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2012 Players Guide
FactCheck Mailbag
FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Jan. 24-30.
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Viral Spiral
Soft on Anti-Semitism?
GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney claim that the U.S. ambassador to Belgium “justified” and “downplayed” anti-Semitism and blamed it on “Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians.” We find that to be a one-sided interpretation of what was actually said. Others may view Ambassador Howard Gutman’s remarks differently than …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged anti-Semitism, Israel, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney
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Unproven Jobs Claim in Pro-Romney Ad
A pro-Romney TV spot running heavily in Iowa touts an unproven claim that the candidate “helped create thousands of jobs” as CEO of an investment firm. When we asked the super PAC sponsoring the ad for proof of its claim, a spokeswoman said: “We aren’t supplying that information.” And so …
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Debate Watch
The six Republican presidential candidates who are set to meet and debate again on Dec. 10 have all made some claims that don’t line up with the facts. Will they repeat this shopworn spin, or have they tired of these talking points? Here’s what to watch and listen for when …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged Election 2010, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul
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Newt’s Erroneous Ethics Alibi
Newt Gingrich falsely claimed the House ethics panel that voted to reprimand him in 1997 was “a very partisan political committee.” He was also off base when he said the inquiry was “a Pelosi-driven effort.” In fact, the House Committee on Ethics is the only House panel evenly divided by …
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Bachmann’s Bad Economics
Michele Bachmann wrongly claims there is “not one shred of evidence that lowering the payroll tax rate created jobs.” Actually, the economy has gained more than 1.4 million jobs in the 11 months since the payroll tax holiday began. That’s 84 percent more jobs than were added in the same …
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Gingrich On Climate Change
Newt Gingrich went too far when he claimed that “I’ve never favored cap-and-trade.” It’s true he’s never favored the approach taken by Democrats, but he said in 2007 that he would “strongly support” cap-and-trade if combined with “a tax-incentive program for investing in the solutions.” Furthermore, Gingrich said in House …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
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Whole Truth About the Cain ‘Lie Detector’
A so-called lie detector featured in a new ad supporting Herman Cain uses voice-stress technology that is no more reliable than “flipping a coin,” according to one university study by a criminal-justice researcher. Two other academics called it “charlatanry.” The ad says that “one of the foremost lie detector experts …
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Pre-Thanksgiving Leftovers
The latest GOP debate was thin on memorable moments or major factual bloopers, but we do have some leftover claims to dispute before we shut down for the Thanksgiving holiday. We wouldn’t want anybody’s turkey dinner to be spoiled by worries that terrorists have come over the border with Mexico, …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged Herman Cain, illegal immigrants (26), Iran, Keystone Pipeline, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Republican debate
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Romney’s Ad ‘Deceitful & Dishonest’?
The Obama campaign is in a lather over Mitt Romney’s first TV spot, calling it “a deceitful and dishonest attack” because of an edited quote from 2008. That’s a matter of opinion. We find a far more consequential issue is the ad’s exaggerated claim that the new health care law …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
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