FactCheck.org

Tax Cuts and Americans: It’s Complicated

November 20, 2010

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell misrepresented public opinion about the Bush tax cuts, which are due to expire at the end of the year. In his weekly remarks Nov. 20, he made this unequivocal statement:

McConnell, Nov. 20: Americans don’t think we should be raising taxes on anybody, especially in the middle of a recession.

But American opinion on the Bush tax cuts is not as clear as McConnell portrays it. Of five recent polls, only one shows a majority favored extending the tax cut for all Americans.

When Sally Met the Ballot Box

November 19, 2010

The BBC brings news that some politicians in Spain are huffily calling this get-out-the-vote video "misleading."

The video is the work of the Young Socialists in Catalonia. The title translates in English as, "Voting is a pleasure." It depicts a young woman going all "When Harry Met Sally" as she deposits her ballot. It’s aimed at boosting turnout in the Nov. 28 regional elections in Catalonia.
And it’s drawing some negative reaction:

BBC News, Nov. 19: The Socialist equality minister,

Sunday Replay

November 15, 2010

Americans are worried about money – the government’s as well as their own – and the Sunday talk shows reflected that concern. We had a few bones to pick with their guests when it came to discussion of earmarks, the housing market and Social Security. And however one defines that murky term "middle class," we’re confident it doesn’t include 98 percent of the population.
Did Dems Cut Earmarks in Half?
On "Fox News Sunday,"

Pelosi Pablum on ‘Fiscal Discipline’

November 10, 2010

In a Nov. 9 opinion piece for USA Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi presented a lengthy list of Democratic accomplishments since assuming control of the House and Senate in January 2007 — including "restoring fiscal discipline to the Congress." That one stopped us.
The fact is the federal government ended fiscal year 2009 with a $1.4 trillion deficit — the highest deficit as a share of the gross domestic product since 1945. And it only dipped slightly to $1.3 trillion in the fiscal year that just ended on Sept.

Obama on ’60 Minutes’

November 9, 2010

In an hour-long, one-on-one interview after a self-described "shellacking" at the polls, President Barack Obama reflected on his first two years in office during an appearance on "60 Minutes." We found the president overstated his case on spending for veterans and the U.S. market share of electric car batteries. He also said U.S. workers are the world’s most productive, but that’s open to interpretation. He was correct, however, when he said the bank bailout will cost taxpayers less than the 1980s’

Sunday Replay

November 8, 2010

The first set of Sunday shows since the midterm elections featured a number of Republicans talking about how they’ll exercise their increased power. We’d just like to set the facts straight — on the budget, the health care law, taxes and other subjects. Democrats, too, weren’t immune from making a misleading statement or two.

Taxes and Revenues: Up and Up
GOP Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana made a wildly false supply-side tax claim on ABC’s "This Week"

A Tough Penalty for False Political Claims

November 5, 2010

This Associated Press item caught our interest, describing a tough penalty meted out to a British politician for false campaign advertising:

LONDON – A British court on Friday threw out the results of a parliamentary election after deciding that the victor had gone too far in distorting his opponent’s positions.

The judges voided the May 6 re-election of Labour Party incumbent Phil Woolas, who had accused his opponent of getting support from Muslim militants favoring violence.

Sunday Replay

November 1, 2010

This weekend, the Sunday talkfests were dominated by predictions of how the makeup of the Senate and House might change after Tuesday’s elections. Halloween or not, clairvoyance isn’t a skill set we’ve mastered. We’re happy to wait for the actual results.
Meanwhile, we highlight a few misleading, non-predictive comments from Sunday:
Palin’s ‘Corrupt Bastards’
On "Fox News Sunday," former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin accused "corrupt bastards" in the media of conspiring with Sen. Lisa Murkowski to sabotage the campaign of her GOP Senate rival,

Down-to-the-Wire Deceptions

October 31, 2010

Attack ads, and the misinformation that comes with them, continue to swamp the airwaves. In fact, spending on ads in these midterm elections could top $3 billion, said Evan Tracey, whose Kantar Media-owned Campaign Media Analysis Group tracks political ads running nationwide. That cracks the $2.7 billion spent in 2008 – when a presidential race as well as the usual congressional ones were eating up airtime.
A brief rundown of some misleading assaults we’ve found in the last few days:
DSCC Hits Murkowski
Among other things,

NRSC Eliminates the Positive

October 27, 2010

Making an endorsement seem like a condemnation isn’t an easy deception to pull off — but the National Republican Senatorial Committee has done it.

In an ad attacking Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, the NRSC uses a series of highly selective quotes from a Denver Post piece: Bennet is “fighting for Obama … Obama and the Democrats overreached … helping to stick future generations with trillions in debt … lavishing billions on corporate bailouts and takeovers.”