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Patriot Games
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http://www.newsmax.com/politics/fact_check_republicans/2008/01/25/67512.html
Fact Check: Misfires in GOP Debate
Friday, January 25, 2008
WASHINGTON -- A number of assertions in the latest Republican presidential
debate went unchallenged because candidates spent more time criticizing
Democrats from afar than challenging _ and correcting _ each other face to
face.
THE SPIN: John McCain took issue with a questioner's statement that he
favors "mandatory caps" on greenhouse gas emissions.
"No, I'm in favor of cap-and-trade," McCain said.
"And all we are saying is, 'Look, if you can reduce your greenhouse gas
emissions, you earn a credit. If somebody else is going to increase theirs,
you can sell it to them.' And, meanwhile, we have a gradual reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions."
THE FACTS: McCain has proposed mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
The Arizona senator has been among the most vocal supporters in Washington
of capping greenhouse gases, proposing legislation to do that several times,
and criticized the Bush administration for resisting mandatory measures.
In a cap-and-trade system, companies that outperform pollution requirements
could sell the right to pollute to companies that don't meet the limits. But
overall emissions would have to come down, and ever more stringently as
years pass.
The bill McCain co-sponsored with Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman last year
proposed that pollution allowances be cut by two-thirds between 2012 and
2050. A section of the bill is titled: "Mandating Emissions Reductions."
THE SPIN: Mitt Romney boiled down Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's health
care plan to what he regarded as its essence: a government giveaway.
"Her health care plan, quite simply, is one which says, 'Look, we're going
to give health insurance to everybody by the government.'"
THE FACTS: Clinton's plan does not propose that the government give everyone
health insurance. Most people and companies would pay for it, like now.
The New York senator proposes that the government help those who can't
afford the insurance to buy it, so that everyone can be covered, and uses
tax credits to small business and other spending to try to make that
possible. Existing health insurance plans would be preserved for those who
want it, while people could choose to join other programs she proposes to
create.
THE SPIN: Rudy Giuliani again talked up his record as New York mayor.
"I'm the only one who's actually turned around a government economy. I mean,
the reality is, when I became mayor of New York the economy of New York was
in very, very bad shape _ tremendous deficits, 10 1/2 percent unemployment,
300,000 jobs gone. We turned that around, cut unemployment by more than
half, brought in 450,000 new jobs, and we cut taxes by 17 percent."
THE FACTS: The unemployment rate fell from about 10 percent when he took
office to a little over 6 percent before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks, rising after to 7.6 percent. The rate did not fall by more than
half.
On deficits, an analysis by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the
University of Pennsylvania found that he inherited a $2.3 billion deficit in
1994 and produced surpluses during his mayoralty, but projected a $2.8
billion deficit in his last budget, released the spring before the attacks.
THE SPIN: Mike Huckabee aired his proposal to eliminate federal income,
investment and payroll taxes in favor of a national sales tax, an idea he
has likened elsewhere to "a magic wand relieving us from pain and
unfairness."
Questioned about a 30 percent sales tax, he said "it's 23 percent" if the
government is to bring in the same money it is getting now. He said his plan
"untaxes the poor, untaxes the elderly."
THE FACTS: A mathematical exercise is required to understand why 30 percent
and 23 percent are both applied to the plan.
If an item costs $100 before tax and $130 after tax, that's $30 more, which
most shoppers would consider a 30 percent rate.
But proponents of the sales tax cast it another way. They say that because
$30 is 23 percent of $130, the rate is really 23 percent.
Huckabee does not exempt the elderly from the tax, despite claiming he
"untaxes the elderly."
By that, he means that he thinks most retirees keep their spending under the
poverty-line level, and so would be sheltered.
Fact Check: Misfires in GOP Debate
Friday, January 25, 2008
WASHINGTON -- A number of assertions in the latest Republican presidential
debate went unchallenged because candidates spent more time criticizing
Democrats from afar than challenging _ and correcting _ each other face to
face.
THE SPIN: John McCain took issue with a questioner's statement that he
favors "mandatory caps" on greenhouse gas emissions.
"No, I'm in favor of cap-and-trade," McCain said.
"And all we are saying is, 'Look, if you can reduce your greenhouse gas
emissions, you earn a credit. If somebody else is going to increase theirs,
you can sell it to them.' And, meanwhile, we have a gradual reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions."
THE FACTS: McCain has proposed mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
The Arizona senator has been among the most vocal supporters in Washington
of capping greenhouse gases, proposing legislation to do that several times,
and criticized the Bush administration for resisting mandatory measures.
In a cap-and-trade system, companies that outperform pollution requirements
could sell the right to pollute to companies that don't meet the limits. But
overall emissions would have to come down, and ever more stringently as
years pass.
The bill McCain co-sponsored with Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman last year
proposed that pollution allowances be cut by two-thirds between 2012 and
2050. A section of the bill is titled: "Mandating Emissions Reductions."
THE SPIN: Mitt Romney boiled down Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton's health
care plan to what he regarded as its essence: a government giveaway.
"Her health care plan, quite simply, is one which says, 'Look, we're going
to give health insurance to everybody by the government.'"
THE FACTS: Clinton's plan does not propose that the government give everyone
health insurance. Most people and companies would pay for it, like now.
The New York senator proposes that the government help those who can't
afford the insurance to buy it, so that everyone can be covered, and uses
tax credits to small business and other spending to try to make that
possible. Existing health insurance plans would be preserved for those who
want it, while people could choose to join other programs she proposes to
create.
THE SPIN: Rudy Giuliani again talked up his record as New York mayor.
"I'm the only one who's actually turned around a government economy. I mean,
the reality is, when I became mayor of New York the economy of New York was
in very, very bad shape _ tremendous deficits, 10 1/2 percent unemployment,
300,000 jobs gone. We turned that around, cut unemployment by more than
half, brought in 450,000 new jobs, and we cut taxes by 17 percent."
THE FACTS: The unemployment rate fell from about 10 percent when he took
office to a little over 6 percent before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks, rising after to 7.6 percent. The rate did not fall by more than
half.
On deficits, an analysis by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the
University of Pennsylvania found that he inherited a $2.3 billion deficit in
1994 and produced surpluses during his mayoralty, but projected a $2.8
billion deficit in his last budget, released the spring before the attacks.
THE SPIN: Mike Huckabee aired his proposal to eliminate federal income,
investment and payroll taxes in favor of a national sales tax, an idea he
has likened elsewhere to "a magic wand relieving us from pain and
unfairness."
Questioned about a 30 percent sales tax, he said "it's 23 percent" if the
government is to bring in the same money it is getting now. He said his plan
"untaxes the poor, untaxes the elderly."
THE FACTS: A mathematical exercise is required to understand why 30 percent
and 23 percent are both applied to the plan.
If an item costs $100 before tax and $130 after tax, that's $30 more, which
most shoppers would consider a 30 percent rate.
But proponents of the sales tax cast it another way. They say that because
$30 is 23 percent of $130, the rate is really 23 percent.
Huckabee does not exempt the elderly from the tax, despite claiming he
"untaxes the elderly."
By that, he means that he thinks most retirees keep their spending under the
poverty-line level, and so would be sheltered.
