Fact check: Opening night of the DNC

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Middle-Class taxes

The keynote speaker, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, repeated a frequent but groundless Democratic talking point, warning that Romney would raise taxes on the middle class.

Castro was joined in this by other Democrats including former Virginia governor Tim Kaine and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. But they all misrepresented the position Romney has made clearly and repeatedly — that he would somehow lower taxes on those in the middle class. Their claim rests on a distortion of a nonpartisan group's findings.

Keynoter's Jobs Spin

Keynote speaker Castro also put a misleading spin on employment data. He claimed "we've seen 4.5 million new jobs" under President Obama. In fact, the nation has regained 4.5 million jobs that had been lost, but employment is still below where it was when the president took office.

Pell Grant piffle

Castro also went too far in saying the Republican ticket "guts Pell Grants." The Ryan budget plan would limit the growth, but maintain the maximum award of $5,550.

Massachusetts 47th? Or 28th?

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn went on the offensive, saying Romney had failed to deliver on campaign promises he made while running to become governor of Massachusetts. But some of Quinn's talking points were a stretch.

In the 12 months before Romney took office, the state ranked 50th in job creation, and by his final year, the state ranked 28th. Quinn would have been more accurate to say Romney "left his state" in 28th place, not 47th.

The 77-Cent exaggeration

...the most recent Census figures show that in 2010, "the earnings of women who worked full time, year-round were 77% of that for men working full time, year-round." But that's the median (midpoint) for all women in all jobs, not for women doing "the same work" or even necessarily working the same number of hours.

The actual gap for doing the same work varies by occupation but tends to be much less. ...for example, ...female registered nurses made nearly 96% of male nurses, female elementary and middle school teachers made 91% of what their male counterparts earned, secondary school teachers made 94%, and police officers made 99%.

Bain 'bailout' baloney

A union president claimed that Romney "asked for a government bailout" for his troubled company. That's not what happened.

First of all, it wasn't Romney's company that was troubled; it was the consulting firm he had left — Bain & Co. — in order to form Bain Capital. And while Romney did negotiate a favorable debt settlement with banking regulators for Bain & Co's partners, they did not receive taxpayer dollars.

More Medicare malarkey

Becerra's remark about "older Americans," however, is misleading whether it pertains to Ryan's 2011 or 2012 plan. He claimed older Americans would be put in a "voucher" system. But, as we said, anyone 55 or older would stay in the traditional Medicare system, under either Ryan proposal.

Social Security mythology

Rep. James Clyburn exaggerated when he said "Democrats created Social Security" without Republican support in 1935. The fact is, despite some early Republican opposition, Congress overwhelmingly approved the proposal with strong bipartisan support. And President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill into law within seven months of its introduction — in stark contrast to the protracted partisan battle over Obama's health care law.

The Social Security Administration website shows that the Social Security Act of 1935 passed with bipartisan support in both chambers — 372-33 in the House and 77-6 in the Senate — in April and June of 1935, respectively.

In the House, 81 Republicans voted for it, and an equal number of Republicans and Democrats - just 15 from each party - voted against it. In the Senate, 16 Republicans voted for it, and only five against...

Both houses gave final approval to the bill by voice vote on Aug. 8, 1935. Roosevelt signed the bill into law Aug. 14, 1935 — just seven months after it was introduced.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-09-05/fact-check-democratic-national-convention/57596574/1

Shameless. Just shameless.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Looks pretty harmless compared to the lies spewed at the RNC.

It's to be expected at these events. Both parties will say whatever they can to make their nominee look better, whether it's true or not.

[Darnell 8,478]

Spin On! Tis the Season, fact checkers are on strike.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Looks pretty harmless compared to the lies spewed at the RNC.

It's to be expected at these events. Both parties will say whatever they can to make their nominee look better, whether it's true or not.

I love FOX's coverage of the convention.

I am particular fond of Sean Hannity - he is almost as good as Limbaugh when it comes to entertainment.

I watched Sean interview Bill Richardson and ask him three times how President Obama could be worth reelecting if when he took office gas was $1.85 and it is now almost $4.00 a gallon... I am surprised he did not blame Obama for the price of tea in China!!! :rofl: Similarly to a dog with a bone, he insisted that gas prices were lower before Obama took office... It would have been funny, were it not pathetic.

[Darnell 8,478]

Have you priced tea in China??? [Just asking]

[JohnR! 5,495]

Have you priced tea in China??? [Just asking]

I am sure that whatever the price, Hannity would have blamed it on Obama... You should have seen him going after Bill Richardson and trying to put words in the governor's mouth. It really was bad...

[Darnell 8,478]

Bill Richardson? Really? He's a cool guy ! Everybody knows that ! Oh Well.

It is fun to watch. I'm not watching this week, but I'm recording it all for review in October. I'm inbetween houses and farms till the end of the month.

[Harsh_77 716]

I love FOX's coverage of the convention.

I am particular fond of Sean Hannity - he is almost as good as Limbaugh when it comes to entertainment.

I watched Sean interview Bill Richardson and ask him three times how President Obama could be worth reelecting if when he took office gas was $1.85 and it is now almost $4.00 a gallon... I am surprised he did not blame Obama for the price of tea in China!!! :rofl: Similarly to a dog with a bone, he insisted that gas prices were lower before Obama took office... It would have been funny, were it not pathetic.

So Romney can blamed for tanking the companies when he was running them but........ someone who is running the country and tanking the country cannot be blamed for it.

Hmmmm interesting.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So Romney can blamed for tanking the companies when he was running them but........ someone who is running the country and tanking the country cannot be blamed for it.

The economy is growing, stock markets are up sharply, jobs are growing. Tanking looks differently. What we had 4 years ago was a country tanking. And it wasn't Obama running it.

[JohnR! 5,495]

So Romney can blamed for tanking the companies when he was running them but........ someone who is running the country and tanking the country cannot be blamed for it.

Hmmmm interesting.

You should ask Hannity... It was his interview...

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

So Romney can blamed for tanking the companies when he was running them but........ someone who is running the country and tanking the country cannot be blamed for it.

Hmmmm interesting.

I didn't know 80s/90s Japanese style growth was "tanking the country"

[DaveE 178]

Of course when Democrats do it, it is only embellishing according to the AP.

"Some Obama programs embellished by Democrats

SEBELIUS: "So instead of the Medicare guarantee, Republicans would give seniors a voucher that limits what's covered."

THE FACTS: She left out crucial details in describing the Romney-Ryan Medicare plan. It would not apply to the nearly 50 million current Medicare recipients but to future retirees who would join the program starting in 2023. Current beneficiaries could remain in the traditional program, while new retirees would get a fixed payment from the government that could be used either to purchase a private insurance plan or a new government program modeled on traditional Medicare.

SAN ANTONIO MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO: "Despite incredible odds and united Republican opposition our president took action. And now we've seen 4.5 million new jobs."

THE FACTS: While that figure has become a White House talking point, it's only part of the story. It's a cherry-picked number that refers just to private sector jobs created in the last 29 months, from the trough of the recession through July. Governments - especially state and local ones - have continued shedding jobs.

The economy lost 8.8 million jobs from the time employment peaked in January 2008 until it hit bottom in February 2010. Between then and this July - the most recent month for which there are figures - just 4 million jobs have been recovered. Never since World War II has the economy been so slow to recover all the jobs lost in a downturn."

CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL: "I remember when the president received a report that the auto industry had a few weeks before collapse... And because (he) made the right choice, over one million Americans are still working today."

THE FACTS: Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff at the time, makes it sound like Obama was the one who saved General Motors and Chrysler. (Ford never applied for federal help). But, actually, the auto bailout program was started by President Bush, then extended and expanded by Obama.

AP Link here

Yawn- same old bull. I can't wait for November.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I didn't know 80s/90s Japanese style growth was "tanking the country"

As long as Obama is in office, the country is tanking. That's his primary goal. The growing economy, the private sector jobs that are created and the stock market that has been recovering nicely are all just window dressing to keep the gullible public from paying any attention to what Obama is really doing - which is tanking the country. Surprised you didn't know.

[mawilson 2,133]

Middle-Class taxes

The keynote speaker, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, repeated a frequent but groundless Democratic talking point, warning that Romney would raise taxes on the middle class.

Castro was joined in this by other Democrats including former Virginia governor Tim Kaine and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. But they all misrepresented the position Romney has made clearly and repeatedly — that he would somehow lower taxes on those in the middle class. Their claim rests on a distortion of a nonpartisan group's findings.

Any politician - Republican or Democrat - who claims they can balance the budget without raising taxes on the middle class is a liar.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Any politician - Republican or Democrat - who claims they can balance the budget without raising taxes on the middle class is a liar.

Agreed.