FactCheck.org

A Record Jobs Loss?

September 16, 2010

Republican Senate candidate Rob Portman is attacking his Democratic opponent, Lee Fisher, for the loss of jobs in Ohio. Portman’s ad claims that under Fisher’s watch — he’s lieutenant governor — the state lost "a record number" of jobs "to other states." But this supposed "record" is based on statistics that go back only to 2004.

Ohio’s employment picture is certainly an issue in this race, and in addition to his lieutenant governor duties, Fisher was also the director of the state’s Department of Development for two years.

Bailout Bonuses Are Back

September 16, 2010

A TV ad in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District and a mailer in Ohio’s 15th both accuse Democratic candidates of voting to give out huge Wall Street bonuses. That’s way overblown. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill, included less stringent restrictions on bonuses than those in an earlier version of the legislation, but that’s hardly the same as handing out bonuses.

The Arizona ad, funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee, says that Rep.

Fish Stories

September 15, 2010

Even when a fisherman catches a big one, the fish tends to grow each time the story is told. Politicians are like that, too, especially when Election Day approaches. President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gave us recent examples of that kind of hyperbole. Pelosi improved on reality, when she claimed Bush created fewer jobs in eight years than Democrats have done in eight months. And Obama exaggerated the GOP’s stalling tactics,

Reign Maker

September 14, 2010

We rarely give much attention to hyper-local races like state auditor. But we couldn’t resist this object lesson, from Massachusetts auditor candidate Guy Glodis, in why politicians need to check not only their claims but their spelling:

(Originally posted at Blue Mass Group)
Glodis meant, presumably, that he would rein in spending. But a candidate willing to commit to ruling the roost when it comes to fiscal profligacy at least makes for a nice change.

False Claim on Pell Grants in Indiana

September 14, 2010

A Democratic incumbent in Indiana falsely claims his Republican challenger wants to abolish the popular federal Pell Grant program for needy college students. Rep. Joe Donnelly, who is running for reelection in Indiana’s 2nd District, based his charge on a questionnaire Republican Jackie Walorski submitted to a conservative group. But that questionnaire doesn’t even mention the Pell Grant program.

The ad, titled “College,” first aired Sept. 9. It begins ominously: “Who will help your family afford college?”

Labor Attack in Ohio Governor’s Race

September 13, 2010

The Service Employees International Union claims that GOP gubernatorial candidate John Kasich, a former Lehman Brothers executive, "got rich, while Ohio seniors lost their pension money" in an ad that makes a weak attempt to connect Kasich to the pension losses.
It’s true that Kasich, who’s running against Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, made a hefty sum working for the financial firm in 2008, the same year it collapsed. And he admits to setting up meetings between Lehman and state pension officials.

Sunday Replay

September 13, 2010

All of the misstatements that crept into the Sunday shows this weekend (at least, all the ones we found) had to do with the economy, the topic that is most on voters’ minds as the midterm elections approach.
Beware the Third Rail
White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod made an incorrect claim — and another slightly exaggerated one — during his appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press."
While defending the Obama administration’s economic policies to host David Gregory,

‘Second Poorest’ Nation?

September 13, 2010

In a September 10 press conference, President Barack Obama characterized Afghanistan as "the second poorest country in the world." It’s an impoverished country indeed, but second poorest? The CIA World Factbook doesn’t think so.
It lists Afghanistan as number 210 of 227, with a per capita gross domestic product of $1,000 in 2009. That’s orders of magnitude lower than the richest country, Liechtenstein, with a GDP of $122,100 per person — but it’s much higher than the per capita GDP of the actual second poorest country,

Jerry Brown and California Taxes

September 11, 2010

A story I reported 18 years ago for CNN has recently become an issue in the California governor’s race. Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate,

Sen. Boxer and the ‘Three-Inch Smelt’

September 10, 2010

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is attacking Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California in two ads accusing her of favoring a "three-inch smelt," a freshwater fish, over water and jobs. The ads aren’t quite accurate, however.

According to The Associated Press, the ads began running Sept. 8 in Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield and San Diego. Both ads say "Boxer is famous for protecting the three-inch smelt" and accuse her of voting to "cut water" to San Diego and the Central Valley.