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Payday Lenders Lie Big on IM 21, Cry Liberal-Obama-Clinton Plot

Payday lenders' "Give Us Credit" website, screen cap, 2016.11.04.
Payday lenders’ “Give Us Credit” website, screen cap, 2016.11.04.

The payday lenders have adopted the same offensive, fact-free strategy as Pat Powers and the South Dakota Republican Party: when you can’t win a campaign on facts and policy, shout “Liberal!” For good measure, throw pictures of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the screen.

Such are the tactics in the video ad payday lender Rod Aycox is paying his ballot question committee “Give Us Credit SD” to run in our fair state to confuse voters into rejecting Initiated Measure 21, the real 36% rate cap on payday loans.

“Obama and Hillary—they’ve been lying for years,” says the video. “Obamacare, Benghazi, emails—” none of which pertain in the least to the 36% rate cap placed on our ballot by South Dakota activists Steve Hickey, Steve Hildebrand, and Reynold Nesiba.

“Now their allies in South Dakota are lying about Initiated Measure 21″—IM 21 sponsor Steve Hickey will take umbrage at being called an ally of Hillary Clinton. Hickey’s opposition to Clinton is evident from his comments on this very blog and on his Facebook page. Dale Bartscher and the South Dakota Family Heritage Alliance also revolt at the notion of a second Clinton Presidency, but they are supporting the 36% rate cap.

“Measure 21 does not provide protection from greedy lenders”—yes, it does. A hard 36% rate cap prevents Rod Aycox, Chuck Brennan, et al. from charging desperate low-income folks 574% interest and worse.

“It has huge loopholes benefiting special interests”—no, it doesn’t IM 21 applies to all payday lenders and other short-term loan sharks. IM 21 does not apply to normal banks, who don’t dare charge the payday lenders’ exploitative triple-digit interest.

“Under Measure 21, borrowers interest rates can skyrocket, leaving them under a mountain of debt”—no, payday loan interest rates cannot skyrocket. IM 21 caps rates at 36%. Period.

“Don’t believe the lies”—That’s the only useful sentence in this video, and it applies squarely to what Rod Aycox and the payday lenders are saying. Give Us Credit’s video is one big lie. If you don’t like Hillary Clinton, don’t vote for Hillary Clinton. If you don’t like lies, you can’t vote for Donald Trump, either; Gary Johnson is your only acceptable alternative. And if you don’t like lies, reject Rod Aycox’s propaganda, and vote to protect your South Dakota neighbors from loan sharks: vote Yes on 21 and vote No on U.

Related Reading: Greg Belfrage, also no friend of Clinton or Obama, reviews the radio version of Aycox’s liberal-Obama-Clinton swipe at IM 21 and calls this broad-brush red herring “beyond the pale,” “an insult to my intelligence,” and “ridiculous.” “I’m wondering,” says Belfrage, “if the misleading tactics used in this commercial are an indication of how the payday loan industry represents its loans to potential borrowers.” Belfrage is voting Yes on 21 and No on U.

9 Comments

  1. Steve Hickey 2016-11-04 10:57

    This ad is so so whacked I had trouble even recognising at first they were talking about our rate cap measure.

    Looking forward to Tuesday. I’ve been swearing more lately because these lying fools are hard respond to civilly. Dumb sh-ts. As-holes. Forgive me Father for I have sinned.

    The tool behind this ad sponsor Give Us Credit South Dakota, is a Bradley Thuringer with a Rapid City address. Apparently he moved to Texas a year and a half ago. Whatever. Looks like he been trying to sell home at the Rapid City address he is still using in his campaign finance reports: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/604-E-Oakland-St_Rapid-City_SD_57701_M84422-41014

  2. William J Reynolds 2016-11-04 13:49

    A misleading, fear-mongering ad full of unsourced statements and devoid of facts. Typical. “Don’t believe the lies” indeed.

  3. leslie 2016-11-04 15:12

    Yes, lisa furlong and the other young woman, blonde georgeous face-book photo, ms. ________are slime for publishing that radio ad, wrapped in republican false talking points as well. it is the most bald-face lying ad I have ever heard and can’t understand for the life of me how attorney general marty jackley can’t stop this blatant use of the election process.

  4. mike from iowa 2016-11-04 16:04

    wrapped in republican false talking points

    Are there any honest wingnut talking points?

  5. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-11-05 07:44

    And predictably, Pat Powers sells out, cashes on loan sharks’ money, and runs this deceptive ad on his blog. Appalling.

  6. Steve Hickey 2016-11-05 09:34

    Remarkable, isn’t it, how our friend Pat Powers can easily get a hold of these people and the media can’t– even after doing everything short of hiring a private eye to track them down?

  7. grudznick 2016-11-05 11:03

    Mr. Hickey, isn’t Mr. PP a private investigator and bail bondsman and knows how to find people who are skipping out or avoiding the law?

  8. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-11-06 08:06

    Steve, money talks in Pat’s world.

  9. leslie 2016-11-06 13:10

    “directly or indirectly… fraudulent contrivance… withdrawal of customs or dealing in business or trade, or enforcing payment of debts, or by any kind of injury or threat of injury inflicted or to be inflicted…question voted upon or to be voted upon at any election, for the purpose of preventing, causing, or intimidating a voter to vote or refrain from voting for or against any person or question, or who does or causes to be done any of such things because of a voter having voted or refrained from voting on any such matter, or who intentionally and without lawful authority obstructs…”

    ***

    “knowingly makes any false statement or employs any false representation”

    12-26-3.   False representation to procure registration or acceptance of vote as misdemeanor–Failure to deny false statement as misrepresentation. Any person who, at the time of requesting his name to be registered as a voter, or who at the time of offering his vote at any election, knowingly makes any false statement or employs any false representation to procure his name to be registered or his vote to be received, is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. A false statement or representation made or used in the presence and to the knowledge of a person requesting his name to be registered, or offering his vote, is to be deemed made by himself if it appears that it was made or used in support of his claim to be registered or to vote, that he knew it to be false and that he allowed it to pass uncontradicted.

    12-26-12.   Persecution, threats, or intimidation to influence vote as misdemeanor–Obstruction of voter on way to polls. A person who directly or indirectly, intentionally, by force or violence, or by unlawful arrest, or by any abduction, duress, damage, harm, or loss, or by any forcible or fraudulent contrivance, or by threats to do or employ any of them, or by threats of bringing civil suit or criminal prosecution, withdrawal of customs or dealing in business or trade, or enforcing payment of debts, or by any kind of injury or threat of injury inflicted or to be inflicted on any voter or person to influence any voter, and attempted, done, or threatened, or caused to be attempted, done, or threatened by any person in his own behalf or in behalf of any other person or question voted upon or to be voted upon at any election, for the purpose of preventing, causing, or intimidating a voter to vote or refrain from voting for or against any person or question, or who does or causes to be done any of such things because of a voter having voted or refrained from voting on any such matter, or who intentionally and without lawful authority obstructs, hinders, or delays a voter on his way to any poll where an election is to be held, is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

    12-26-28.   Offenses relating to election on submitted question. Every act which by the provisions of this chapter is made criminal when committed with reference to the election of a candidate is equally criminal when committed with reference to the determination of a question submitted to voters to be decided by votes cast at an election.

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