- All
- Fact Check
- Blog
- Video
- Email Checker
- Smear Buster
August 09, 2010 10:02 am ET
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - August 8, 2010
On Sunday's Meet the Press, Reps. John Boehner (R-OH) and Mike Pence (R-IN) dodged repeated questions about the cost of extending the Bush tax cuts. Both indirectly suggested that government doesn't need to pay for tax cuts. There is a clear consensus among economists across the political spectrum that tax cuts don't pay for themselves, and that letting tax cuts swell deficits is, in a Bush adviser's words, "just future taxes." Rep. Boehner also suggested Social Security is unsustainable, and Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) agreed on Fox News Sunday. In fact, Social Security is solvent through 2037, and the shortfall thereafter is fairly small. Elsewhere, Tony Perkins told Face the Nation viewers that the Prop. 8 decision ignored the impact of no-fault divorce laws on marriage, when in fact the ruling specifically addressed the subject.
July 27, 2010 1:41 pm ET
On False Tax Hike Charge, Rep. Pence Sticks To His Poorly-Aimed Guns
In a floor speech this morning, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) returned to the dishonest claim that Democrats are "poised to add tax increases to their agenda" and suggested that Democrats will increase taxes for everyone in January. Pence also attacked the Democrats' economic policy, claiming that Democratic policies have failed to fix our economy. The reality is that it was Pence's party that wrote an expiration date into the 2001 tax cuts that brought us this deficit — and Democrats are proposing to extend those cuts for 98% of Americans. What's more, the Recovery Act has turned the economy around and taken us from massive monthly job losses to slow but steady private-sector job growth.
July 19, 2010 10:18 am ET
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - July 18, 2010
The political shows were busy on Sunday, with Indiana Republican Mike Pence misleading Fox News Sunday viewers about the Recovery Act and Sen. Cornyn misrepresenting the origins of the federal deficit on Meet the Press. Sen. McConnell told State of the Union viewers a flagrant lie about the Obama administration's response to the Gulf oil spill, and exaggerated the number of small businesses that benefit from the Bush tax cuts for the rich. Elsewhere, NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions described the Tea Party as "one-third Democrat, one-third Republican" on Meet the Press despite clear evidence that Tea Party activists are overwhelmingly Republican. On Face the Nation, the task of defending Arizona's immigration law fell this week to former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who offered no new evidence to support his conviction that SB 1070 will not lead to ethnic profiling.
June 14, 2010 10:11 am ET
Fact Checking the Sunday Shows — June 13, 2010
On Sunday, Carly Fiorina advanced her Senate campaign with a series of false Republican talking points about border security and her own background. Fiorina misrepresented her tenure at Hewlett-Packard, and lied about President Obama's funding for border security and the recently-departed head of the Minerals Management Service. House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence called the Obama administration's handling of the gulf oil disaster "slow." A timeline shows that claim is false. And since it wouldn't be Sunday without a Republican voice misrepresenting the Recovery Act, Rep. Pence pretended the package did not cut taxes (it did) and that it is not turning the economy around (it is).
May 03, 2010 10:00 am ET
Fact Checking The Sunday Shows - May 2, 2010
The debate over Arizona's immigration enforcement statute dominated Sunday's political talk shows. On Face the Nation, Arizona Senate candidate J.D. Hayworth insisted that the Arizona law does not enable racial profiling, even though after modifications the bill will result in profiling. And on Meet the Press, Rep. Mike Pence implied that the successful American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is responsible for growing unemployment to nearly 10% nationwide.
April 15, 2010 9:39 am ET
Rep. Pence Lies, Denies Democrats Cut Americans' Taxes
Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Mike Pence outright lied, saying President Obama and Congressional Democrats have not cut taxes. Despite Pence's partisan misinformation, Democratic leaders have cut taxes for 95% of Americans, resulting in the lowest tax level in sixty years.
April 13, 2010 11:40 am ET
Rep. Pence Spreads The Lie That Wall Street Reform Is A "Permanent Bailout"
During an April 13, 2010 interview on Fox News, House Republican Conference chairman Mike Pence (R-IN) repeated the Frank Luntz talking point that reforming Wall Street would result in a "permanent bailout." The bill does not bail firms out, but safely dismantles any failed financial company that threatens the stability of the entire economy. The dissolution fund is financed NOT by taxpayers, but by fees levied on financial companies.
March 22, 2010 10:59 am ET
FLASHBACK: Rep. Pence Praised Bush's Executive Order Banning Abortion Funding
In a compromise with pro-life Democrats, President Obama agreed to issue an Executive Order restating the ban on federal funding for elective abortion. Rather than praise the President, Rep. Mike Pence belittled the action, saying, "the American people will be fooled by this and the fact the President is signing a piece of paper." Yet when President Bush signed an Executive Order banning funding for abortion, Pence declared it was upholding "a fundamental axiom of western civilization," the "belief in the sanctity of human life."
March 16, 2010 2:01 pm ET
Rep. Pence Wrongly Asserts Health Care Reform Funds Abortions
During a floor speech on March 16, 2010, Rep. Mike Pence falsely claimed the health care reform bill contained "public funding of abortion." In reality, the bill explicitly bans federal money from funding abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the health of the mother is endangered.
February 25, 2010 3:16 pm ET
Even Before Summit, Republicans Declared It A Failure
Today the president is hosting a bipartisan, bicameral health care summit at the Blair House in hopes of finding the common ground between Republicans and Democrats. Yet even before the summit had started, Republicans were publicly deriding it as a useless photo-op.
September 16, 2009 11:59 am ET
Republicans Brazenly Misrepresent Cap-And-Trade Cost Numbers
On September 16, 2009, Republicans opposed to clean energy legislation circulated a blog post flaunting a Freedom of Information Act request by the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute. The documents include a cost-estimate of an out-dated, abandoned cap-and-trade plan that immediately auctioned 100% of carbon allowances. The American Clean Energy and Security Act does not do this. In order to contain costs, the bill initially awards allowances for free, rendering CEI's revelation meaningless.
August 10, 2009 12:46 pm ET
Rep. Pence Claims Democrats Voted Down An Amendment That Passed
On August 10, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence was interviewed on WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, IN about health insurance reform. During the interview, Pence claimed that Senate Democrats had voted down an amendment requiring members of Congress to enroll in the public plan if it's part of the eventual reform bill. But that's blatantly false; the amendment passed.
July 14, 2009 5:33 pm ET
Rep. Pence Relies On Misleading Talking Points From Health Insurance Industry-Funded Pollster
On July 14, 2009, House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence issued a statement regarding health care reform. Unfortunately, Rep. Pence simply regurgitated misleading talking points written by health insurance-industry funded pollster Frank Luntz.
June 26, 2009 5:26 pm ET
AGAIN, Rep. Pence Falsely Claimed The American Clean Energy And Security Act Would Cause Job Losses
For the second time today, while speaking on the House floor, Rep. Mike Pence falsely stated the American Clean Energy and Security Act would "cost millions of American jobs." In reality, this legislation would create 1.7 million American jobs, reduce harmful emissions and help America become more energy independent - all for the price of a postage stamp per day.
June 26, 2009 10:31 am ET
Rep. Pence Falsely Claimed The American Clean Energy And Security Act Would Cause Job Losses
While speaking on the House floor on June 26, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence falsely stated the American Clean Energy and Security Act would "cost millions of American jobs." In reality, this legislation would create 1.7 million American jobs, reduce harmful emissions and help America become more energy independent - all for the price of a postage stamp per day.
June 25, 2009 2:10 pm ET
Rep. Mike Pence Disputes Reality
On June 25, 2009, in a speech on the House floor, Rep. Mike Pence claimed there was "no" dispute "the Democrat [sic] cap and trade bill will raise the cost of energy to every household in America, every small business, every family farm, and it will cost millions of American jobs." However, Pence has a dispute with the facts.
June 25, 2009 10:00 am ET
Top Republicans Have Close Ties To Big Oil & Utility Companies
As the vote on the American Clean Energy and Security Act draws near, Republicans in the House are sure to fight it tooth and nail. However, examining their close ties to the oil, gas and electric utility industries raises the question: "Whose side are they on?"
June 22, 2009 12:14 pm ET
Rep. Pence Distorts Obama's Position On Iran
In a Redstate blog post on June 22, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence made a number of false assertions regarding President Obama's reaction to the turmoil in Iran.
June 18, 2009 4:27 pm ET
Rep. Pence: A Lot Of Wrong In Just A Few Words
On June 18, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence penned a piece - titled "Freedom Can't Be Rationed" - that appeared in the American Spectator. In addition to using the same old Luntz language, Rep. Pence is just flat out wrong on many points.
June 12, 2009 4:45 pm ET
Rep. Pence's False Radio Address
In the Republican Radio Address set to air on Saturday, June 13, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence repeats false statistics and touts a Republican energy plan based on the failed policies of President Bush.
June 10, 2009 9:50 am ET
Rep. Pence Repeats False Cap-And-Trade Cost Estimate
On June 9, 2009, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" to discuss the Republican alternative to the American Clean Energy and Security Act. During the interview, Rep. Pence repeated the false claim that the Democrats' cap-and-trade plan could raise energy costs by "some $3,000 per year per household."
June 09, 2009 4:39 pm ET
The GOP's Misguided Attacks On The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act
Unable to escape the partisanship of Washington, DC, Congressional Republicans are out of touch with Americans who are witnessing the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
June 03, 2009 4:26 pm ET
Rep. Pence: Do As I Say, Not As I Do
On June 3, 2009, House Republican Conference Chair Mike Pence criticized Congressional Democrats for including non-troop items in a war funding bill. Rep. Pence must have a short memory, because in 2007, he voted for a Bush war funding bill that included $17 billion in the non-troop items he now loathes.
May 27, 2009 11:27 am ET
Rep. Pence Takes Energy Legislation Myths On A Cross-Country Tour
On May 27, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence issued a press release including his prepared remarks for an American Energy Solutions Group Energy Summit to be held in Indiana. It would seem Rep. Pence is taking his prepared misinformation on a cross-country tour.
May 26, 2009 11:37 am ET
Rep. Pence Repeats Disproven Myths About American Clean Energy And Security Act
On May 26, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence issued a press release including his prepared remarks for an American Energy Solutions Group Energy Summit to be held in Pennsylvania. "Prepared remarks," in this case, means, "prepared repetition of misleading, already disproven statements on the upcoming energy bill."
May 05, 2009 11:53 am ET
False Tweet Alert: Rep. Pence
On May 5, 2009 at the American Energy Solutions Group's National Energy Summit, Rep. Mike Pence continued to spread the false statistic that a plan to cap carbon emissions will cost American families $3,100 a year. In fact, an EPA study of the Markey-Waxman bill estimates that it would only cost American households $150 per year.
May 01, 2009 3:50 pm ET
Republicans vs. Environmental Economics
In an e-mail on May 1, 2009, House Republicans cited the morning column by Nobel Prize Winner Paul Krugman to assert that "the Democrats' agenda does not come as advertised." If House Republicans so trust the content of Mr. Krugman's column, it seems fair to see how it stacks up against assertions they've made... today.
April 29, 2009 4:27 pm ET
Rep. Pence: Out Of Touch With The American People
While debating the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution on April 29, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence exclaimed, "it borrows too much, spends too much, and taxes too much and the American people know it," despite recent polling data to the contrary. Additionally, Rep. Pence conveniently failed to mention his enthusiastic support for a doubling of the federal budget since he took office in 2001.
April 29, 2009 1:03 pm ET
Rep. Pence: Poll Interpretation FAIL
On April 29, 2009, Rep. Mike Pence and the House Republican Conference emailed supporters a "Health Care Newsletter" that grossly misrepresented the results of a poll. The poll, conducted by NPR / Kaiser Family Foundation / Harvard School of Public Health in March 2009, shows that Americans exhibit a broad range of opinions regarding their personal health coverage. Rep. Pence neglects the overarching facts the poll reveals, instead choosing to pick and choose data - sometimes quoting half of a result - to further his anti-health reform goals.
