StarBulletin.com

Republican attack ads target Abercrombie


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POSTED: Saturday, February 21, 2009

A national Republican political organization is including Hawaii's 1st Congressional District and its incumbent, Rep. Neil Abercrombie, in its latest round of attack ads.

The ads in Hawaii are automatically generated phone calls to voters in the 1st District, called “;robo calls.”;

They accuse Democrat Abercrombie of “;voting for nearly a trillion dollars in wasteful spending.”;

In an accompanying news release, the National Republican Congressional Committee says that through the just-passed federal stimulus package, Abercrombie voted for programs such as smoking cessation, art funding, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and cars for government employees.

The GOP says Abercrombie should have passed an alternative Republican stimulus package that provided tax cuts instead of federal money.

Abercrombie said if the Republican Party is interested in his urban Honolulu district, it is because city Councilman Charles Djou has filed to run for Congress there next year, and the GOP is trying to help Djou.

“;If these guys say I am wasting money, I want to know how many businesses will turn down money from the stimulus package, I want to know if Djou will tell the people in the unemployment line not to take the extra $25 that the bill provides,”; Abercrombie said.

Djou said he hoped to get help from national GOP organizations but did not know about the robo calls attacking Abercrombie.

“;I certainly had nothing to do with it,”; Djou said.

Speaking on the issue of the stimulus package, Djou said he had concerns about spending nearly a trillion dollars on the economy but said now that it is passed, the money “;should be spent wisely.”;

“;We should work together and make this work,”; Djou said.