Sen. Nelson asks TV stations to pull ads attacking him for backing healthcare law

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is asking Florida TV stations to pull an ad that attacks him for supporting President Obama’s healthcare overhaul.

Nelson is facing a tough reelection fight this fall — he’s one of three potentially vulnerable Senate Democrats targeted in the latest round of ads from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The ads sharply criticize Obama’s healthcare law — and the Senate Democrats who voted for it.

{mosads}Attorneys representing Nelson said TV stations should not run the Chamber’s ad, citing an analysis in which the website FactCheck.org called the Chamber’s claims misleading.

“As a media outlet, this station has a duty to protect the public from the spread of false information and deliberate deception,” Nelson’s lawyers wrote.

They specifically took issue with the ad’s claim that “seniors will see $500 billion in Medicare cuts to fund ObamaCare.” The website PolitiFact.org has called that claim “false,” saying the healthcare law only slows the rate of Medicare’s growth, rather than actually reducing spending below its current levels.

The Medicare savings in the healthcare law come from reduced payments to insurance companies and healthcare providers, such as doctors and hospitals. The law does not directly cut seniors’ benefits.

The Chamber’s latest ad campaign also targets Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio).