Republican Convention Lies: McCain's Acceptance Speech

The lies were flying fast and furious at the RNC this past week, and a post that catalogued all those lies would probably break the Internet. First, I tackled the lies in Sarah Palin's speech.

Now, it's McCain's turn.

LIE: Well, first up is that weird green background. There was an image on the screen behind McCain of Walter Reed Middle School. McCain spokesman Tucker bounds claimed the image of a school was intentional.

TRUTH: All signs point up to a screwup. Many have speculated that the McCain campaign actually meant to use an image of Walter Reed Medical Hospital, and in fact, campaign manager Rick Davis blamed the screwup on McCain ad man Fred Davis. Meanwhile, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America slammed McCain, saying the faux background "was as close as McCain got to veterans issues" at the RNC.

LIE: "[Palin's] tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption."

TRUTH: Palin does not have any record of tackling energy independence, unless you count being in favor of drilling more, which would not lead to energy independence. She did help pass an ethics reform bill, but is mired in corruption and ethics scandals of her own.

LIE: "She's balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests"

TRUTH: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin started with a balanced budget and left the city $20 million in debt. She also raised taxes on city residents. As governor, she raised taxes on oil companies by $1.5 billion. The only instance in which Palin cut taxes was rescinding a fuel tax that amounted to approximately $40 million, leaving a net tax increase of approximately $1.46 billion. Alaska's budget surplus is almost exclusively due to high oil prices.

LIE: "She's helped run a small business"

TRUTH: One business partially owned by the Palins was an Anchorage car wash that was involuntarily dissolved because they failed to pay state licensing fees.

LIE: "I'm not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin"

TRUTH: See this flip-flop list.

LIE: "I fought crooked deals in the Pentagon."

TRUTH: This isn't actually a lie, it's just ironic that he co-sponsored this legislation with Barack Obama.

LIE: "I fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq, when it wasn't a popular thing to do."

TRUTH: In 2003, McCain professed that the war would be "fairly easy," then later claimed that the war was over, citing the Mission Accomplished banner. He did eventually call for more troops, but hedged.

LIE: "...that strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans."

TRUTH: Um, the jury is still out.

LIE: "I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market."

TRUTH: McCain opposed helping distressed homeowners, saying, "it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers." So... he actually fought against Bill and Sue Nebe.

LIE: "We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies."

TRUTH: The energy bill that Obama voted for in 2005 did have $2.6 billion in tax breaks for oil companies, but they were counterbalanced by $3 billion in oil taxes. Obama helped add measures for alternative energy to the bill.

LIE: "I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them."

TRUTH: McCain plans to cut taxes, but the vast bulk of his tax cuts would go to the wealthy. Obama wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and plans to give the middle class $80 billion in tax cuts.

LIE: "I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them."

TRUTH: Obama believes in free trade but wants to amend some free trade agreements to add environmental and labor considerations.

LIE: "My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance."

TRUTH: McCain's plan calls for tax credits so that individuals can pay for health insurance, but he would eliminate tax exemptions on employer-provided health care. The tax break McCain is proposing is $2,500, compared to the average $12,000 yearly premium paid by employers, leading many to question how it would actually make it easier to pay for health insurance. It should also be noted that one of McCain's health care advisers said everyone should be considered insured because they can go to the emergency room.

LIE: "His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor."

TRUTH: In Obama's health care plan, it would only be mandatory for children to have health insurance (the horror!). Adults would have a choice. The Obama plan would also insure businesses against catastrophic health costs.

LIE: "Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power."

TRUTH: Obama is not opposed to nuclear power or drilling. He has also called for a $150 billion investment in new energy sources.

LIE: "The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn't a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you."

TRUTH: The McCain campaign has been noted for its partisan rancor, including questioning Obama's patriotism.

LIE: "I won't let you down."

TRUTH: He will.

Republican Convention Lies: Sarah Palin's Acceptance Speech

The lies were flying fast and furious at the RNC this past week, and a post that catalogued all those lies would probably break the Internet. Instead, I'll merely start by listing the falsehoods, fudges and straight-up lies in Sarah Palin's acceptance speech.

McCain, you're next. Watch out, old fella.


SARAH PALIN

LIE: "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities."

TRUTH: Barack Obama worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago after he graduated from college. He received a $13,000 salary, foregoing a more lucrative career. He worked for the Developing Communities Project, which "protected community interests regarding landfills and helped win employment training services, playgrounds, after-school programs, school reforms and other public amenities." Residents and organizers who knew him at the itme recall Obama's efforts in glowing terms.

When Sarah Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla, the town had no long-term debt. Instead of investing in local infrastructure needs, Palin raised taxes for the construction of a multi-million dollar indoor sports facility. However, the city began construction before it had received title, which resulted in years of (still ongoing) litigation that cost the city $1.3 million. Palin left Wasilla $20 million in debt, and was nearly recalled.

LIE: "I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment."

TRUTH: When Palin was mayor of Wasilla, she hired a lobbyist with ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. She also ran Senator Ted Stevens' 527 political action committee (he is currently indicted for corruption charges), and made a public appearance with him to support him politically.

LIE: "This was the spirit that brought me to the governor's office, when I took on the old politics as usual in Juneau ... when I stood up to the special interests, the lobbyists, big oil companies, and the good-ol' boys network."

TRUTH: As previously noted, Palin had close ties to lobbyists in Alaska. Palin also supports drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a position heavily favored by oil companies, and believes we can drill our way out of the energy crisis (which is not true). To be fair, she did raise taxes on oil companies while governor amid record oil prices.

LIE: "I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing. And today, that ethics reform is the law."

TRUTH: Palin did help pass an ethics reform bill. However, she stands accused of her own ethics violation stemming from the firing of a public safety officer who refused to fire her brother-in-law, a state trooper. She is also accused of improperly accessing the trooper's personnel file, which could carry criminal charges.

LIE: "That luxury jet was over the top. I put it on eBay."

TRUTH: Palin suggests that she actually sold the jet on eBay, but in truth it never sold on eBay, and was eventually sold at a $300,000 loss to a Palin campaign contributor. Far from being a "luxury jet," it had mainly been used to transport criminals.

LIE: "I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress."

TRUTH: Palin was actually a major proponent of earmark spending, and in fact, Alaska was the recipient of more earmark spending per capita than any other state in the nation. Palin's requests for earmarks included $499,000 to assess halibut harvesting.

LIE: "I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere."

TRUTH: This is such a blatant lie it's incredible it made it into the speech. Palin repeatedly expressed support on the Bridge to Nowhere, and was even photographed with a satirical t-shirt in support of the project.

LIE: "But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate."

TRUTH: Obama has only written one memoir, DREAMS FROM MY FATHER. His second book, THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, was a campaign book. But guess who has written two memoirs? John McCain! He wrote the memoirs FAITH OF MY FATHERS and WORTH FIGHTING FOR with Mark Salter, as well as his other books WHY COURAGE MATTERS, CHARACTER IS DESTINY, HARD CALL, and more.

It's also false that Obama did not sponsor any major legislation. He wrote over 110 bills as a Senator, including an important nuclear noproliferation bill and a bill (co-sponsored with John McCain) that established transparency in federal contracts. His bills in the Illinois State Legislature have also been praised.

LIE: "America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it."

TRUTH: Obama's own website calls for investing $150 billion in new clean energy sources.

LIE: "Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?"

TRUTH: Honestly I don't know what this even means, but it should be noted that Obama is the only candidate who supports incursions into Pakistan if there is actionable intelligence on Al Qaeda, a position John McCain did not support because he was worried about Pakistani sovereignty (despite claiming that he would pursue Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell).

LIE: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses."

TRUTH: Obama only plans to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and calls for $80 billion in tax breaks to the middle class.

LIE: "Senator McCain's record of actual achievement and reform helps explain why so many special interests, lobbyists, and comfortable committee chairmen in Congress have fought the prospect of a McCain presidency - from the primary election of 2000 to this very day."

TRUTH: I'm sure there are some lobbyists who aren't supporting McCain, but his campaign manager, Rick Davis, is a former lobbyist, and a huge portion of his campaign staff are lobbyists.