November 02, 2011 12:27 pm ET filed under Blog
UPDATE: NRA Contributions To Holder's Critics Grows To Over A Quarter-Million Dollars
October 19, 2011 11:33 am ET filed under Blog
Heresy! Senate GOP Endorses Commerce Clause Authority Over Health Care Industry
October 12, 2011 12:48 pm ET filed under Blog
TN Guns-In-Bars Bill Sponsor Arrested For Carrying While Under The Influence
September 26, 2011 10:09 am ET filed under Blog
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - September 25, 2011
September 26, 2011 9:50 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - September 25, 2011
This week's Sunday talk shows saw Republicans sloppily blaming President Obama wholesale for America's economic woes. On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) used his bully pulpit to claim President Obama made "every problem" he inherited from Bush's failed economic polices "much worse." On Face the Nation, RNC Chair Reince Priebus took the same tack by claiming DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz couldn't "point to one economic statistic in this country that Barack Obama has made better." Graham also absurdly claimed that cuts to the defense department triggered if the super committee fails to reach a compromise would "destroy the Defense Department." And on State of the Union, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) struggled to absolve the Tea Party of blame for a third budgetary standoff in the House, instead accusing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) instead of 'manufacturing a crisis.'
September 21, 2011 10:36 pm ET filed under Fact Check
What Happened To The Republican Consensus On Climate Change?
In May right-wing activist Marc Morano said Republican candidates "can believe in the science of global warming ... if you keep your mouth shut about it and you advocate no quote-unquote solution to the problem." By contrast, the following statements show that in previous years, prominent Republicans spoke about both the robust body of evidence indicating that human activities are changing the climate and the need to address the problem. While the political discourse has since regressed, the scientific consensus has not.
September 20, 2011 12:36 pm ET filed under Blog
In 2010, Sen. Alexander Claimed "Buffett Rule" Would Primarily Affect Wall Street
September 13, 2011 6:16 pm ET filed under Video
Rep. Blackburn Insists Cutting Regulations Will Create More Jobs Than American Jobs Act
From the September 13, 2011, edition of Hardball:
August 25, 2011 1:00 pm ET filed under Blog
Tennessee Doesn't Subsidize New Jersey — But It Might If Sen. Coburn Gets His Way
July 26, 2011 5:06 pm ET filed under Video
Sen. Corker Ignores Debt Ceiling Warnings: "Markets ... Know That We've Got Some Time"
From the July 26 edition of MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports:
July 13, 2011 9:30 am ET filed under Blog
Tennessee GOP Readying Next Year's Xenophobic, Anti-Immigrant Legislation
June 03, 2011 3:52 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Republicans Suddenly Embrace Fact-Checkers Who Routinely Call Them Liars
In order to attack Democrats' credibility on the House-passed Republican budget proposal, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have recently cited independent fact-checkers' analyses Democratic statements about the GOP plan to dismantle the Medicare system. But those same fact-checking organizations routinely point out Republicans' false claims — including their distortions about how their plan would affect Medicare. And while those organizations have taken issue with specific phrasing or excessive rhetoric from Democrats, it's well-established that the Republican plan would, in fact, turn Medicare into a voucher system that would shift rising health care costs onto future seniors rather than preserving the Medicare program as-is.
June 02, 2011 5:28 pm ET filed under Video
Rep. Blackburn Claims Democrats "Drove A Stake Through The Heart Of Medicare"
From the June 2, 2011, edition of Fox News' America Live:
May 23, 2011 4:26 pm ET filed under Blog
Tennessee Chamber Joins Local Anti-Gay Organization To Lobby Against LGBT Rights
May 05, 2011 2:40 pm ET filed under Blog
More Republicans Shy Away From GOP Medicare Plan
May 04, 2011 3:00 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Roe Ignores Rationing By Private Insurance Companies, Complains About Fertility Coverage
April 21, 2011 2:59 pm ET filed under Blog
Rep. Roe Ready To Put U.S. On "Sure Path To Economic Catastrophe" By Opposing Increase In Debt Limit
April 11, 2011 12:05 pm ET filed under Blog
Despite GOP Claims, Deficit Is A Revenue Problem
March 07, 2011 10:17 am ET filed under Blog
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - March 6, 2011
March 07, 2011 10:06 am ET filed under Fact Check
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - March 6, 2011
For the first time in weeks, the Sunday political shows didn't touch on GOP union-busting efforts in Wisconsin and elsewhere, choosing instead to focus on national economic issues. That meant a series of tired talking points from familiar Republican faces. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) implied Democrats have raised taxes, when in fact they've cut taxes by hundreds of billions. Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Michele Bachmann (R-MN) ignored economic growth and 1.5 million new private sector jobs in the past year to attack President Obama's economic policies. Bachmann also misled NBC viewers about the Affordable Care Act and the partisan nature of the Tea Party. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) claimed the administration has protected government workers at the expense of private sector jobs. On less familiar topics, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) dishonestly insisted American Muslims don't cooperate with law enforcement despite much evidence to the contrary, and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) foolishly claimed that Apple electronics are manufactured in America. Somebody should tell that to the Chinese factory workers who built your iPhone.
February 02, 2011 3:30 pm ET filed under Blog
Fox News' Kelly To Sen. Alexander: "Our Viewers Know The Talking Points By Now"
December 08, 2010 11:17 am ET filed under Blog
Touting Tax Deal, Sen. Alexander Claims Obama "Gave In To The Left" For Two Years
December 06, 2010 11:27 am ET filed under Video
Sen. Alexander: "Most Of The People" Hit By Sen. Schumer's Tax Plan "Live On Wall Street"
December 02, 2010 3:33 pm ET filed under Fact Check
Sen. Lamar Alexander Gets It Wrong On Tax Cuts And The Deficit
It's not every day that a senator manages to contradict himself with his own words in a matter of minutes. But on today's edition of The Daily Rundown, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) did just that, while simultaneously spreading misinformation about tax cuts and the deficit. In discussing the scheduled expiration of the Bush tax cuts, Alexander argued that since "the most important priority we have right now" is making it possible for businesses to create jobs, "we shouldn't be raising taxes in the middle of an economic downturn," including those for the rich. Moments later, however, Alexander seemed to pivot, instead claiming that "our biggest problem" is the ballooning deficit. Regardless of which issue Alexander actually thinks is most important, one thing is certain: extending tax cuts for the wealthy would increase the deficit while doing little to spur job growth.
December 02, 2010 10:12 am ET filed under Blog
Sen. Alexander: "Most Of The People" Hit By Schumer's Tax Plan "Live On Wall Street"
November 01, 2010 1:43 pm ET filed under Ad Check
Super PAC's "Voter Guide" Leads Viewers In The Wrong Direction
Dick Morris' Super PAC for America is on the air promoting falsehoods about policies supported by Democratic members of Congress in seven districts across the country. The ads bill themselves as "voter guides" purporting to give voters the "facts" about candidates, when in fact they deride legislation like the "healthcare takeover" and the Recovery Act, while flat-out lying about a "$500 billion Medicare cut" — the Affordable Care Act actually strengthened the program. For the two representatives targeted by Super PAC who didn't vote for health care reform, the ad highlights their refusal to advocate for repeal of the law, without mentioning that repeal would cost millions of Americans their coverage and add billions to the deficit.
October 29, 2010 6:21 pm ET filed under Ad Check
Crossroads GPS Targets 8 Congressmen With The Same Deceptive Ad
The Rove-associated Crossroads GPS and its anonymous funders are at it again with an attack ad that misleads voters and disparages Democratic-supported economic policies. This time, however, GPS targets not one, but eight Congressmen — Reps. Jim Oberstar (MN), Russ Carnahan (MO), Joe Donnelly (IN), Earl Pomeroy (ND), Lincoln Davis (TN), John Boccieri (OH), Ciro Rodriguez (TX), and Jim Costa (CA) — associating them with Nancy Pelosi and her "failed agenda." The ad specifically targets these members' support of the Recovery Act, repeating the oft-cited claim that the bill was "wasteful" and also suggesting that it included "sweetheart deals" for special interests. In fact, the Recovery Act created millions of jobs and staved off higher unemployment, while also providing billions of dollars worth of tax cuts and limiting bonuses for executives of companies receiving TARP money — so much for those "handouts to special interests."
October 28, 2010 6:23 pm ET filed under Ad Check
NRCC Tries To Paint Blue Dog Davis As A Pelosi Minion
Attacking Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) in a new ad, the National Republican Congressional Committee attempts to illustrate that Davis's priorities have changed since he first made a run for Congress in 1983. Yet the NRCC's criticisms don't hold water. The "wasteful stimulus" boosted the economy and created millions of American jobs. And Davis's vote in favor of the budget — which the NRCC claims "called for tax increases on working people" — doesn't make much sense when you realize that current tax rates are actually at near-historical lows. Furthermore, the fact that Davis broke with the Democrats to vote against initiatives like health care reform and clean energy legislation flies in the face of the ad's suggestion that Davis votes on Pelosi's command.
October 15, 2010 11:45 am ET filed under Ad Check
Repetitive Americans For Tax Reform Ads Repeatedly Fail On The Facts
Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) has latched on to Stephen Colbert's congressional testimony with great zeal, launching a series of ads attempting to draw into question the seriousness and competence of various House Democrats by linking them to the comedian. Without fail, however, the Democrats ATR has chosen to attack are not on the committee that asked Colbert to testify and therefore have nothing whatsoever to do with his appearance before Congress. In addition, the ads accuse the Democrats of "helping Nancy Pelosi set the stage for one of the biggest tax increases in history." In reality, leading Democrats have proposed to extend tax increases to 97 percent of Americans when Congress resumes session in November.
September 22, 2010 11:44 am ET filed under Blog
Senate Republicans Block The Voices Of A Majority Of Americans, Blame Democrats
