On this week’s Sunday talk shows, we didn’t find any whoppers, or even major errors, by politicians. But there were still a few missteps about the nation’s economy, a federal judge’s sexual orientation and an economist’s political leanings.
Understating the Underperforming GDP
On ABC’s “This Week,” former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson was slightly off when talking about the nation’s gross domestic product. He said: “You can’t create jobs at a level we need in this economy without about a 4 percent growth rate,
Month: August 2010
Corporate-Labor Smackdown in Minnesota
Minnesota’s race for governor is pitting corporate money against money from labor unions and wealthy Democrats. So far, the misleading attack ads are all coming from the liberal side, and the corporate side is being badly outspent to boot. The Alliance for …
Tax Cuts, Medicare and Florida Democrats
In episode 23 of FactCheck Radio, we debunk a Republican talking point on the Bush tax cuts being spread by Sarah Palin and former Sen. Fred Thompson. Plus, we examine actor Andy Griffith’s misleading ad for Medicare, and false charges in the Democratic Senate primary in Florida.
For more on the stories discussed in this episode, see:
Sunday Replay Aug. 2
Thompson Wrong on Tax Cuts, Too Aug. 5
Mayberry Misleads on Medicare July 31
Democrat-on-Democrat TV Attacks in Florida
Angle’s Blame Game, Reprise
GOP candidate Sharron Angle’s latest ad blames rival Sen. Harry Reid for Nevada’s dramatic decline in home value. That’s a real stretch. Angle gets the numbers right, but doesn’t show that Reid is responsible.
In fact, the housing bubble was already starting to deflate by the time Reid became Democratic leader of the Senate.
The ad is another dubious attempt by the Republican tea party enthusiast to pin responsibility for Nevada’s economic woes on the incumbent.
Adler Taxes the Truth
Democratic Rep. John Adler calls his GOP opponent an "irresponsible tax dodger" in a campaign flier. His claims are misleading.
Property taxes are a major political issue in New Jersey, which has the highest median tax burden in the country, according to The Tax Foundation. Its median property tax is $6,320 on a home, outpacing runner-up Connecticut by almost $2,000.
‘Fail to pay?’ Not really.
But did Jon Runyan, a former Philadelphia Eagles lineman,
Thompson Wrong on Tax Cuts, Too
First, it was Sarah Palin. Now, it’s former Sen. Fred Thompson. They’re both touting a highly misleading Republican talking point on the expiration of the Bush tax cuts.
Thompson, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, warns in a new ad sponsored by the conservative League of American Voters: "Folks, America’s economy is struggling and Congress is about to make it a whole lot worse." He’s talking about the "massive automatic tax increase at the end of this year, when the Bush tax cuts expire,"
Hayworth Distorts McCain’s Immigration Record — Again
In his second TV ad, Republican challenger J.D. Hayworth continues to distort Arizona Sen. John McCain’s record on immigration policy.
McCain ‘Made It Worse’?
The ad, which started to air July 29, opens with an announcer saying: "The illegal alien invasion, and John McCain made it worse." In rapid fire, the ad lists a few of the ways McCain supposedly made things worse, beginning with: "McCain wrote the amnesty bill." The words "Wrote the amnesty bill"
Should Murray Worry?
An attack ad from a Republican-leaning group accuses Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of abusing "families" and "children" — but provides no support for those claims. The group’s website even criticizes Murray for casting a vote in favor of expanding health insurance to millions of children — a vote also cast by the group’s own CEO, former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
The ad by the American Action Network began airing July 13 in Washington state with an initial buy of more than $750,000.
FactCheck Mailbag, Week of July 27-Aug. 2
This week, readers sent us gripes about our criticism of a Medicare ad, and a couple of nice compliments.
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.
Democrat-on-Democrat TV Attacks in Florida
In a Senate race chock full of attack ads, the Florida Democratic primary pits Rep. Kendrick Meek against billionaire investor Jeff Greene. Both men carry heavy political baggage; Meek did favors for a developer who is now under indictment, and Greene …