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| Wikipedia photo by Carl Van Vechten, 1940 |
Mainstream media: Fact-check and call out candidates when they lie. You have an obligation as journalists to educate the public on the facts of the major campaign issues.
Sign the MoveOn Petition
1. Lie: President Obama is the "greatest threat" to Medicare.Truth: Obama didn't make any cuts to Medicare benefits; he made cuts to provider reimbursements, to improve cost efficiency and extend the fiscal security of Medicare by eight years. According to the Medicare actuary, "[Obama's] Affordable Care Act makes important changes to the Medicare program and substantially improves its financial outlook."1But Ryan actually does want to cut benefits. He proposed dismantling Medicare and replacing it with a voucher system, leaving millions of seniors to come up with more money to pay for care out of pocket.2,32. Lie: President Obama didn't save a General Motors plant in Wisconsin.Truth: First, Obama wasn't even in office when the GM plant closed. Second, Obama never made a promise to save it.43. Lie: President Obama ignored recommendations of a bipartisan debt commission.Truth: Paul Ryan actually sat on that commission. And he led Republicans in voting down the commission's own recommendation. So the commission never gave a report to Obama, because Ryan himself voted to kill the report before it could.54. Lie: President Obama is responsible for the downgrading of the U.S. Credit RatingTruth: House Republicans, including Paul Ryan, held the full faith and credit of the United States hostage to try to ransom it for trillions of dollars in cuts to social programs without increasing taxes on the wealthy one dime. Standard & Poors said specifically, "We have changed our assumption on [revenue] because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues." That's why our nation's credit rating was downgraded.6,75. Lie: Ryan wants to protect the "weak."Truth: Ryan's biggest feat in his political career was proposing a budget with dramatic cuts to programs benefiting the poor. He'd cut Medicaid by one third, take away health care insurance from 30 million Americans, and cut Pell Grants for 1 million students. All so that he could give more tax breaks to the rich.8
1. "Fact check: Paul Ryan at the RNC," USA Today, August 30, 2012Related articles
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279602&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=8
2. "Undoing Obama Medicare cuts may backfire on Romney," The Boston Globe, August 18, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279597&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=9 3. "Romney-Ryan Medicare Plan Would Cost 29-Year-Olds $331,200: Report," Huffington Post, August 27, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279596&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=10 4. "Paul Ryan Misleads With GM Plant Closure Tale," Huffington Post, August 29, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279598&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=11 5. "Fact Check: Paul Ryan misleads on debt panel's spending cut plan," CNN, August 30, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279608&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=12 6. "Top 5 Fibs In Paul Ryan's Convention Speech," Talking Points Memo, August 30, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279595&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=13 7. "Paul Ryan Address: Convention Speech Built On Demonstrably Misleading Assertions," Huffington Post, August 30, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279604&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=14 8. "4 Ways Paul Ryan's Budget Would Devastate The Poor," ThinkProgress, August 17, 2012
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=279605&id=50188-18002772- majwEHx&t=15
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| Image Credit & Copyright: Tom O'Donoghue |
“Legitimate rape” is great birth control. So says Todd Akin, and he oughta know. If we are raped we can rest unafraid, ‘Cause we can’t get pregnant if forcibly laid. Our female bodies are clever that way, We only get pregnant when we say “okay.” Doctors have told him, so it must be so, The stork only comes if we don’t say “No!” Rape won’t make babies and that is a fact; There’s no global warming; the Earth’s really flat. We heard it on FOX News so it must be true. Well, Mr. Akin, we say “F*** YOU!”Via
MARK SCOLFORO, ASSOCIATED PRESS: How would you tell a daughter or a granddaughter who, God forbid, would be the victim of a rape, to keep the child against her own will? Do you have a way to explain that?
SMITH: I lived something similar to that with my own family. She chose life, and I commend her for that. She knew my views. But, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to.. she chose they way I thought. No don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t rape.
SCOLFORO: Similar how?
SMITH: Uh, having a baby out of wedlock.
SCOLFORO: That’s similar to rape?
SMITH: No, no, no, but… put yourself in a father’s situation, yes. It is similar. But, back to the original, I’m pro-life, period.
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| Credit: Wikipedia |
As Republicans gather in Tampa to nominate Mitt Romney, Americans can expect to hear tales of how President Obama has failed to work with their party or turn the economy around.
But an element of their party has pitched so far to the extreme right on issues important to women, immigrants, seniors and students that they've proven incapable of governing for the people. Look no further than the inclusion of the Akin amendment in the Republican Party platform, which bans abortion, even for rape victims.
The truth is that the party has failed to demonstrate the kind of leadership or seriousness voters deserve.
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Putin's war on dissent may have met its match in Pussy Riot, the female protest group. The European Parliament is calling for an asset freeze and travel ban on Russia's corrupt elite -- let's join their call and make it a reality -- sign the petition:Amnesty International Petition
Interview with Parade Magazine 8/23/12, Mitt Romney:
One of the downsides of releasing one's financial information is that this is now all public, but we had never intended our contributions to be known. It's a very personal thing between ourselves and our commitment to our God and our church.The problem with this, of course, is that Mitt Romney and his wife have repeatedly claimed, in print and on television, that they give 10% to their church
Parade December 2011
Parade: Do you tithe on a regular basis?But this latest Romney excuse is far better than Ann Romney's reason for not releasing additional tax returns.
Romney: Yes, I've given away 10 percent of what I've earned pretax.
Ann Romney: "It'll just give them more ammunition"63% of Americans think that Mitt Romney needs to release additional tax returns. One partial year and an estimate for another is just not adequate for the President of the USA. Mitt Romney thinks those Americans are small minded. Count me in as one of the small minded Americans who want to see at least 5 full years of Mitt Romney's tax returns.
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The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted of 1,000 registered voters (300 reached by cell phone) from Aug. 16-20, and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points.
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| NOAA.gov |
