Democrats are running misleading ads in several House and Senate races accusing Republicans of supporting a “23 percent national sales tax.” The ads fail to mention that the proposed tax — while controversial — is designed to replace all federal income …
Year: 2010
FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Oct. 12-Oct. 18
This week, readers sent us comments about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the deficit, "False" stamps and FactCheck funding.
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.
Toss-ups: Pennsylvania Cash Attack
Two independent groups are spending heavily in the Pennsylvania Senate race, and we find both are airing TV ads that go a bit too far: VoteVets.org, a left-leaning veterans group, is up with an ad that claims Republican Pat Toomey supports letting Wall Street …
Commission on Hope, Growth and Opportunity
A Republican/pro-growth-leaning group headed by a Republican media consultant.
Sunday Replay
This week, we resolve two disputes about who said what, and find that a government report cited as support for a charge about ineffective government programs is nonexistent.
NBC’s "Meet the Press" hosted a debate between Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and the Republican who is trying to unseat him, tea party favorite Ken Buck. We’re reviewing their exchange, and, if we find they have their facts wrong, we’ll post a piece on Tuesday.
Did He Say That?
Conway ‘Lying’ About ‘Aqua Buddha’?
Kentucky Republican Rand Paul said his Senate Democratic opponent, Jack Conway, has "descended into the gutter" after making a personal attack on Paul’s college days in a recent ad. Paul even refused to shake Conway’s hand after a debate the two had at the University of Louisville on Oct. 17. During the debate, Paul called his opponent out multiple times saying, "You just out and out lie because you have nothing to stand on. …You demean the state of Kentucky."
Chamber of Commerce and Missouri Senate Race
In episode 33 of our podcast, we talk about Democrats’ evidence-free allegation about the Chamber of Commerce and foreign money. Plus, we look at ads in the Missouri Senate race and explain why dead people got stimulus checks.
For more on the stories discussed in this episode, see:
Really? Oct. 11
Toss-ups: Missouri Mudslinging Oct. 12
Stimulating the Dead Oct. 14
Bad Rap? Health Care Law Blamed for Sale of Catholic Hospitals
Republicans are claiming the new health care law is a “main reason” for the sale of three Catholic hospitals in Pennsylvania. And a conservative Catholic group is running a radio ad saying it is "the" reason. But the hospitals’ CEO says his words are being twisted and the new law isn’t the “precipitating factor” behind the sale.
The hospital group says in a news release that "[t]he rationale for our initiative has been mischaracterized by certain politicized media outlets and severely distorted by some special interest groups."
Toss-ups: Wayward Ads in Washington State
A Republican-leaning group, American Action Network, makes misleading claims in an ad portraying Democratic Sen. Patty Murray as pro-tax and anti-small business. Meanwhile, Murray goes too far in her attack on the complicated business …
NRCC Overstates Dems’ Voting Record with Pelosi
A number of new TV ads by the National Republican Congressional Committee purport to tell us how often a Democratic incumbent voted with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But the ads overstate …