http://www.politicususa.com/en/fact-check-las-vegas-gop-debate
The Republicans got together for another debate in Las Vegas tonight, and here are the eight biggest and most blatant lies uttered during the CNN debate.
1). Herman Cain claims his 9-9-9 plan doesn’t raise taxes on those who make the least.
The Truth: The Citizens for Tax Justice did an analysis of Herman Cain’s plan that found that 9-9-9 would give the 1% wealthiest Americans a tax break, and it would raise taxes on the poorest 60% by $2,000. A study of Cain’s plan by the Tax Policy Center found that taxes would go down only for those who make over $200,000 a year.
2). CNN and Michele Bachmann Claim 47% of Americans Don’t Pay Taxes
Bachmann said that every American should pay taxes, even if it is just a dollar. The problem is that the idea that 47% of Americans don’t pay taxes is a myth.
The Truth: Because of high unemployment, and the Obama tax credits, 51% of Americans paid no federal income taxes in 2009. This statistic was limited to federal income taxes for one year. The actual number of Americans who pay no taxes of any kind is only 14%, and this group mainly consists of the elderly and the disabled.
3). Michele Bachmann’s Claim that even the Obama administration wants to repeal ObamaCare.
The Truth: The Hill reported yesterday, “President Obama is against repealing the health law’s long-term-care CLASS Act and might veto Republican efforts to do so, an administration official tells The Hill, despite the government’s announcement Friday that the program was dead in the water. “We do not support repeal,” the official said Monday. ‘Repealing the CLASS Act isn’t necessary or productive. What we should be doing is working together to address the long-term care challenges we face in this country.’
4). Mitt Romney’s claim that he never, “hired an illegal.”
The Truth: Romney did hire illegal immigrants. PolitiFact graded Romney’s claim that he never hired illegal immigrants as mostly false in 2007, “Reporters tracked down three former landscapers who claimed to have been in the United States illegally when they worked on Romney’s lawn. One of the workers, Rene Alvarez Rosales, said he worked for Romney eight years landscaping his lawn, occasionally getting a “buenos dias” from Romney himself. Others told the Globe of casual encounters with Romney over the years, during which he had never inquired about their status. The Globe said Romney, for an entire decade, used a landscaping company that relied on illegal Guatemalan immigrants. Employees at the company, Community Lawn Service with a Heart, said its owner hadn’t asked them to provide documents showing their immigration status.”
5. Rick Perry claimed Texas has one of the best healthcare systems in the world.
The Truth: According to the Commonwealth Fund, Texas ranked 46th in the United States in healthcare. Forget the world; Texas has one of the worst healthcare systems in the United States.
6). Mitt Romney claimed that he never supported TARP.
The Truth: Back in March 2009 Romney told James Pethokoukis of Reuters, “The TARP program, while not transparent and not having been used as wisely it should have been, was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures. You cannot have a free economy and free market if there is not a financial system. … The TARP program was designed to keep the financial system going, to keep money circulating in the economy, without which the entire economy stops and you would really have an economic collapse.”
7). Mitt Romney’s charge that Obama doesn’t have a jobs plan.
The Truth: Obama’s plan is called The American Jobs Act. It would create 1.9 million new jobs, and unlike Romney’s bullet point smoke an mirror economic plan. Mark Zandi of Moody’s estimated that Obama’s plan would create 2 million new jobs.
8). Rick Santorum claimed Iran was not a terrorist nation when Reagan traded arms for hostages.
The Truth: Iran was added to list of states that sponsor terrorism in January 1984. The first arms for hostages transaction with Iran occurred on August 20, 1985.
Winners and Losers:
Winners:
1). Mitt Romney – Rick Perry tried to challenge Romney, but he was the only one. Until the rest of the GOP jumps on Romney, he will continue to be the lukewarm unwanted leader of the GOP field.
2). Ron Paul- Rep. Paul had a strong debate tonight. This format kept him away from his Fed obsession, and he gave a great answer about not blaming the victim and supporting the Occupy Wall Street protests. This was a better-rounded and stronger performance from Paul.
3). Rick Santorum – The former PA senator who has the lowest poll numbers of any of the candidates on the stage got lots more airtime without Huntsman on the stage. Santorum knows he isn’t going to win so he is sitting on the sidelines taking shots at the frontrunners. Somebody better let Roger Ailes know that Santorum is using these debates to put together a new clip reel to use in his soon to be commencing negotiations with Fox News.
Losers:
1). Herman Cain- Welcome to frontrunner status, Herb. The very first question of the debate was about Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, and all of his opponents piled on and destroyed him from every possible angle. Heck, the words regressive tax we spoken on a Republican stage while taking about a flat tax plan. On other issues Cain was pretty much invisible. Herman Cain has become the 2011 GOP version of Urkel, and 9-9-9 has replaced, “Did I do that?” as quite possibly the most annoying catch phrase ever.
2). Rick Perry- The Texas Governor went the whole back to 2007 to try to attack Mitt Romney for, “hiring illegals.” The audience wasn’t with Perry, and he foreshadowed that he is desperate and ready to go negative with personal attacks against the frontrunner.
3). Michele Bachmann- She brought the hyperbole and the crazy tonight. Her campaign is dead in the water, and she is now using the campaign and these debates as a personal publicity tour.
4). Newt Gingrich- The more Newt talks in these debates, the more he reveals himself to be an intellectual fraud. For a supposed ideas man, Gingrich offers no original ideas and spends most of airtime going for cheap audience applause lines.
The Republicans got together for another debate in Las Vegas tonight, and here are the eight biggest and most blatant lies uttered during the CNN debate.
1). Herman Cain claims his 9-9-9 plan doesn’t raise taxes on those who make the least.
The Truth: The Citizens for Tax Justice did an analysis of Herman Cain’s plan that found that 9-9-9 would give the 1% wealthiest Americans a tax break, and it would raise taxes on the poorest 60% by $2,000. A study of Cain’s plan by the Tax Policy Center found that taxes would go down only for those who make over $200,000 a year.
2). CNN and Michele Bachmann Claim 47% of Americans Don’t Pay Taxes
Bachmann said that every American should pay taxes, even if it is just a dollar. The problem is that the idea that 47% of Americans don’t pay taxes is a myth.
The Truth: Because of high unemployment, and the Obama tax credits, 51% of Americans paid no federal income taxes in 2009. This statistic was limited to federal income taxes for one year. The actual number of Americans who pay no taxes of any kind is only 14%, and this group mainly consists of the elderly and the disabled.
3). Michele Bachmann’s Claim that even the Obama administration wants to repeal ObamaCare.
The Truth: The Hill reported yesterday, “President Obama is against repealing the health law’s long-term-care CLASS Act and might veto Republican efforts to do so, an administration official tells The Hill, despite the government’s announcement Friday that the program was dead in the water. “We do not support repeal,” the official said Monday. ‘Repealing the CLASS Act isn’t necessary or productive. What we should be doing is working together to address the long-term care challenges we face in this country.’
4). Mitt Romney’s claim that he never, “hired an illegal.”
The Truth: Romney did hire illegal immigrants. PolitiFact graded Romney’s claim that he never hired illegal immigrants as mostly false in 2007, “Reporters tracked down three former landscapers who claimed to have been in the United States illegally when they worked on Romney’s lawn. One of the workers, Rene Alvarez Rosales, said he worked for Romney eight years landscaping his lawn, occasionally getting a “buenos dias” from Romney himself. Others told the Globe of casual encounters with Romney over the years, during which he had never inquired about their status. The Globe said Romney, for an entire decade, used a landscaping company that relied on illegal Guatemalan immigrants. Employees at the company, Community Lawn Service with a Heart, said its owner hadn’t asked them to provide documents showing their immigration status.”
5. Rick Perry claimed Texas has one of the best healthcare systems in the world.
The Truth: According to the Commonwealth Fund, Texas ranked 46th in the United States in healthcare. Forget the world; Texas has one of the worst healthcare systems in the United States.
6). Mitt Romney claimed that he never supported TARP.
The Truth: Back in March 2009 Romney told James Pethokoukis of Reuters, “The TARP program, while not transparent and not having been used as wisely it should have been, was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures. You cannot have a free economy and free market if there is not a financial system. … The TARP program was designed to keep the financial system going, to keep money circulating in the economy, without which the entire economy stops and you would really have an economic collapse.”
7). Mitt Romney’s charge that Obama doesn’t have a jobs plan.
The Truth: Obama’s plan is called The American Jobs Act. It would create 1.9 million new jobs, and unlike Romney’s bullet point smoke an mirror economic plan. Mark Zandi of Moody’s estimated that Obama’s plan would create 2 million new jobs.
8). Rick Santorum claimed Iran was not a terrorist nation when Reagan traded arms for hostages.
The Truth: Iran was added to list of states that sponsor terrorism in January 1984. The first arms for hostages transaction with Iran occurred on August 20, 1985.
Winners and Losers:
Winners:
1). Mitt Romney – Rick Perry tried to challenge Romney, but he was the only one. Until the rest of the GOP jumps on Romney, he will continue to be the lukewarm unwanted leader of the GOP field.
2). Ron Paul- Rep. Paul had a strong debate tonight. This format kept him away from his Fed obsession, and he gave a great answer about not blaming the victim and supporting the Occupy Wall Street protests. This was a better-rounded and stronger performance from Paul.
3). Rick Santorum – The former PA senator who has the lowest poll numbers of any of the candidates on the stage got lots more airtime without Huntsman on the stage. Santorum knows he isn’t going to win so he is sitting on the sidelines taking shots at the frontrunners. Somebody better let Roger Ailes know that Santorum is using these debates to put together a new clip reel to use in his soon to be commencing negotiations with Fox News.
Losers:
1). Herman Cain- Welcome to frontrunner status, Herb. The very first question of the debate was about Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, and all of his opponents piled on and destroyed him from every possible angle. Heck, the words regressive tax we spoken on a Republican stage while taking about a flat tax plan. On other issues Cain was pretty much invisible. Herman Cain has become the 2011 GOP version of Urkel, and 9-9-9 has replaced, “Did I do that?” as quite possibly the most annoying catch phrase ever.
2). Rick Perry- The Texas Governor went the whole back to 2007 to try to attack Mitt Romney for, “hiring illegals.” The audience wasn’t with Perry, and he foreshadowed that he is desperate and ready to go negative with personal attacks against the frontrunner.
3). Michele Bachmann- She brought the hyperbole and the crazy tonight. Her campaign is dead in the water, and she is now using the campaign and these debates as a personal publicity tour.
4). Newt Gingrich- The more Newt talks in these debates, the more he reveals himself to be an intellectual fraud. For a supposed ideas man, Gingrich offers no original ideas and spends most of airtime going for cheap audience applause lines.
