DNC Night Two -Bigger Names and Bigger LIES

To those of you who watched the Cowboys beat the Giants in last night's NFL Opener, Congrats...you had the better time. Although you did miss the fun at the Democratic National Convention.  Night two featured some bigger names and some bigger lies.

The Lie: Delaware Gov. Jack Markell Said “Mitt Romney Says He Likes To Fire People.” MARKELL: “Let me ask you: What do you think Mitt Romney would have done if that call came in? Well, Mitt Romney already told us what he would do. Mitt Romney says he likes to fire people. And Barack Obama? He likes to see people hired.” (Gov. Jack Markell, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

The Truth: 

• PolitiFact: “Markell Here Is Cherry-Picking Romney’s Words And Putting Them In A Context Romney Never Intended.” (“When It Comes To Jobless Workers, ‘Mitt Romney Likes To Fire People,’” Romney “Was Talking About What Should Happen If People Aren’t Happy With Their Health Insurance Provider.” “Those words from Romney date back to Jan. 9, 2012, when Romney was speaking about health care — not the economy or jobs — at the Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce. Specifically, he was talking about what should happen if people aren’t happy with their health insurance provider.” (“When It Comes To Jobless Workers, ‘Mitt Romney Likes To Fire People,. Romney Never Said Anything About Liking To Fire People When It Came To Laid-Off Workers. He’s Cherry-Picking Romney’s Words And Putting Them In An Entirely Different Context… We Rate Markell’s Statement False.” “He’s cherry-picking Romney’s words and putting them in an entirely different context. What Romney actually said was, ‘I like being able to fire people who provide services to me,’ and he was talking specifically about switching health insurance companies if a provider isn’t giving good service. We rate Markell’s statement False.” (“When It Comes To Jobless Workers, ‘Mitt Romney Likes To Fire People,’” PolitiFact, 9/5/12)

• The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: Romney Was “Making A Point About Choice In Health Care – Not Hiring.” “Here’s what Romney actually said, in a speech to the Nashua Chamber of Commerce: ‘I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means that if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If, you know, if someone doesn’t give me the good service I need, I want to say, you know, that I’m going to go get somebody else to provide that service to me.’ In other words, he was making a point about choice in health care – not hiring.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

• The New York Times : Markell’s Use Of Romney’s Quote “Was Taken Out Of Context.”“But the quote was taken out of context from a speech Mr. Romney gave in January in Nashua, N.H., when he was talking about the importance of having a choice of health care providers.” (Michael Cooper, Scott Shane, and Annie Lowry, “A Startling Truth Amid The Hyperbole,” The New York Times, 9/5/12)

• “Some Speakers At The Democratic National Convention Used An Out-Of-Context Quote On Wednesday Night To Give The Misleading Impression That Mr. Romney Enjoys Firing People.” (Michael Cooper, Scott Shane, and Annie Lowry, “A Startling Truth Amid The Hyperbole,” The New York Times, 9/5/12)

The Lie:  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Said “Republicans Will End The Medicare Guarantee.” PELOSI: “Democrats will preserve and strengthen Medicare. Republicans will end the Medicare guarantee.” (Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth: Ryan’s Proposal Does Not End The Medicare Guarantee. “The latest Ryan plan would offer future retirees the choice of a government program modeled on Medicare or private plans subsidized by government. That’s not a proposal to end a Medicare guarantee. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office does, though, estimate future retirees would get less from the government under the Ryan plan than if current law continues. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has endorsed Ryan’s Medicare ideas in broad terms while saying the White House agenda will be his own, not his running mate’s, if they win.” (Matt Apuzzo, “Dems Twist Jobs Numbers And GOP Medicare Ideas,” The Associated Press, 9/5/12)

The Lie: My Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) Said “Paul Ryan Wrote The Budget That Turns Medicare Into Voucher Care And Could Charge Seniors $6,400 More Every Year.”ISRAEL: “Paul Ryan wrote the budget that turns Medicare into voucher care and could charge seniors $6,400 more every year, while funding tax breaks for millionaires. Here’s their economic plan: if you’re a millionaire, you win the lottery. If you’re a senior, you lose your Medicare guarantee.” (Rep. Steve Israel, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth: Rep. Israel’s Figure Is “Outdated” And Based On The CBO’s Analysis Of Ryan’s 2011 Proposal, Which Is Different Than The 2012 Version. “THE FACTS: Both are on shaky ground in declaring that Republicans will end the ‘Medicare guarantee,’ and Israel’s figure for how much more seniors could pay is outdated. It’s actually based on a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the 2011 version of Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare proposal, different in several important ways from the Republican vice presidential candidate’s latest 2012 version.” (Matt Apuzzo, “Dems Twist Jobs Numbers And GOP Medicare Ideas,” The Associated Press, 9/5/12)

The Lie: Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD): “He Also Didn’t Tell You That Mitt Romney And Paul Ryan Wanted To End The Medicare Guarantee And Turn It Into A Voucher, Which Would Leave Seniors With The Increased Cost.” (Rep. Steny Hoyer, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth: Paul Ryan’s Medicare Plan Would Allow All Seniors To Remain On Traditional Medicare. “The most recent version of the Medicare overhaul promoted by GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan would allow all seniors to remain on traditional Medicare or try private plans subsidized by the government. The plan’s emphasis on reducing costs might require seniors to pay more out of pocket, but much is still uncertain about the full impact – years from now.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

The Lie:  Bubba Clinton Said Health Care Costs Are Lower Because Of ObamaCare. CLINTON: “Now, finally, listen to this. For the last two years, after going up at three times the rate of inflation for a decade, for the last two years, health care costs have been under 4 percent in both years for the first time in 50 years. So let me ask you something. Are we better off because President Obama fought for health care reform? You bet we are.” (Bill Clinton, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)
 
The Truth: :

• Under Obama, The Average Cost Of Family Health Care Premiums Have Increased From $12,680 To $15,073, An Increase Of 18.9 Percent. (“Employer Health Benefits, 2011 Annual Survey, Exhibit 1.11″ Kaiser Family Foundation, 2011)

• FactCheck.org: Clinton Was At Fault For Saying ObamaCare Was “Responsible For Bringing Down The Rate Of Increase In Health Care Spending.” “The worst we could fault him for was a suggestion that President Obama’s Affordable Care Act was responsible for bringing down the rate of increase in health care spending, when the fact is that the law’s main provisions have yet to take effect.”The “Lousy Economy” Is Responsible For The Slowdown In Spending, Not ObamaCare. “Actually, the major provisions of the 2010 law – the individual mandate, federal subsidies to help Americans buy insurance, and big reductions in the growth of Medicare spending – haven’t yet taken effect. Experts mainly blame the lousy economy for the slowdown in health care spending. As a report by economists and statisticians at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported last year, for example (as quoted in theWashington Post): ‘Job losses caused many people to lose employer-sponsored health insurance and, in some cases, to forgo health-care services they could not afford.’” (Lori Robertson, Eugene Kiely, Brooks Jackson, and Robert Farley, “Our Clinton Nightmare,”Factcheck.org, 9/6/12)

• The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: Much Of The Health Law Hasn’t Been Implemented, So “The Slowdown Is More Likely Because Of The Lousy Economy.” “Clinton tried to attribute this decline in health costs to the health care law, but much of it has not yet been implemented. Most economists say the slowdown is more likely because of the lousy economy.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

• Health Affairs: The Recession Is The Real Reason For The Slow Down In Health Care Spending. “Although medical goods and services are generally viewed as necessities, the latest recession had a dramatic effect on their utilization.” (Anne B. Martin, David Lassman, Benjamin Washington, Aaron Catlin And The National Health Expenditures Accounts Team,”Growth In US Health Spending Remained Slow In 2010; Health Share Of Gross Domestic Product Was Unchanged From 2009,” Health Affairs, 31, no. 1 (2012):208-219)

• FactCheck.org: ObamaCare “Falls Short Of Making Health Care ‘Affordable And Available To Every Single American,’ As Promised.” “Furthermore, the law falls short of making health care ‘affordable and available to every single American,’ as promised. The law provides subsidies to help some Americans buy insurance, expands Medicaid and doesn’t allow insurance companies to exclude persons with preexisting conditions. But still, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million persons will remain uninsured – some because they can’t afford coverage.” At the moment, the new law is making health care slightly less affordable. Independent health care experts say the law has caused some insurance premiums to rise. As we wrote in October, the new law has caused about a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family plans because of requirements for increased benefits. Last year’s premium increases cast even more doubt on another promise the president has made – that the health care law would ‘lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.’” (D’Angelo Gore, “Promises, Promises,” FactCheck.org, 1/4/12)

• The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: “Insurance premiums have gone up, in part because of new benefits mandated by the law.” (Glenn Kessler, “The Fine Print In Obama’s ‘Promises Kept’ Ad,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 1/6/12)

• “Bad News … Premiums Almost Certainly Will Go Up.” “But the bad news is that, on average, premiums almost certainly will go up – with some people really getting hit with increases.” (Glenn Kessler, “President Obama’s Claim That Insurance Premiums ‘Will Go Down,’” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 8/10/12)

• Young Adults Will “Have Sticker Shock When They See What Happens To Their Premiums Starting In 2014.” “The law’s provisions, especially the requirement for essential benefits, will almost certainly increase premiums, though tax subsidies will help mitigate the impact for a little over half of the people in the exchanges. But a lot of other people – such as a young male who currently has a plan that does not include all of the required benefits – are likely going to have sticker shock when they see what happens to their premiums starting in 2014.” (Glenn Kessler, “President Obama’s Claim That Insurance Premiums ‘Will Go Down,’” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 8/10/12)

The Lie: Former President Bill Clinton: “Soon The Insurance Companies – Not The Government, The Insurance Companies – Will Have Millions Of New Customers.”CLINTON: “Soon the insurance companies – not the government, the insurance companies – will have millions of new customers, many of them middle-class people with pre-existing conditions who never could get insurance before.” (Bill Clinton, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth: The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: “Actually, The Original Congressional Budget Office Estimate Is That 16 Million People Would End Up In Private Coverage And 16 Million Would End Up On Medicaid.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

The Lie: Bubba Clinton: Obama “Has Offered A Reasonable Plan Of $4 Trillion In Debt Reduction Over A Decade.” CLINTON: “He has offered a reasonable plan of $4 trillion in debt reduction over a decade. For every $2.5 trillion in spending cuts, he raises a dollar in new revenues, 2.5 to 1. And he has tight controls on future spending. That’s the kind of balanced approach proposed by the Simpson-Bowles commission, a bipartisan commission. … It passes the arithmetic test.” (Former President Bill Clinton, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth:  The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: “The Repeated Claim That Obama’s Budget Reduces The Deficit By $4 Trillion Is Simply Not Accurate.” Obama Used A “Major Budget Gimmick” By Which “The Administration Is Able To Claim Credit For Saving Money It Never Intended To Spend.” “In other words, by projecting war spending far in the future, the administration is able to claim credit for saving money it never intended to spend. (Imagine taking credit for saving money on buying a new car every year, even though you intended to keep your car for ten years.) Rather than good arithmetic, independent budget analysts called the maneuver ‘a major budget gimmick. In Effect, Most Of Obama’s Claimed Deficit Reduction Comes From His Proposed Tax Increases.” “There are a number of other games being played, so fake money is being used to pay for real spending projects. In effect, most of Obama’s claimed deficit reduction comes from his proposed tax increases.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

The Lie Former President Bill Clinton: “We could have done better, but last year the Republicans blocked the president’s job plan, costing the economy more than a million new jobs. So here’s another job score. President Obama: plus 4.5 million. Congressional Republicans: zero.” (Former President Bill Clinton, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth:   The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: “Obama’s Jobs Plan Was More Of A Rhetorical Device, Aimed At Republicans, Rather Than A Real Plan. Clinton praises Obama both for his sound budget math and for his jobs plan, even though the money to fund the budget and the jobs plan are used twice. That certainly doesn’t pass the Arkansas 2+2=4 test.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

The Lie  Former President Bill Clinton: “More Than 500,000 Manufacturing Jobs Have Been Created Under President Obama.” CLINTON: “During this period, more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs have been created under President Obama. That’s the first time manufacturing jobs have increased since the 1990s.” (Former President Bill Clinton, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth:   The Washington Post’ s Glenn Kessler: “Bureau Of Labor Statistics Data Shows That Manufacturing Jobs Have Declined By More Than 500,000.”“Clinton is referring to the period since February 2010, the administration’s preferred date for counting employment figures. If you count from the beginning of Obama’s term, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that manufacturing jobs have declined by more than 500,000.” (Glenn Kessler, “Fact Checking Bill Clinton’s Speech And Other Democrats At The Convention In Charlotte,” The Washington Post’s ” The Fact Checker,” 9/6/12)

The Lie  Steve Westly Said Obama “Helped Create 4.5 Million” Jobs. WESTLY: “President Obama understands that future. He knows that this election is about creating jobs today. That’s why he’s helped create 4.5 million of them, growing the economy from the middle out, not the top down.’” (Steve Westly, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth:  “The Claim Ignores Job Losses During Obama’s Term Before The Employment Picture  Bottomed Out.” “THE FACTS: While that figure has become a White House talking point, it’s only part of the story. It’s a selective 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. And the claim ignores job losses during Obama’s term before the employment picture bottomed out.” 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.” (Matt Apuzzo, “Dems Twist Jobs Numbers And GOP Medicare Ideas,” The Associated Press, 9/5/12)

The Lie  United Auto Workers President Bob King Claimed Romney Said “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” KING: “And what did Mitt Romney say? He said ‘Let Detroit go bankrupt.’”(UAW President Bob King, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth:  CNN’s Erin Burnett Clarified That That Was The ” Title The Editors Of The ‘New York Times’ Gave The Piece. Romney Himself Had Titled It ‘The Way Forward For The Auto Industry,’ And Said He Preferred Managed Bankruptcy.”BURNETT: “Mr. King was speaking and he had rousing applause. They all had signs. This is something they are touting as a very big achievement and a claim we have repeatedly heard time and time again at this convention and that is ‘President Obama saved the auto industry,’ Rahm Emanuel has said it, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has said it, First Lady Michelle Obama has said it and we heard it again tonight from the head of the Auto Workers Union Bob King. One of his lines, ‘what did Mitt Romney say? Let Detroit go bankrupt.’ That is actually from an op-ed in 2008. It was titled, ‘Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,’ but I think we should make it clear that that is the title the editors of the ‘New York Times’ gave the piece. Romney himself had titled it ‘The Way Forward For The Auto Industry,’ and said he preferred managed bankruptcy.” (CNN’s “Reality Check,” 9/5/12)

• CNN’s Tom Foreman Says “ Romney Was Really Making An Argument Against The Bailout, Not For The Liquidation, Not For The Wiping Out Of This Company. ”FOREMAN: “Yeah that’s absolutely right and there are a lot of partisans that don’t want to talk about this. Romney was really making an argument against the bailout, not for the liquidation, not for the wiping out of this company. Here’s what he wrote. ‘The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. The federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.’ The fundamental issue here is not wiping out all those jobs, but instead keeping them going, just a different way.” (CNN’s “Reality Check,” 9/5/12)

The Lie :King Said Obama’s Actions On The Auto Bailout Saved A Million Jobs.KING: “By contrast, President Obama took action, putting together a rescue team and demanding real change, real sacrifice, from everyone-management, labor, shareholders, suppliers, debt-holders, and dealers. It wasn’t universally popular, but it was absolutely right. President Obama’s strong leadership saved more than a million jobs.” (UAW President Bob King, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth: Foreman Says That King’s Number About Number Of Jobs Saved In The Auto Industry Is Far Greater Than The Number Of “Workers That Were Actually Involved.” FOREMAN: “The second part of King’s statement, more than a million jobs saved, signs all over here, people waving them. 1.1 million jobs saved, the Obama campaign has used that many times, but they also caution on their web site by saying up and down the supply chain. You saw the video presentation a short while ago, they are talking about every restaurant, every auto supply place, every place who benefited from them being there, so basically only a hundred thousand or so workers that were actually involved when you talk about the multiplier from many more. Some of that came from the Automotive Research Center, they had a number about 1.1 million in 2009. It’s not just auto workers, a lot of people to get that number.” (CNN’s “Reality Check,” 9/5/12)

The Lie  Massachusetts Senate Candidate and Faux Native American Elizabeth Warren: “His Plans Will Hammer Them With A New Tax Hike Of Up To $2,000.” WARREN: “He wants to give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. But for middle-class families who are hanging on by their fingernails? His plans will hammer them with a new tax hike of up to $2,000.” (Elizabeth Warren , Remarks At The Democratic National Convention, Charlotte, N.C., 9/5/12)

• The Truth:Authors Of Third-Party Analysis “Note That Their Calculations Are Not Precise.” “The $2000 ‘tax hike’ figure that Warren cites is grounded in a third-party analysis that Romney has criticized, but one the authors stand by. The authors also note that their calculations are not precise because they lack some specifics of Romney’s plan.” (“CNN Fact Check: The $2,000 Question,” CNN Politics, 9/6/12)

• The New York Times: “It Is A Charge That Many Democrats Are Making, But It Is Not Entirely Accurate.” (Michael Cooper, Scott Shane, and Annie Lowry, “A Startling Truth Amid The Hyperbole,” The New York Times, 9/5/12)

• “It Is Not Clear That Mr. Romney Would Raise Taxes On The Middle Class.” “But it is not clear that Mr. Romney would raise taxes on the middle class. Instead, the plan might add to the deficit, make smaller cuts to marginal tax rates or take away preferential rates on investments and savings.” (Michael Cooper, Scott Shane, and Annie Lowry, “A Startling Truth Amid The Hyperbole,” The New York Times, 9/5/12)

The Lie: Steve Westly Claimed Obama Is 60 Percent Toward His Goal Of Doubling American Exports. WESTLY: “Four years ago, President Obama pledged to double American exports by 2015. Today, we’re more than 60 percent of the way there.” (Steve Westly, Remarks At The Democrat National Convention, Charlotte, NC, 9/5/12)

• The Truth: Since Obama Made His Pledge In January 2010, There Has Been A 29 Percent Increase In Exports, Not 60. “In January 2009, exports of goods and services (see “Trade in Goods and Services, 1992 to present”) were about $125 billion. Export values increased to about $185 billion in June of this year, the last month the BEA updated its numbers. That’s an increase of 48 percent. The increase is even less – 29 percent – counting from the month Obama made his pledge during the State of Union in January 2010, when goods and services equaled nearly $144 billion. First Of All, Obama Made That Pledge During His 2010 State Of The Union Address – Not Four Years Ago.” “First of all, Obama made that pledge during his 2010 State of the Union address – not four years ago. The president said: ‘So tonight, we set a new goal: We will double our exports over the next five years…’ Obama launched a National Export Initiative to help farmers and small businesses export more goods. (“Day 2: More Convention Canards,” FactCheck.Org, 9/5/12)

Tonight Biden and Obama....prepare for some more whoppers