The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released two ads Thursday accusing U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) of joining President Bush in advocating for privatization of Social Security.

“Gordon Smith wanted to privatize my social security,” a construction worker says in the ad. “Boy, imagine if he had gotten his way.”

Had social security been privatized, the ads say, Oregonians retirement futures would have been put to risk and even lost in the latest financial crisis gripping Wall Street.

“Gordon Smith and George Bush want to gamble with Social Security, and today we’re seeing just how dangerous their plan really is,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “Gordon Smith likes to talk like a moderate, but when it came to Social Security, he supported George Bush’s risky policies.”

Smith spokeswoman Lindsay Gilbride said that the ads were misleading and pointed to three votes where Smith voted against privatizing Social Security. She also said that Smith received an award from the American Association of Retired People earlier in the year for his work to protect seniors and their retirement funds.

“Jeff Merkley is fear mongering during this financial crisis,” Smith campaign spokesperson Lindsay Gilbride said. “Gordon Smith has never advocated taking money dedicated to the Social Security and using it for private accounts – and Jeff Merkley knows that. A lie is a lie no matter how many millions of dollars are put behind it.”