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2012 Players Guide
FactCheck Mailbag
FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Jan. 24-30.
See letters from previous weeks“ It is this very nitpicking of the facts that has contributed to the divisiveness this country is experiencing now. ” Take Our Quiz
Viral Spiral
‘Government-Run’ Nonsense
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce puts a new twist on a tired old falsehood about “government-run health care” in one of its new ads attacking Democratic lawmakers. We noted other dubious claims as well. An ad against Sen. Jon Tester in Montana accuses him of favoring “government-run health care” — …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged energy (38), health insurance (74), medicare, taxes (91), U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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Junkie Math
All sides agree that the federal government borrows too much, so why exaggerate? In the latest example, a national TV ad shows an actor portraying a drug addict and claiming that the U.S. is borrowing 41 cents of every dollar spent, which isn’t true. As shown in this chart, which …
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Pat Boone Misleads Seniors
The same old claims about the federal health care law turn up once again in an ad featuring pop and gospel singer Pat Boone, the national spokesman for the conservative 60 Plus Association. The group says it’s spending $750,000 to air the minute-long ad in Ohio, and the spot had …
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Wasserman Schultz Manufactures Jobs Figure
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz wrongly claimed that the U.S. has begun to add “millions of jobs in manufacturing.” About 800,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost during President Obama’s time in office, reaching a low of about 11.5 million in December 2009. Since then, about 303,000 manufacturing jobs have been created …
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Super PAC Polishes Huntsman’s Resume
A super PAC backing Jon Huntsman for president makes three misleading or false claims in a TV ad now running in New Hampshire: The group, which calls itself Our Destiny, suggests President Obama is to blame for a volatile stock market — saying “the stock market is a wreck,” even …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged economy, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, Our Destiny, President Obama, Rick Perry
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South Carolina Debate
We found several exaggerations and misstatements in the latest Republican presidential candidates’ debate. Romney issued a hollow threat to take China’s currency manipulation to a world body that doesn’t actually deal with overvalued money, and he claimed federal spending consumes more of the nation’s economic output than it really does. …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, presidential debate, Republican National Committee
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CNBC Debate: Slim Pickings for FactCheckers
The latest debate among Republican candidates for president was a tame affair that produced few factual claims needing correction. Candidates stuck mostly to promises and expressions of their conservative faith in free markets, and their disdain for government. The debate was held Nov. 9 at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., …
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Posted in The FactCheck Wire
Tagged GOP debate, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich
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Boehner’s Big Stretch on Small Business
House Speaker John Boehner claimed that “small-business people” make up more than half of those who would be hit by a tax increase on “millionaires.” Not really. Only 13 percent of those making over $1 million get even as much as one-fourth of that income from small business, according to …
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