Barack Obama Archives - Page 39 of 81

Obama’s Jobs Act ‘Bipartisan’? Not Entirely

September 12, 2011

In his jobs speech to the nation on Sept. 8, President Barack Obama overstated his case for bipartisan support for each "kind of" proposal in his new jobs stimulus bill. While it's true there is much common ground in Obama's proposal, several of the planks in the plan, called the American Jobs Act, have gotten only token Republican support in the past, while being opposed by an overwhelming majority of Republicans.
In his speech to a joint session of Congress,

FactChecking the Reagan Debate

September 8, 2011

The GOP candidates took some liberties when discussing jobs, Social Security, immigration, health care and other issues during the presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Library: Perry exaggerated when he called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” that won’t …

Obama’s Canadian-American Bus

August 25, 2011

Q: Was President Obama's tour bus made in Canada?
A: The shell of the $1.1 million bus came from Canada, but it was converted for the Secret Service by a company in Tennessee.

Teachers Paid ‘On Par with Doctors’?

August 19, 2011

President Obama falsely claimed teachers are paid "on par" with doctors in “most countries" with high test scores. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has data that allowed us to compare 16 member countries in all three categories: student test scores, teachers' pay and general practitioners' pay. None of the 16 countries paid teachers more than doctors, and 10 had higher test scores than the U.S. in one or more subject areas.
As part of that same claim,

Front Group Claims EPA Threatens 7 Million Jobs

August 18, 2011

Chemical and oil lobbies were behind an ad that dogged Obama's Midwestern bus tour, attacking anti-smog regulations proposed by the administration. Their trade groups are among the business organizations backing a front group calling itself the "Coalition for American Jobs," which sponsored the ad.
The TV spot accused the president of "talking jobs" on his Midwestern tour, while his administration is "putting 7 million American jobs at risk" by considering "unnecessary" tightening of anti-smog regulations. The job-loss claim turns out to be based on an industry-sponsored study that predicts astronomical compliance costs.

Top 20 White House Raises

August 4, 2011

Q: Is a chart claiming to show the “top 20 raises” to White House staffers accurate?
A: It’s misleading. The salary increases for 19 of the 21 employees listed resulted from promotions. Average pay for White House staff actually declined.

Romney’s Windy Web Video

August 3, 2011

A Mitt Romney online video overstates the growth of Chicago's unemployment rate under President Obama. The ad says that Chicago's unemployment is up 48 percent, which is true since November 2008. But Obama didn't take office until Jan. 20, 2009, and the city's unemployment rate has increased 26.7 percent since then. That's still a large jump, to be sure, but not nearly as high as the video claims.
The Web video — titled "Obama Isn't Working: Chicago"

Bachmann’s Histrionics on Health Care

August 2, 2011

Michele Bachmann incorrectly claimed the new health care law is "the largest spending and entitlement program ever passed in our nation's history." The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the health care provisions of the law will cost roughly $169 billion in fiscal year 2016, the first year of full implementation. But that's far less than what Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid each will cost that same year.
The Minnesota Republican and presidential candidate made her claim during a July 28 speech at the National Press Club.

Debt Limit Debate Round-Up

July 29, 2011

The last few weeks have been filled with debate, accusations, stalemate and false claims about the debt ceiling and how — and whether — it should be raised. As the Aug. 2 default deadline looms, here’s a look at the less-than-factual talking points …

McConnell’s Debt Claim ‘Rejected’

July 27, 2011

Sen. Mitch McConnell wrongly claimed President Obama "rejected the only plan the Democrats have proposed" to raise the debt ceiling. That's not true. The White House has explicitly supported the proposal.
The Senate minority leader made the false statement in a July 26 speech on the Senate floor.

McConnell, July 26: Last night the president rejected not just the only proposal that has passed either house of Congress, he rejected the only plan the Democrats have proposed as well —