Lie Count - Tracking our future leaders’ lies

McCain said he did.

Obama said they do.

Obama said they were.

Obama said we did.

McCain said he did.

Obama said it did.

McCain said he did.

McCain said he was.

Obama said he is.

McCain said America is the greatest producer / exporter. True?

Let us know if you have any facts on this.

Obama said he warned about sub-prime risks 2 years ago.

Let us know if you have anything - we’re checking too.

John McCain said House Republicans weren’t a part of the negotiations for Congress’ bailout. True?

Let us know if you find anything - we’re checking too.

At a rally in Pennsylvania on September 25, 2008, Joe Biden said:

[John McCain and Sarah Palin] are proposing the largest increase on middle class taxpayers in American history….It will cost the middle class over one trillion dollars in additional taxes. It is almost unbelievable.

Is it true? We’re checking McCain’s plan right now. Let us know if you have any sources that help resolve this lie lead.

Thanks for the lead, Todd!

Obama has a new ad (in Spanish) focused on McCain’s immigration policies. As the Washington Post describes it:

“They want us to forget the insults we’ve put up with, the intolerance,” the television ad’s announcer says in Spanish as a picture of Rush Limbaugh appears onscreen with quotes of him saying, “Mexicans are stupid and unqualified” and “Shut your mouth or get out.”

“They made us feel marginalized in a country we love so much,” the ad continues. “John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces. One that says lies just to get our vote and another, even worse, that continues the failed policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families.”

Jake Tapper at ABC has a great breakdown on the misleading nature of this ad, but we can’t find anything we’d flag as a lie…yet. Help us check the sources, and track down any lies in this ad.

Today Joe Biden said:

“Give some help to the middle-class here. You haven’t heard the phrase “middle-class” part the lips of our opponents. You haven’t heard the president even use the word middle-class”
Joe Biden 9/16/08

The only reference we can find was back in January, which is technically before he was Biden’s opponent:

“We should cut taxes right now on the middle-class by eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax (the AMT) which no longer just taxes the rich, it taxes 25 million middle class families…”
McCain 1/12/08

We’d be willing to wager there have been discussions, speeches or town halls both by the president and by McCain campaign about the middle-class. Can anyone confirm or deny this as a lie?

Obama claimed in his Democratic National Convention speech that under President Clinton the average income rose $7500:

“We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000, like it has under George Bush.”

We’re looking for numbers to refute (or substantiate) those claims. $7500 increase under Clinton? 23 million new jobs? $2000 decrease under Bush?

Remember Clinton’s tenure was 1993-2000, and Bush’s 2001-2007 (2008 numbers aren’t available yet).

Tucker Bounds, the McCain campaign spokesman, tells Fox news that Obama has only voted to raise taxes:

BOUNDS: Well, Megyn, you’re giving him an enormous amount of credit for a guy who has voted only to raise taxes in the United States Senate. For now…for him to make a new claim…now, keep in mind –

KELLY: No, no! Let’s stay on point, I’m not giving him any credit. I’m saying what the independent analysts say. They say that claim is false. And if that’s false, why would John McCain do that, Tucker? Why wouldn’t he just level with the voters and say, look, he’s going to raise taxes on the wealthy or whatever you consider somebody to be making more than $250,000, it’s going to have a trickle down effect. That may not be good for the middle class. But why say he’s going to raise taxes on the middle class when he’s not?

BOUNDS: Because his record says that he will. If we’re going take Barack Obama at his word on everything he says he will do, the oceans will part, the sick will become healed. They’re all sorts of things that Barack Obama is claiming on this campaign. But when you look is at his record, he has voted to increase taxes, he has voted in support of higher taxes for people making as little as $42,000 a year. I think you and I can both agree that those people are entrenched in the middle-class of this country.

KELLY: Tucker, why did he claim–

BOUNDS: 94 times in three years he has voted in support of higher taxes. Why are we to take him on his word that he would cut any tax? He has no record of doing it.

Is Tucker Bounds correct or does Barack Obama have any vote for a tax cut on record? Help us identify if this is a lie or not.