HARRISBURG (Oct. 22) – Dan Onorato “MIGHT” raise $2 billion in state fees. Or he ‘COULD’ secretly root for the Baltimore Ravens. Or he “MAY” abandon his big-dollar public education funding promises.

There is no reason to believe the Democratic nominee for governor will do any of those things or ever has done them.

Well, if it is unfair to invent things Onorato might do in the future and use those inventions to scare voters, this is one case where he started it.

His new TV ad takes advantage of the fact that both Onorato and his Republican opponent, Attorney General Tom Corbett, have vowed to cut hundreds of millions of dollars or more from the state budget. But neither will outline more than about 10 percent of their proposed cuts.

So, Onorato’s camp reasons, it is OK for them to make up some politically suicidal cuts: they say Corbett is for cutting across the board, singling out seniors as Corbett’s likely victims, and seeing how many AARP members they can terrify into voting for Dan.

 

The Onorato ad features the following voice-over while doddering, fearful, vulnerable elderly people are pictured [a few verbs were capitalized by me to show how wrong-minded this ad is: “Warning for Pennsylvania Seniors.

 

“Tom Corbett’s budget plan MIGHT negatively impact you. Corbett’s plan COULD slash meals on wheels, cut home health care services, stop Alzheimer’s outreach and limit funding for senior centers.

“And remember, Corbett sued to stop seniors from getting health coverage. Corbett’s been criticized across the state for his actions. We need a governor who will fight for our senior citizens. Not Tom Corbett.”

Ads, at least until this one limboed under the proof standard that even most political ads meet, usually contain citations showing the truth of their claim.

When I asked the Onorato camp for the proof of this one, spokesman Brian Herman responded by e-mail: “On the issue of the cuts: Corbett has called for ‘across the board’ budget cuts. [Harrisburg Patriot-News, 6/11/2010]. He told an audience at the Lebanon Country Club: “…we’re going to balance the budget. And what does that require? It requires cutting. And we will cut. And I will tell you, there were a lot of people like - like yourself - all across Pennsylvania [who] say, ‘Yes, we want you to cut. Yes, we want you to cut. That’s a great idea.’ I want you to remember that if it affects you. Because oftentimes, what you see, you know that old NIMBY syndrome? ‘Not in my backyard?’ Everybody wants… but, ‘oh, not in my backyard!’ Well, everybody is going to have to feel that cut if we’re going to get our budget back in place.”

OK, so Corbett said there would be lots of cuts and everybody would feel it? Where did he say those programs would be the cut victims?

Now those options they mention could be among those cut by Corbett. All of those programs, even Meals on Wheels, which is mostly federal, get some state discretionary funding. Lottery programs could also be affected if the state keeps using more Lottery funds - normally earmarked for programs for the elderly - for things outside the Lottery’s long-established programs.

But apart from saying “everybody is going to have to feel that cut,” there is absolutely no evidence proffered that these programs are on Corbett’s chopping block.

As to the senior citizen benefits that would be lost if Corbett’s lawsuit with other attorneys general to toss out the new federal health care law succeeded, those are real. They include preventive care, such as screenings, mammograms and other things Medicare will now pay for, due to the new law. But even if Corbett succeeded, seniors would not get tossed off Medicare and/or Medicaid, as the law implies.

So yes, seniors could lose some benefits if the Corbett-backed lawsuit succeeds, even if they are benefits most may have not even started using yet.

But Corbett did not sue to do that, as the ad claims, but rather to invalidate the legal requirement that everyone buy health insurance. And that requirement will not hit many seniors, who are mostly on private insurance or Medicare or both.

Still, that claim, if worded to mislead, is at least related to some facts.

Of course it is also true that Corbett’s budget plan MIGHT hurt seniors and COULD make cuts as described here. After all, two new Republican governors whose “tough decisions” “to cut spending” Corbett touts on the campaign trail, New Jersey’s Chris Christie and Virginia’s Bob McDonnell, made cuts that seniors felt.

Christie proposed to make seniors and the disabled pay a $310 deductible for prescription drugs, and an increase in the co-payments in those prescription programs.

McDonnell in February proposed to cut Virginia’s Medicaid long-term living program eligibility by $53 million and just this week told his cabinet to submit budgets calling for 2-, 4- and 6-percent across-the-board cuts.

But that still leaves us with Onorato alleging Corbett’s budget plan “COULD’’ do this, or “MIGHT’ do that.

And here is the saddest part. Onorato is able to make up stuff about Corbett’s plan because Corbett hasn’t said what it contains. But neither has Onorato.

Both are running on the “I WON’T RAISE TAXES OR FEES AND I WILL MAKE CUTS AND I’LL TELLYA LATER WHAT THEY’LL BE.”

You would think if Onorato were going to point out the Attorney General’s plan has no clothes, he would at least get a fig leaf on his own budget plan.

Bottom line? This is a desperate ad, and Onorato’s camp won’t even say if he believes it is true.

Onorato should explain why a trained lawyer and CPA is willing to lower the not-lofty standard of political ad fairness and descend to “MIGHTA” “WOULDA” “COULDA” to get elected. Or he should publicly explain why he believes Corbett will do this.

If Onorato is airing an ad that he and his staff won’t say is accurate and fairly represents what Corbett will do, voters “COULD” believe he “MIGHT” say anything to get elected.