Part One: Barack Obama
1)
President of the United States of America Barack Obama first
cited the 5.2 million new private sector jobs that have been created over the
past 31 consecutive months of private sector job growth.
a.
This is True.
i.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on
October 10th: “Private employers added over 4.7 million jobs to their payrolls
in the last 31 months, an average of 152,000 jobs a month.” [4]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics survey on October
4, 2012 found that the U.S. economy has added over 5 million private sector
jobs in the last 30 months.
2)
President Obama then mentioned that oil production is at its
highest in years.
b.
This, too, is True.
ii. A
September 24th, Department of Interior Press Release states: “Since President
Obama took office, domestic oil and gas production has increased each year,
with domestic oil production at an eight-year high”. [1]
Energy Information Administration data shows that U.S. crude oil production was
higher in 2011 than at any point since 2003.
3)
The President then followed up with a mention of the fact that
oil imports are the lowest in 16 years.
c.
This is also true.
iii.
The Energy Information Administration estimates that the U.S.
dependence on foreign oil, as measured by the net import percentage, is the
lowest since 1995.
4)
President Obama iterated that natural gas production is the
highest in decades.
d.
This is true.
iv.
Energy Information Administration data show that in 2011
production of natural gas the highest in nearly 40 years.
5)
The President of the United States then stated that drilling
is more on public lands than in the previous administration.
e.
This true too.
v.
The Columbia Journalism Review reported on March 22nd: “During
the Bush years, federal lands produced roughly 33 percent of the national
output on average. During the Obama years, they produced roughly 34 percent.” [2]
6)
The President then touted the fact that his administration has
cut taxes on the middle class.
f.
This is true.
vi.
According to a November 30, 2011 study by the Department of
the Treasury: “The payroll tax cut equals…a tax cut of about $1,000 for a
typical family”. According to an April 15, 2011 report by the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities: “With [Obama’s] Making Work Pay tax credit…Middle-income
Americans are now paying taxes at or near historically low levels”. [7]
7)
Obama added that taxes have been cut for small businesses
under his Presidency.
g.
This is also true.
vii.
CBS reported on September 27, 2010: "In September 2010,
Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act, which included eight new small
business tax cuts.” [8]
8)
The President touted his administration’s number of cases
against unfair trade practices.
h.
This is true.
viii.
The Obama administration has already filed seven complaints
against China before the World Trade Organization, over issues such as auto
parts rolled electrical steel, in less than one term.
9)
The President then boasted that there are the most border
patrol agents in history.
i.
This, too, is true.
ix.
Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher stated in a July 22, 2010
House Homeland Security Committee: “Currently, we have over 20,000 Border
Patrol Agents nationwide, more than ever before in the history of the country.”
[6]
Department of Homeland Security spokesman Steven Cribby stated on May 10, 2011
that as of April 9, 2011 the Border Patrol has 21,444 agents. The Customs and
Border Protection states that most, about 86 percent or 17,659 are now assigned
to patrol the Southwest US-Mexico border that stretches from California to Texas.
According to Princeton University Office of Population Research professor
Douglas Massey, Office of Immigration Statistics data shows that “the Border
Patrol is better staffed than at any time in its 85-year history”, with “a
higher total number of agents than in any year going back to at least 1924”. [3]
10)
Obama followed up by boasting that there is the lowest flow of
immigration in 40 years.
j.
This is also true.
x.
In a May 3rd report, Pew Hispanic Center senior demographer
Jeffrey Passel concludes: “After four decades that brought 12 million current
immigrants—most of whom came illegally—the net migration flow from Mexico to
the United States has stopped and may have reversed”, and estimated that the
flow into Mexico was bigger than the flow out of Mexico since “probably the
1930’s”. [5]
According to Princeton University Office of Population Research professor
Douglas Massey, in 2011 the United States apprehended a smaller number of
individuals crossing from Mexico to the United States than in any year going
back to 1970, and apprehensions per agent is the lowest since 1943.
- Androff,
Blake and Moriarty, Tracey. “Interior Department Announces Commercial For
Renewable Energy Offshore Delaware: First Lease Under Administration’s “Smart
From The Start” Offshore Wind Strategy Part Of Effort To Expand American
Made Energy”. U.S. Department of the Interior. October 23, 2012. http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Interior-Announces-Commercial-Lease-for-Renewable-Energy-Offshore-Delaware.cfm
- Brainard,
Curtis. “Reporter’s Toolbox: Oil And Gas Prices: Resources To Help
Journalists Stop The Spin”. Columbia University in the City of New York
Graduate School of Journalism Columbia Journalism Review. March 22, 2012. http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/reporters_toolbox_oil_and_gas.php?page=2
- Chandler,
Matt. “Statement On Pew Hispanic Center Report On Unauthorized Immigration
Flows”. U.S. Department Of Homeland Security. September 1, 2010. http://www.dhs.gov/news/2010/09/01/statement-deputy-press-secretary-matt-chandler-pew-hispanic-center-report
- “Chart Book: The Legacy Of The Great Recession”. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. August 6, 2013. http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3252
- Cohn,
D. et al. “Net Migration From Mexico Falls To Zero—Perhaps Less”. Pew
Charitable Trusts Pew Research Center Hispanic Trends Project. April 23,
2012. http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/23/net-migration-from-mexico-falls-to-zero-and-perhaps-less/
- Fisher,
Michael. “Testimony Before House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee
On Border, Maritime, And Global Counterterrorism”. Department of Homeland
Security U.S. Customs And Border Protection United States border Patrol.
July 22, 2010. http://chsdemocrats.house.gov/SiteDocuments/20100722095750-53880.pdf
- Frenz, Nathaniel and Marr, Chuck. “Federal Income Taxes On Middle-Income Families Remain Near Historic Lows”. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. April 11, 2013. http://www.cbpp.org/files/4-14-10tax.pdf
- Lee, Jesse. “President Obama Signs Small Business Jobs Act—Learn What’s In It”. The White House. September 27, 2010. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/09/27/president-obama-signs-small-business-jobs-act-learn-whats-it
Part Two: Mitt Romney
1)
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney started off by
stating that there are fewer people working than when President Obama became
President of the United States.
a. This is a lie.
i.
Compared with February 2009, Obama’s first full month in
office, there has been a net increase of 463,000 jobs.
2)
Next, Romney claimed that, if elected President, he would
create “12 million jobs in 4 years”.
b.
That is a lie.
ii. In
a September 19, 2011 report, Economic Policy Institute budget analyst Rebecca
Thiess noted: “Nowhere in the 160 page plan could I find a stated job creation
number—11.5 million is a number Romney has quoted in public appearances, but it
does not appear anywhere in his plan. The math doesn’t just appear to be
fuzzy—it appears to be nonexistent…he relies on assumptions that don’t have a
whole lot of foundation—for instance that trickle-down economics works or that
it’s unhealthy for the federal government to ever run deficits.” [10]
Ezra Klein wrote for the Washington Post on October 16th: “Romney’s claim of 12
million jobs over four years breaks down to 7 million jobs over 10 years in an
economy that’s already at full employment, 3 million jobs over eight years that
have nothing to do with any of Romney’s policies, and 2 million jobs if China
suddenly became very, very respectful of U.S. intellectual property laws. This
is a lot of misreading studies to get to a number”. [5]
On October 16th, The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler wrote: “This is a case of
bait and switch…the candidate’s personal accounting for this…is based on
different figures and long-range timelines stretching as long as a decade—which
in two cases are based on studies that did not even evaluate Romney’s economic
plan. The numbers may still add up to 12 million, but they aren’t the same
thing—not by a long shot.”
3)
Romney then stated: “oil production is down on federal lands”.
c.
That is a lie.
iii. On March
22nd, The Columbia Journalism Review reported: “During the Bush years, federal
lands produced roughly 33 percent of the national output on average. During the
Obama years, they produced roughly 34 percent.” [2]
A March 20th Congressional Research Service report stated: “On
federal lands, there was also an increase in production from 2008-2009 and
another increase in 2010…Overall, oil production on federal land is up slightly
in 2011 when compared to 2007.”
4)
Mitt Romney then claimed that, were he elected President,
middle-income taxpayers would see lower taxes.
d.
That is a lie.
iv.
An August 1st study by the Tax Policy Center
concluded: “Even when we bias our assumptions about which and whose tax
expenditures are reduced to make the resulting tax system as progressive as
possible…our major conclusion is that a revenue-neutral individual income tax
change that incorporates the features Governor Romney has proposed…the net
effect of the plan…would provide large tax cuts to high income
households…coupled with a tax increase…on middle and/or lower-income
taxpayers.” In Bloomberg View on August 2nd, the Washington Post’s
Ezra Klein wrote: “No matter how hard the Tax Policy Center labored to make
Romney’s promises add up, every simulation ended the same way: with a tax
increase on the middle class…it’s “mathematically impossible” for Romney’s plan
to produce anything but a tax increase on the middle class.”
5)
Romney then claimed that President Barack Obama would raise
taxes by $4,000.
e.
That is a lie.
v.
On October 10th, The University of Pennsylvania Annenberg
School for Communication’s Annenberg Public Policy Center wrote: “Mitt Romney
falsely claims in a series of TV ads that President Obama “will raise taxes on
the middle class by $4,000.” That’s nonsense. The ads cite a conservative
group’s study, but even the group itself doesn’t say Obama will raise taxes on
middle-income taxpayers…In fact, the group’s study considered two other budget
scenarios—current law (allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire at the end of
this year) and current policy (extending current policies into 2013, including
extending the Bush-era tax cuts)—and determined that Obama’s budget “provides a
middle ground between these two extremes.” [4]
6)
Former Governor Romney then stated that unemployment was “above
8%”.
f.
That is a lie.
vi.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics on October 5th:
“The unemployment rate decreased to 7.8 percent in September.” [3]
On October 5th, New York Times chief financial correspondent Floyd Norris wrote:
“The overall unemployment rate fell in September to 7.8 percent from 8.1
percent a month earlier.” [9]
Economic Policy Institute President Lawrence Mishel, on October 5th, wrote:
“The Household survey was much more positive, showing unemployment falling from
8.1 percent to 7.8 percent.” [7]
7)
Romney then claimed that President Obama has “doubled the
deficit”.
g.
That is a lie.
vii.
In a January 2009 report, the Congressional Budget Office
showed a fiscal year 2009 deficit of $1.19 trillion, and the fiscal 2009
deficit rose to $1.41 trillion. In April 2011, the CBO projected the deficit to
be $1.16 trillion in fiscal year 2012 and $901 billion in 2013. According to
the Pulitzer Prize winning Tampa Bay Times on October 5th: “CBO projects that
for fiscal 2012, which has just ended, the fiscal 2012 deficit will be $1.09
trillion.” [8]
According to the New York Times on October 16th: “The Congressional Budget
Office just announced that the federal budget deficit was about $1.1 trillion
in 2012”. [1]
8)
Romney then stated: “people have dropped out of the
workforce”.
h.
That is a lie.
viii.
On October 5th, Economic Policy Institute President Lawrence
Mishel wrote: “The labor force participation rate (the share of adults who are
working or unemployed) increased to 63.6 percent, which is an improvement from
the prior month”. [7]
In an October 5th article in The Washington Post, Ezra Klein noted: “the
improvement in the labor force participation rate reflects a real improvement,
rather than people stopping their work search.” [6]
9)
Former Governor Romney claimed that President Obama has gone
on “apology tours”.
i.
That is a lie.
ix.
On June 3, 2011, the Associated Press wrote: “Obama has not
apologized for America…there has been no formal—or informal—apology. No saying
“sorry” on behalf of America.” On February 22, 2011, The Washington Post’s
Glenn Kessler wrote: “The claim that Obama has apologized for the United States
is not borne out by the facts…The apology tour never happened.” On April 25,
Fox News’ Juan Williams stated: “Apologizing for America is a phony political
argument. This business that somehow President Obama goes around apologizing
for America—everybody has said it’s bogus.”
- Appelbaum,
B. et al. “Presidential Debate Fact-Checks And Updates”. The New York
Times. October 16, 2012. http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/debates/presidential/2012-10-16
- Brainard,
Curtis. “Reporter’s Toolbox: Oil And Gas Prices: Resources To Help
Journalists Stop The Spin”. Columbia University in the City of New York
Graduate School of Journalism Columbia Journalism Review. March 22, 2012. http://www.cjr.org/the_observatory/reporters_toolbox_oil_and_gas.php?page=2
- “The
Employment Situation—July 2013”. United Stated Department Of Labor U.S.
Bureau Of Labor Statistics Division of Labor Force Statistics Division of
Current Employment Statistics. Friday August 2, 2013. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
- Kiely,
Eugene. “Romney’s $4,000 Tax Tale”. University of Pennsylvania Annenberg
School for Communications Annenberg Public Policy Center. October 17,
2012. http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/romneys-4000-tax-tale/
- Klein,
Ezra. “The Romney Campaign’s Job Math Is Just As Bad As Its Tax Math”. The
Washington Post. October 16, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/10/16/the-romney-campaigns-job-math-is-just-as-bad-as-its-tax-math/
- Matthews,
Dylan. “The Jobs Report In Six Charts”. The Washington Post. October 5,
2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/10/05/the-jobs-report-in-six-charts/
- Mishel,
Lawrence. “The Outrageous Attack On BLS”. Economic Policy Institute.
October 5, 2012. http://www.epi.org/blog/outrageous-attack-bls/
- “Mitt
Romney Says President Barack Obama Has “Doubled” The Deficit.”. Tampa Bay
Times. Wednesday October 3, 2012. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/oct/05/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-says-barack-obama-has-doubled-deficit/
- Norris,
Floyd. “A Lift For The Worst Off”. The New York Times. October 5, 2012. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/good-news-for-the-worst-off/
- Thiess,
Rebecca. “Romney’s Jobs Plan Is Long On Rhetoric, Short On Solutions”.
Economic Policy Institute. September 19, 2011. http://www.epi.org/blog/mitt-romney-jobs-plan/
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