Factchecking Obama

[Zguy28]

FactChecking Obama

August 29, 2008

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_obama.html

He stuck to the facts, except when he stretched them.

Summary

We checked the accuracy of Obama's speech accepting the Democratic nomination, and noted the following:

• 
  
• Obama said he could “pay for every dime” of his spending and tax cut proposals “by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens.” That’s wrong – his proposed tax increases on upper-income individuals are key components of paying for his program, as well. And his plan, like McCain’s, would leave the U.S. facing big budget deficits, according to independent experts.
  

• 
  
• He twisted McCain’s words about Afghanistan, saying, “When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources.” Actually, McCain said in 2003 we “may” muddle through, and he recently also called for more troops there.
  
  
• He said McCain would fail to lower taxes for 100 million Americans while his own plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of “working” families. But an independent analysis puts the number who would see no benefit from McCain’s plan at 66 million and finds that Obama’s plan would benefit 81 percent of all households when retirees and those without children are figured in.
  

• 
  
• Obama asked why McCain would "define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year"? Actually, McCain meant that comment as a joke, getting a laugh and following up by saying, "But seriously ..."
  

• 
  
• Obama noted that McCain’s health care plan would "tax people’s benefits" but didn’t say that it also would provide up to a $5,000 tax credit for families.
  
  
• He said McCain, far from being a maverick who’s "broken with his party," has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time.
  
  
  
• Obama said "average family income" went down $2,000 under Bush, which isn't correct. An aide said he was really talking only about "working" families and not retired couples. And – math teachers, please note – he meant median (or midpoint) and not really the mean or average. Median family income actually has inched up slightly under Bush.
  

Full article at link

*************************************

After next week's RNC, there will be a similar article posted on McCain by myself provided Factcheck.org does their part.

~ Z

[33]

Thanks for posting.

[RonYoungEra]

boring, nitpicking, and irrelevant analysis..

he's a politician..it's what they do...

[mardi gras skin]

boring, nitpicking, and irrelevant analysis..

he's a politician..it's what they do...

?

This is the kind of information I need to help straighten out all the spin. I appreciate it.

[Teller]

He said McCain, far from being a maverick who’s "broken with his party," has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time.

DAMN!!!!

[Tulane Skins Fan]

He said McCain, far from being a maverick who’s "broken with his party," has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time.

DAMN!!!!

One's running as a maverick, one is not. Right?

[Zen-like Todd]

One's running as a maverick, one is not. Right?

Change!

"I will Change the Change that Change Demands we Change!"

Did I mention "CHANGE!"?

[Teller]

One's running as a maverick, one is not. Right?

McCain's no maverick, IMO. He's more of a windsock.

But seriously, I didn't know that Obama voted the party line 97%. That number's a little scary for anyone, on either side.

[jpyaks3]

Good article, its always good to look at the facts, some minor things were off but I think thats largely to be expected in a 45 minute speech. It will be interesting to see McCain's page if they do one.

[Henry]

Eh. Reminds me of the 2000 RNC convention when Bush made fun of Gore for claiming he invented the internet. Big deal.

[Mordac]

I love the fact checking. What happened to that truth-squad guy from CNN? Did the segments just get too long during the Bush campaign? lol

[Cdowwe]

Obama has a commerical where he says McCain defines middle class as under 5 mill... everyone knows it was a joke. The sad thing is Obama's drones believe this commercial

[IHOPSkins]

.....What happened to that truth-squad guy from CNN?.....

Since it was the Clinton News Network

They had problems defining "IS"........so they gave up

[jpyaks3]

Obama has a commerical where he says McCain defines middle class as under 5 mill... everyone knows it was a joke. The sad thing is Obama's drones believe this commercial

It was an obvious attempt to not answer the question so they are hitting him on it. He tried to avoid the question and they are nailing him, he answers the question the soundbite doesnt exist.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Whats wrong with fact checking?

[TMK9973]

Obama has a commerical where he says McCain defines middle class as under 5 mill... everyone knows it was a joke. The sad thing is Obama's drones believe this commercial

McCain has a commercial that says Obama wants to raise taxes on Small business based on the fact that he will raise taxes on those making more then 250k a year, and some of those have small business.

McCain has another one that says he will raise takes on those making 40k a year, that's based on Obama saying he will raise the cap gains tax and there are some that make 40k a year that have capital gains....

Yet the McCain drones believe it.....

[Smoot Point Really]

One's running as a maverick, one is not. Right?

From what I've heard, both the claim that McCain supports Bush 90% of the time and that Obama is the "most liberal" are based on 2007. Some years Obama was still very liberal, but not the "most liberal" and also McCain wasn't as supportive of Bush's policies as he was last year.

Anyway, it isn't uncommon in an election year for most Senate votes to be at or near unanimous... I wouldn't be surprised to hear if Obama supported the President with his voting record 70% of the time. Anyone know these numbers?

[Smoot Point Really]

McCain has a commercial that says Obama wants to raise taxes on Small business based on the fact that he will raise taxes on those making more then 250k a year, and some of those have small business.

McCain has another one that says he will raise takes on those making 40k a year, that's based on Obama saying he will raise the cap gains tax and there are some that make 40k a year that have capital gains....

Yet the McCain drones believe it.....

Your first paragraph doesn't appear to support your argument... So, are you saying that because it only affects "some" Small Business (like my own), McCain's statement is false?

Identify one Obama idea that could be considered "pro-growth" for businesses?

You shouldn't call others "drones".

[JimboDaMan]

Your first paragraph doesn't appear to support your argument... So, are you saying that because it only affects "some" Small Business (like my own), McCain's statement is false?

Identify one Obama idea that could be considered "pro-growth" for businesses?

You shouldn't call others "drones".

I beileve the point was that Obama wanted to raise taxes on individuals making $250K or more, and since some of those people were small business owners McCain stretched the truth to say Obama is raising taxes on small business. Like much of what's wrong with our politics, it isn't false so much as stupid, misleading, and pointless. Gotta like that in a leader.

You realize he used the word "drone" because the post he responded to did. Why didn't the first usage bother you?

[JimboDaMan]

Identify one Obama idea that could be considered "pro-growth" for businesses?

Well, he will eliminate capital gains taxes for many startups and small businesses.

He'll put $250M into start-up business incubators.

He'll make the business R&D tax credit permanent.

He is a strong proponent of next-generation broadband, a critical component for the growth many new business sectors.

There's more, if you look, but I believe the the question was to find "one".

[Larry]

From what I've heard, both the claim that McCain supports Bush 90% of the time and that Obama is the "most liberal" are based on 2007. Some years Obama was still very liberal, but not the "most liberal" and also McCain wasn't as supportive of Bush's policies as he was last year.

I've pointed out elsewhere, in response to the folks (like myself) pointing out that the "most liberal" record has been applied by the GOP to every Dem nominee since Clinton, that one way somebody could justify that label is by only looking at the most recent year. My reasoning is that (to pick the example of McCain/Obama in '07) at the times the votes were cast, the Senator knew he was running for President. (Even if he claimed he wasn't.) And therefore, if you look at the Senator's most recent year in office, what you're looking at is a Senator who's courting money, and who knows that a year from now, he's going to be campaigining for primaries.

That it would make sense, to me, to assert that, if you take any party's nominee, and look at his voting record for the year prior to him announcing his candidacy, that he was adhering to the Party Line. Simply because that's one of the things that he has to do, to win the nomination.

-----

That said, there was a thread on here a few months back, looking at somebody's claim that Obama is more partisan than McCain was. And the poster provided me links to advocacy groups who were rating Senators. And I followed the links, and observed that

[*]At least of the advocacy groups selected, they almost always rated Obama as being closer to a 100% rating (or 0%, depending on the group/issue), whereas McCain, while nowhere near 50% according to these groups, was closer to the middle than Obama was.

[*]And, when I went to those same groups ratings for McCain/Obama for previous years, (for '06), the ratings were consistent. That, say, the NRA did not say rate McCain better in '07 than they did in 06. (Nor did they rate Obama worse.) My conclusion was that, based on the scores of these groups, that neither Obama nor McCain changed their positions a lot, in the year before they announced their candidacy.

[playboy1972]

Here's a head up while "fact checking" on McCain-Palin. Rumors are circulating in Alaska that Palin may have lied about being pregnant. Word has it that the child was her daughters. Three major issues here if this is true.

1. She lied.

2. Fathers rights may have been violated.

3. Health Issurance fraud by misrepresentation.

I hope conservatives can take what they have been dishing out.

http://www.mediatakeout.com/2008/26264-stunning_rumor_mccains_vp_choice_may_have_hid_daughters_pregnancy__claimed_the_baby_as_her_own_.html

[Art Monk Fan]

I beileve the point was that Obama wanted to raise taxes on individuals making $250K or more, and since some of those people were small business owners McCain stretched the truth to say Obama is raising taxes on small business. Like much of what's wrong with our politics, it isn't false so much as stupid, misleading, and pointless. Gotta like that in a leader.

Yet MANY small business owners (like my brother the plumber) don't have separate personal and business accounts -- his small business and indiviual earnings are the same.

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

Here's a head up while "fact checking" on McCain-Palin. Rumors are circulating in Alaska that Palin may have lied about being pregnant. Word has it that the child was her daughters. Four major issues here if this is true.

1. She lied.

2. Fathers rights may have been violated.

3. Health Issurance fraud by misrepresentation.

I hope conservatives can take what they have been dishing out.

http://www.mediatakeout.com/2008/26264-stunning_rumor_mccains_vp_choice_may_have_hid_daughters_pregnancy__claimed_the_baby_as_her_own_.html

:rotflmao:

Surrrrrrrre.

[Larry]

Here's a head up while "fact checking" on McCain-Palin. Rumors are circulating in Alaska that Palin may have lied about being pregnant. Word has it that the child was her daughters. Four major issues here if this is true.

1. She lied.

2. Fathers rights may have been violated.

3. Health Issurance fraud by misrepresentation.

I hope conservatives can take what they have been dishing out.

http://www.mediatakeout.com/2008/26264-stunning_rumor_mccains_vp_choice_may_have_hid_daughters_pregnancy__claimed_the_baby_as_her_own_.html

I demand to see original Birth Certificates!!!!!

An even more scandalous thing I noticed, on her wiki page:

Children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig

What's she got against Traditional Family Names?