Fuel-Efficient-Vehicles.org

Fact check: It is McCain who stretches the truth the most

October 8, 2008
Fact check: Candidates stretch the truth (again)
Both candidates stretched facts, sometimes past the breaking point during their second debate.
Polls show viewers favoring Obama as winner see below.

Fact Check: McCain sharply criticizes Obama for Pakistan stance hardly different from his own

McCain went on: "I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Sen. Obama did. And I'm going to act responsibly, as I have acted responsibly throughout my military career and throughout my career in the United States Senate."

Lost in McCain's withering[two faced] criticism: McCain took the same position as Obama, a year ago, when he said, "Sure. We have to," when asked if he'd go after Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

McCAIN: Said he would provide a $5,000 refundable tax credit for families to buy health insurance "rather than mandates or fines for small businesses as Sen. Obama's plan calls for."

THE FACTS: Obama's health care plan does not impose mandates or fines on small business. He would provide small businesses with a refundable tax credit of up to 50 percent on health premiums paid on behalf of their employees. Also, large employers that do not offer meaningful coverage or contribute to the cost of coverage would be required to pay a percentage of payroll toward the costs of a public insurance plan. But small businesses would be exempt from that requirement.

THE FACTS: The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates Obama would increase spending by $425 billion over four years and reduce spending by $144 billion [internally + 576 billion (12bn*12mo*4yrs) in Iraq] for a net decrease in the deficit of $295 billion. Obama has said he'll cut pork-barrel programs and the costs of the war in Iraq to pay for his programs - as well as raise taxes on the wealthy. With U.S. Monthly Spending in Iraq at $12 billion in 2008, that is more than enough. More than that, this year alone, congress has passed and Bush has signed 2 "emergency" war spending bills for a total of nearly $800 billion!

McCAIN: Said one way out of the financial crisis is to "stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don`t like us."

THE FACTS: Although he didn`t spell it out, he was referring - as he has in the past - to purchases of oil from countries hostile to the U.S. The figure is inflated and misleading. The U.S. is not spending nearly that much on oil imports and roughly one-third of what it does spend goes to friendly countries such as Canada, Mexico and Britain.
With U.S. Monthly Spending in Iraq at $12 billion in 2008, and year-by-year comparisons show that appropriations for operations and maintenance spending for the Army and Marines are rising by better than 30% annually. If McCain becomes president, leading economists have come to the conclusion that, the national debt will continue to grow. And, that came before the current financial melt-down.

McCAIN: Said Obama had voted for tax increases "94 times."

THE FACTS: This inflated count, heard before, includes repetitive votes as well as votes to cut taxes for the middle class while raising them on the rich. An analysis by factcheck.org found that 23 of the votes were for measures that would have produced no tax increase at all, seven were in favor of measures that would have lowered taxes for many, 11 would have increased taxes on only those making more than $1 million a year.

October 8, 2008
After McCain and Obama traded jabs at debate, polls show viewers favoring Obama as winner

CNN's national poll of debate watchers found that 54 percent said Obama did the best job, compared to 30 percent who said McCain performed better. While 51 percent of those polled said they had a favorable opinion of McCain, unchanged from before the debate started, 64 percent said they had a favorable opinion of Obama, up 4 percentage points from before the debate.

By more than a 2-1 margin, 65 percent to 28 percent, more people said they found Obama more likable than McCain during the debate, according to the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey.

On the question of who won the debate, a CBS News/Knowledge Networks poll of uncommitted voters found a similar result. Forty percent said Obama won, 26 percent said McCain won, and 34 percent thought it was a tie.