In a speech to House Democrats, President Barack Obama stretched the facts to underscore political points about national security and the improving economy.
Obama Fudges Facts in Philly
All U.S. Jobs Did Not Go to Immigrants
Rick Santorum touted a shocking statistic to Iowa voters: Of the “6 million net new jobs created in America” since 2000, “all of them” are held by immigrants. That’s not accurate.
Biden’s Twist on U.S. Economy
Biden twisted international data on economic growth when he said the U.S. is “the only country in the world expected to continue to grow.”
Distorting Climate Change Threats, Solutions
Two potential Republican candidates for president distorted the facts about climate change and casually dismissed well-established threats and potential solutions.
FactChecking Science-based Claims
Today we introduce a new feature and welcome a new staff writer to FactCheck.org.
Rand Paul Exaggerates Tax Credit Fraud
Sen. Paul falsely claimed that a tax credit program for low-income workers has a “fraud rate” of 25 percent and costs taxpayers “$20 billion to $30 billion.” Paul cited a report by the Government Accountability Office, but that’s not what the report said.
Romney’s Poverty Points
Mitt Romney said that under President Obama “there are more people in poverty in America than ever before.” That’s true, but the poverty rate — which accounts for population changes — was higher under several former presidents than it is currently.
FactChecking the GOP Responses
There were multiple official and unofficial Republican responses to President Obama’s State of the Union address, but only a few instances of the president’s critics stretching the facts.
A Tale of Two Jobs Numbers
Rick Perry, in his last official speech as Texas governor, mixed and matched jobs data to embellish the state’s job gains.
Scott Walker’s Education Boast
Gov. Scott Walker says his state’s “ACT scores are up and Wisconsin now ranks second in the country.” But scores are not up, and the state’s national ranking is misleading.