December 20, 2011 2:19 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Fact-Checking PolitiFact On Its "Lie Of The Year"
Earlier in the year, Republicans in the House overwhelmingly voted on a budget proposal crafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). Ryan's radical piece of "right-wing social engineering," as Newt Gingrich once referred to it, aims to, among other things, convert both the Medicaid and food stamp program into block grants, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and end the single-payer health care system known as Medicare. Unfortunately, the fact checkers at PolitiFact have decided that this indisputable fact — that the Ryan budget ends what Americans have long understood as Medicare, and replaces it with a more expensive and inferior privatized health care system that will be Medicare in name alone — warranted their "Lie of the Year" designation. But PolitiFact is wrong. Republicans have voted to end what all Americans know as Medicare. As economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes of PolitiFact's decision, "they've bent over backwards to appear 'balanced.'"
December 15, 2011 4:12 pm ET filed under Blog
Has Rep. Ryan Changed His Mind About The Affordable Care Act?
December 14, 2011 10:31 am ET filed under Blog
AP: Affordable Care Act Adds 2.5 Million Young Adults To Ranks Of Insured
December 08, 2011 3:06 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Paul Ryan Lies In Email Urging People To Vote For Lie Of The Year
November 28, 2011 11:01 am ET filed under Blog
AP: The Affordable Care Act Shrinks The "Doughnut Hole" By 40 Percent
November 16, 2011 10:26 am ET filed under Blog
Sen. Coburn Tries To Undermine The Social Safety Net Under The Guise Of Fairness
November 14, 2011 10:29 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - November 13, 2011
The Penn State sexual abuse scandal headlined the political talk shows on Sunday, but Republican leaders still found plenty of time to air dishonest talking points about conservative policies. GOP super committee members Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) misled viewers about the root of the debt problem the committee is trying to solve and what Republicans have proposed to address it. In particular, both lawmakers severely distorted the impact of the failed Bush tax cuts. Elsewhere, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared that Republicans want to "reduce taxes on every single American," ignoring the party leaders demanding that the poor pay higher taxes, and struggling presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) claimed that "what we need to win this war on terror" is the reinstatement of Bush-approved torture techniques.
November 09, 2011 10:56 am ET filed under Fact Check
Ain't That A Shame: Pat Boone And 60 Plus Attack Sen. Sherrod Brown With Recycled Health Care Lies
In a new ad from the 60 Plus Association, renowned Top 40 crooner Pat Boone misrepresents the role, responsibilities, and powers of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) set up by the Affordable Care Act to slow the dangerous rise of health care costs. But Boone, whose cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" was a No. 1 hit in 1955, is behind the times. It's been well established for a year now that IPAB doesn't have the power to ration care or change Medicare benefits, and the board's members have to be confirmed by the Senate. Furthermore, while Boone claims IPAB's savings will "fund more wasteful spending" and accuses Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) of "ignoring the problem" with Medicare's finances, the changes in the health care law actually extended the life of Medicare. Boone leaves one golden oldie about $500 billion in Medicare cuts to the narrator — but it's still not true.
October 21, 2011 9:45 am ET filed under Fact Check
Rep. Cantor's Class Warfare
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School today (Update: Cantor's scheduled speech was canceled), where he plans to discuss how to bridge the gap between rich and poor in the United States. Given that Cantor has dedicated his political career to upholding this disparity, he has wealth of knowledge on the topic. Since becoming House Majority Leader, Cantor has done everything in his power to protect the wealthy from making the same sacrifices he's determined to force upon everyone else. Whether he's working to end Medicare for seniors, withholding relief from disaster victims to secure further spending cuts, or using the unemployed as political fodder while rejecting policies that will create jobs, Eric Cantor has proven that he is committed to making life easier for people who are already on top, even if it comes at the expense of those who are struggling.
September 23, 2011 9:03 am ET filed under Blog
One Year Later, The Affordable Care Act's Consumer Protections Are Working
September 19, 2011 9:51 am ET filed under Blog
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - September 18, 2011
September 19, 2011 9:32 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - September 18, 2011
This week's Sunday political talk shows saw a litany of standard GOP untruths. On CNN, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) repeated the favorite false Republican talking point of late: that businesses aren't hiring because of "uncertainty." He was joined in his lie by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and presidential candidate Herman Cain, both of whom appeared on Fox News Sunday. Both Cain and Ryan also revived an old piece of misinformation — that raising taxes on top earners would disproportionately harm small businesses — which was echoed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). For his part, Graham misrepresented the public's opinion on taxing the wealthy, and absurdly claimed that "everything" — including unemployment — is worse because of President Obama's policies. Ryan dredged up some old lies about the House-passed GOP budget's effects on Medicare, which it would essentially destroy, and then falsely claimed that the Affordable Care Act's Independent Payment Advisory Board puts bureaucrats in charge of "rationing."
September 16, 2011 3:32 pm ET filed under Blog
Why Raising The Medicare Eligibility Age Is A Bad Idea
September 12, 2011 8:55 pm ET filed under Video
Romney, Perry Trade Social Security Falsehoods
From the September 12, 2011, CNN/Tea Party Republican primary debate:
September 12, 2011 8:32 pm ET filed under Video
Rep. Bachmann: "Obama Stole Over $500 Billion Out Of Medicare To Switch It Over To Obamacare"
From the September 12, 2011, CNN/Tea Party Republican primary debate:
September 12, 2011 11:42 am ET filed under Blog
Despite New Tone, Gov. Perry's Social Security Op-Ed Is The Same Old Scam
September 08, 2011 3:14 pm ET filed under Blog
Conservative Social Security Critics Have Been Insisting 'The End Is Near' For Decades
September 07, 2011 9:28 pm ET filed under Video
Perry: Social Security "Is A Monstrous Lie" That Won't Be There For Our Kids
From the September 7, 2011, GOP Reagan presidential debate on MSNBC:
September 06, 2011 10:15 am ET filed under Blog
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - September 4, 2011
August 30, 2011 11:55 am ET filed under Blog
Senators Have Financial Incentives To Favor Bad Policies For Seniors
August 25, 2011 9:16 am ET filed under Blog
If Medicare "Weakened Us As A People," Why Does Sen. Rubio Want To "Save" It?
August 11, 2011 6:40 pm ET filed under Fact Check
GOP Social Security Schemes Would Only Harm Retirees
As the anniversary of Social Security nears, it's important to remember how Republicans have approached the program. Beginning with a Bush-era commission on Social Security reform and continuing up through Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) "Roadmap for America's Future," Republicans have sought over the last decade to disrupt the Social Security system via a variety of schemes. Their proposals, which have often included privatization plans and "progressive price indexing," would introduce uncertainty into retirees' lives by attaching payouts to the ups and downs of the market, and would amount to substantial benefit cuts for many Americans.
August 08, 2011 9:46 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - August 7, 2011
The highlight of yesterday's Sunday political talk shows was Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) deceptive performance on Fox. Ryan misled on a range of topics, from the causes of the S&P downgrade of U.S. debt, to the drivers of that debt, to President Obama's policy positions, to the reasons businesses aren't expanding today, with plenty of stops in between. By comparison, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) dishonesty about Afghanistan and Social Security, Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) bogus economic statistics, and Sen. Jeff Sessions' (R-AL) deceit on deficits under President Bush and Democrats' willingness to cut spending were barely even blips on the radar.
August 05, 2011 3:21 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Cantor Throws Young, Unemployed Under The Bus To Protect Rich People From Taxes
August 03, 2011 12:18 pm ET filed under Blog
Sen. McConnell Promises Super Committee Will "Focus On Entitlements"
August 03, 2011 12:17 pm ET filed under Fact Check
After Passing Debt Deal, Sen. McConnell Returns To Bunk Social Security, Medicare Talking Points
Last night on Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — fresh off avoiding government default — took the opportunity to return to familiar and incorrect talking points about Medicare and Social Security. After repeating his previously debunked claim that the Affordable Care Act cut "Medicare by half a trillion dollars," he then claimed that Medicare would be insolvent in five years, with Social Security following soon after. Both programs, however, will be solvent for far longer than five years, and in the case of Medicare, the Affordable Care Act is partially responsible for extending solvency.
August 02, 2011 10:30 am ET filed under Fact Check
Op-Eds From Reps. Ryan And Pitts Filled With Health Care Lies
As a deal on the debt crisis was being reached, Reps. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA) refocused their energy on lying about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and distorting its impact on job creators, seniors and economy. In Politico op-eds, the congressmen attacked the health care waivers granted, cited the debunked McKinsey study as proof of the ACA's supposed negative impact on hiring, and condemned the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) for harming seniors by denying care. Rep. Ryan also rehashed the tired claim that the ACA cut $500 billion from Medicare and falsely asserted the ACA has "weakened our economy and accelerated out-of-control government spending" while touting his "Path to Prosperity" budget plan that would end Medicare as we know it.
July 28, 2011 5:55 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Dreier Pretends Boehner Plan Will "Ensure" Safety Net Is "Not Touched"
July 22, 2011 1:16 pm ET filed under Blog
Sen. DeMint's Transparent Trust Fund Flip-Flop
