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Spotlight On: Richard Rowlands

June 27, 2012

Richard Rowlands describes himself as liberal. But he subscribes to several conservative groups’ email lists “just to keep track of what they’re doing and saying.”
One such group is AmeriPAC, which claims in a fundraising email that President Barack Obama is raising gas prices to pay for failed green energy companies.
Rowlands, 70, a retired psychologist who lives in Saco, Maine, forwarded the email to Spin Detectors. We found that AmeriPAC supports its conspiracy theory with misleading claims and twisted facts.

PAC’s Email Spreads Energy Conspiracy Theory

June 27, 2012

In a fundraising email, a conservative PAC claims President Barack Obama is raising natural gas prices to pay for failed green energy companies. But the letter offers only false claims and twisted facts to support this conspiracy theory.

The email says Solar Trust of America, a now-bankrupt company, received “the second largest loan ever handed out by the Department of Energy.” STA never took a government-backed dime. The firm was conditionally approved for the financing, but ultimately turned it down.

Still No International Gun Ban Treaty

June 27, 2012

Q: Does the Obama administration intend to “force gun control and a complete ban on all weapons for U.S. citizens” through a United Nations treaty?

A: No. The administration plans to negotiate a treaty to regulate the international export and import of weapons. It says that it won’t support any treaty that regulates the domestic transfer or ownership of weapons, or that infringes on the Second Amendment.

Rick Perry’s Whopper on Job Losses

June 26, 2012

Texas Gov. Rick Perry falsely states that President Barack Obama “has overseen the loss of 1.4 million jobs.” Perry is referring to job statistics in 34 states that have lost jobs since Obama took office, ignoring the 16 states that have gained jobs. The total job loss in all 50 states under Obama is about 552,000 through May 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Perry also exaggerates when he blames the nation’s high deficit solely on “uncontrolled spending that has gone on with the stimulus program.”

Stretching on Romney’s Fees

June 22, 2012

An ad from the Obama campaign exaggerates the truth about fees and tax hikes imposed by Mitt Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts.
It lists numerous fees hiked by Romney, but we found that a number of them are misleading — seeming to be more far-reaching and broad than they really are.
The ad also repeats a misleading claim about Romney cutting taxes “on millionaires like himself,” and botches the figure for the revenue gained by Romney imposing higher fees and closing corporate tax loopholes.

Obama’s 77-Cent Exaggeration

June 22, 2012

A TV spot from the president’s reelection committee says women are “paid 77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men.” That’s not true. The ad falsely states that the pay gap is for doing “the same work.” It also implies that discrimination by employers is responsible for the difference. That’s an exaggeration..
The main point of the ad is to tout Obama’s signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009.

Outside Groups Twist Truth in Nevada Senate Race

June 21, 2012

Dueling attack ads from outside groups in the Nevada Senate race rely on twisted facts. An ad from the conservative American Crossroads attacks Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley for an ethics probe related to her efforts on behalf of a kidney program and kidney doctors, including her husband. And an ad from the left-leaning Patriot Majority distorts Republican Sen. Dean Heller’s record on taxes and Medicare.

The American Crossroads ad falsely claims Berkley has been “charged.” The House Committee on Ethics has not yet determined whether to launch a full investigation.

Democratic PAC Distorts Facts in Virginia Senate Race

June 21, 2012

A Democratic super PAC distorts some facts in a TV ad that compares the records of former Sen. George Allen and former Gov. Tim Kaine, who are running against each other for an open Senate seat in Virginia. The Majority PAC ad contains exaggerations on Medicare, federal deficit spending, state spending cuts and Virginia’s business environment:

The ad blames Allen for creating “a massive federal deficit.” Actually, he was only one of 100 senators, and spending bills at that time routinely passed with bipartisan support.

Majority PAC

June 21, 2012

A super PAC focused on keeping the U.S. Senate under Democratic control.

No Dialysis Under Health Care Law?

June 20, 2012

A viral email wrongly claims the federal health care law caused a Tennessee hospital to deny dialysis to Medicare patients, and that anyone over 75 would be denied care starting in 2013. The anonymous author fabricated the account.
Read our April 20 Ask FactCheck, ” ‘Death Panels’ Redux,” for more on this viral falsehood.