The Attack Ad

My Fellow Americans,

I am coming to you tonight to discuss a disturbing negative attack ad on my 2009 Cancer Kickin’ Campaign. But first, let me update you briefly on my campaign.

Thank you to the 30 generous souls who have joined my 2009 Cancer Kickin’ Campaign by making a donation. Your donations will be used to make progress towards the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to cure blood cancers. If you want to make a donation or see how I am doing, get information about my quest, or see the names of my honorees, go to my Team in Training webpage:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/va/cmc09/aritter

Perhaps you recently saw this vicious attack ad about my 2009 campaign on some of the major networks. No? Well, let me describe it for you. It started with the typical nasty opening that these ads contain:

“Art is a great person and a great patriot, but he is lying weasel and is wrong for America. We have only one thing to say to him – liar, liar, pants on fire!”

The ad continued with a series of charges and things I have supposedly lied about. During this part of the ad there were pictures of me as a kid superimposed with Civil War soldiers to emphasize that I am too old for this campaign, and a photo of me looking puzzled trying to send a text message to emphasize inexperience and being out of touch. Plus I had really bad hair and my big, black early 1970’s glasses! It then finished with the following:

“We need a young person with decades of experience who is in touch with 2009, has good judgment, and who has a steady hand on the tiller. Art hasn’t sailed a sailboat in years and can’t even remember how to use a tiller. Art is Wrong. Wrong for America. Wrong for Team in Training. Wrong for Tennessee. Wrong for the Country Music Marathon. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Plus did we mention that he is a lying weasel?”

“This advertisement sponsored and paid for by a partnership between Lobbyists Organized To Tell Aspersions and Citizens for Responsible Advertising in Politics (LOTTA / CRAP)”

Well, of course, I am not going to respond in kind by attacking back. TNT participants are positive, not negative, people. But I did ask the independent group Farcical Association for Checking Truths Systematically (FACTS) to examine the charges made by LOTTA / CRAP and report back on their accuracy. Here is their report.

LOTTA / CRAP charged: “Art was spotted many times over the last three years suspiciously associating with known domestic harriers, both men and women, in the pre-dawn darkness in a remote Richmond park.” FACTS finding: “This is true, since a harrier is a cross country / long distance runner. The TNT group does train together at Byrd Park, often while the rest of the world is still asleep Saturday mornings. This statement is obviously an attempt by LOTTA / CRAP to confuse and mislead the public into thinking that something inappropriate is going on.”

LOTTA / CRAP charged: “He’s lying about 1 American dying every 10 minutes from blood cancer; in fact, cancer is almost cured.” FACTS finding: “According to the latest report by the American Cancer Society, 20,510 Americans die from lymphoma, 10,690 from Myeloma, and 21,710 from leukemia. When totaled, this averages one death every 9.93 minutes. Cancer is not close to being cured, although progress is being made thanks, in part to efforts like this one. Art is telling the truth.”

LOTTA / CRAP charged: “Art’s plan is to tax the rich and the middle class and give the money to cancer research. If you support him, your taxes will go up 327%!” FACTS findings: “We have no idea how LOTTA / CRAP came up with this far-fetched claim. First, private citizens and volunteer groups don’t raise or lower taxes – that is the job of the U.S. Congress. Art’s campaign solicits voluntary donations only. In fact, since the government is not funding cancer research heavily, the only way that this disease will be cured is if citizens donate to charitable causes in order to do so.”

LOTTA / CRAP charged: “When he was in Alaska, he made this ridiculous statement that he was only 26.2 miles from a Russian Naval anchorage and therefore is uniquely qualified for dealing with the Russian Bear in marathon negotiating sessions. He also said that since Finland is next to Russia, he has a line on dealing with the Finnish people, too.” FACTS findings: “LOTTA / CRAP is totally wrong about this, and used Art’s statements out of context. The actual statement he made is that while in Alaska he saw a grizzly bear fishing. Then next day, he raced 26.2 miles in the Anchorage Marathon, and did not have time to contemplate his navel while rushin’ for the finish line.

LOTTA / CRAP charged: “Art shamelessly plays the race card and is always talking about his race.” FACTS reports: “This is another attempt by LOTTA / CRAP to muddy the waters. The race that Art talks about is not his race (‘an arbitrary classification of modern humans’) but his race (‘a contest of speed, as in running, riding, driving, or sailing’ – in this case, the Country Music Marathon). Since his mechanism of raising money to cure blood cancers is by way of the marathon, of course he would talk about this. We have found no evidence of him talking about any other definition of race.”

LOTTA / CRAP charged: “He did a marathon during the Midnight Sun and claimed it rained the whole time! Impossible! Everyone knows that the sun is not out at midnight and that when the sun is out, it is not raining. He’s lying, people! Again!” FACTS reports: “In June, 2005, Art raced in the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage. That was the name of the race, because it is in the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’. The race actually started at 8AM, and according to weather and race records, it did rain steadily almost all day that day.”

I hope that this report by FACTS will clear up the false charges and attempts to confuse and misinform that were logged by LOTTA / CRAP. Defeating cancer is a tough job, and we can only accomplish this with positive actions – there is no place for negativity. We have work to do! So roll up your sleeves, and join me for a better America and a better world!

Thanks again for your support to my 2009 Cancer Kickin’ Campaign!
Art

Art Ritter in 2009 – He will go the distance for you!