a tough primary challenge on Aug. 26 from Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who was endorsed last month by the Club for Growth.

Young’s new ad attempts to blunt the fallout of that endorsement, criticizing Parnell’s stance against earmarks and claiming that the Club “opposes projects that benefit Alaska.”

“Now that Parnell is in the ‘Club for No Growth,’ they're running false ads accusing Don Young of pushing higher taxes on Alaskans when the opposite is true,” the ad says. “Don Young was even presented the 'Hero of the Taxpayer Award' by Taxpayers for Common Sense.”

Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said that the group was “shocked” when they first got word of their mention in Young’s ad.

“The only award he’s ever gotten from us is the ‘Golden Fleece,’ and that’s about wasting money,” Ellis told The Hill.