Senator Joe Biden made a number of invalid claims during the Vice Presidential debate last night with Gov. Sarah Palin. Here are some of them:
1. Biden said 95% of small businesses would not be affected by Obama's plan to raise taxes on anyone making over 250K a year. He said 95% of small business owners make less than 250K.
Fact: "According to the latest IRS data, $706 billion of pass-through business income was reported in 2006. Of this, two-thirds was earned in households making more than $250,000 -- households on which Obama has said he will raise taxes." ("Mr. Obama's Small-Business Tax Hike," http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081202849.html )
So Obama's tax hikes would hit small businesses very hard. You can't help the middle class and the poor by hurting their employers. Some small businesses quite possibly would have to lay off some of their workers in order to be able to pay for Obama's huge tax hike, while many other small businesses would have substantially less money for employee raises and business expansion. John McCain says we don't need to be raising anyone's taxes.
2. Biden argued that, using the vote analysis of the McCain camp, McCain has voted for tax hikes or against tax cuts more often than Obama has.
Fact: McCain has received far better ratings than Obama from nonpartisan fiscal watchdog groups like the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Concord Coalition. Obama's rating from these groups is usually in single digits. McCain's rating from these groups is usually 60% to 80%. The National Journal, not known as a partisan organ, has consistently rated Obama as one of the very most liberal members of the Senate. Here's a "kitchen table" impact analysis of McCain's and Obama's tax plans done by Americans for Tax Reform:
McCain vs. Obama on Taxes
http://www.atr.org/content/pdf/2008/...n%20Matrix.pdf
Biden was silent about Obama's proposal to increase federal spending by at least $800 billion. Some analysts have concluded that Obama's economic plan would raise spending by $1.2 trillion. We are now over $9 trillion in debt and running a deficit. The last thing we need to do is go on another spending spree.
McCain has a long record of voting for tax cuts and for trying to restrain federal spending. Obama, on the other hand, is one of the biggest spenders in the Senate and, as mentioned, is proposing at least $800 billion in new spending. In addition, Obama has voted against tax cuts at least 23 times during his short time in the Senate.
3. Biden claimed that on every important matter, there's been no difference between Bush and McCain.
Fact: Anyone who knows McCain's record knows this is a jaw-dropping claim. McCain was one of the first and loudest critics of Bush's handling of the Iraq War, so much so that some Bush people labeled McCain as "disloyal" and accused him of "helping the Democrats." McCain was harshly critical of Donald Rumsfeld. McCain spoke against the Bush tax cuts, noting that they needed to be accompanied by spending cuts, or at least by spending restraint, so we didn't increase the deficit. Yes, now McCain opposes repealing the Bush tax cuts, because to repeal them now would be to impose a huge tax hike on most Americans. But when the tax cuts were being debated in the Senate, McCain argued for a more fiscally responsible version of tax cuts. Also, McCain has consistently opposed the Bush administration on Guantanamo and on the treatment of prisoners, climate change, unnecessary government programs, and defense contracts. In addition, McCain has long been a vocal critic of Bush's failure to veto wasteful spending bills. So to try to paint McCain as Bush II is not credible.
4. Biden tried to give the impression that an Obama-Biden administration would be against gay marriage.
Fact: Biden failed to mention that Obama opposes all state bans on gay marriage, that Obama opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, and that Obama even wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which is the federal law that allows states to refuse to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. Biden also failed to mention that Obama has said he thinks children in grade school, starting in the second grade, should be taught positive portrayals of homosexuality. For documentation of these facts, see:
Should Christians Vote for Barack Obama?
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1...nsandobama.htm
or
http://michaelgriffith1.tripod.com/c...nsandobama.htm
5. Biden claimed that McCain's healthcare plan would make healthcare less affordable, that it "gives with one hand but takes away with another."
Fact: This was a distortion of McCain's healthcare plan. Fortune Magazine recently studied Obama's and McCain's healthcare plans and concluded that McCain's would be better. The Fortune analysis points out that under McCain's plan, employees would actually have $11,000 that they could use toward healthcare. Here's the analysis done by Fortune Magazine:
Why McCain Has the Best Health-Care Plan
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/10/news...hcare.fortune/
6. Biden claimied that McCain, like Obama, voted against funding the troops, because McCain voted against a military funding bill that required a withdrawal timetable.
Fact: This is a dubious argument. McCain led the charge in the Senate to prevent the Democrats from cutting off funding for the troops and from forcing an early withdrawal. Obama and other Democrats were only willing to vote for funding the troops if a withdrawal timetable was specified with the funding. Needless to say, McCain voted against it. McCain voted for the troop funding bill that did not require a withdrawal timetable, and that was the bill that passed. Our military commanders in Iraq, including Gen. Petraeus, did not want to be hampered by a withdrawal timetable when we were just starting to turn things around in Iraq. Who ever heard of announcing a timetable for withdrawal in the middle of a pitched battle that you're winning?
7. Biden assured us that Obama is a friend of Israel, that he would not have joined Obama on the ticket if he had any doubts about Obama's stand on Israel.
Fact: Obama recently told the New York Times that the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, which have killed untold numbers of Israelis and which continue to call for the destruction of Israel--Obama said these groups have "legitimate claims." Obama's collection of anti-Israeli foreign policy advisers has caught the attention of many Jewish groups and analysts. Obama has a long record of associating with virulent anti-Israeli activists. Obama's longtime friend and pastor, Jeremiah Wright, took part in efforts to pressure American companies to pull their investments from Israel. From the pulpit of his church and in his church magazine, Wright called Israel "a dirty word" and accused Israel of having worked on a secret bomb that would only kill African Americans. Obama attended Wright's church for nearly 20 years and gave tens of thousands of dollars to it. Much more could be said here. For more information on Obama's troubling ties, see:
Should Christians Vote for Barack Obama?
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1...nsandobama.htm
or
http://michaelgriffith1.tripod.com/c...nsandobama.htm
8. Biden claimed the Constitution says the VP is only the president of the Senate if there's a tie vote, and that Article I of the Constitution discusses the executive branch's powers.
Fact: Both claims are wrong. The Constitution says the VP is always the president of the Senate, not just in cases of a tie vote. When Thomas Jefferson was Vice President, he took advantage of his authority to preside over the Senate as president of the Senate on many occasions, not just with tie votes. And Article I does not discuss the executive branch--Article II does.
Biden Gets Veep Role Wrong
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008...ep-role-wrong/
One can only imagine what ABC, MSNBC, CBS, CNN, and NBC would be saying if Sarah Palin had made these mistakes.
Finally, FYI, it turns out that the accusation that Sarah Palin made rape victims pay for their own rape kits when she was mayor of Wasilla is false:
Accusations That Gov. Sarah Palin Charged Victims for Rape Kits Proven False
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4364.html
1. Biden said 95% of small businesses would not be affected by Obama's plan to raise taxes on anyone making over 250K a year. He said 95% of small business owners make less than 250K.
Fact: "According to the latest IRS data, $706 billion of pass-through business income was reported in 2006. Of this, two-thirds was earned in households making more than $250,000 -- households on which Obama has said he will raise taxes." ("Mr. Obama's Small-Business Tax Hike," http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...081202849.html )
So Obama's tax hikes would hit small businesses very hard. You can't help the middle class and the poor by hurting their employers. Some small businesses quite possibly would have to lay off some of their workers in order to be able to pay for Obama's huge tax hike, while many other small businesses would have substantially less money for employee raises and business expansion. John McCain says we don't need to be raising anyone's taxes.
2. Biden argued that, using the vote analysis of the McCain camp, McCain has voted for tax hikes or against tax cuts more often than Obama has.
Fact: McCain has received far better ratings than Obama from nonpartisan fiscal watchdog groups like the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Concord Coalition. Obama's rating from these groups is usually in single digits. McCain's rating from these groups is usually 60% to 80%. The National Journal, not known as a partisan organ, has consistently rated Obama as one of the very most liberal members of the Senate. Here's a "kitchen table" impact analysis of McCain's and Obama's tax plans done by Americans for Tax Reform:
McCain vs. Obama on Taxes
http://www.atr.org/content/pdf/2008/...n%20Matrix.pdf
Biden was silent about Obama's proposal to increase federal spending by at least $800 billion. Some analysts have concluded that Obama's economic plan would raise spending by $1.2 trillion. We are now over $9 trillion in debt and running a deficit. The last thing we need to do is go on another spending spree.
McCain has a long record of voting for tax cuts and for trying to restrain federal spending. Obama, on the other hand, is one of the biggest spenders in the Senate and, as mentioned, is proposing at least $800 billion in new spending. In addition, Obama has voted against tax cuts at least 23 times during his short time in the Senate.
3. Biden claimed that on every important matter, there's been no difference between Bush and McCain.
Fact: Anyone who knows McCain's record knows this is a jaw-dropping claim. McCain was one of the first and loudest critics of Bush's handling of the Iraq War, so much so that some Bush people labeled McCain as "disloyal" and accused him of "helping the Democrats." McCain was harshly critical of Donald Rumsfeld. McCain spoke against the Bush tax cuts, noting that they needed to be accompanied by spending cuts, or at least by spending restraint, so we didn't increase the deficit. Yes, now McCain opposes repealing the Bush tax cuts, because to repeal them now would be to impose a huge tax hike on most Americans. But when the tax cuts were being debated in the Senate, McCain argued for a more fiscally responsible version of tax cuts. Also, McCain has consistently opposed the Bush administration on Guantanamo and on the treatment of prisoners, climate change, unnecessary government programs, and defense contracts. In addition, McCain has long been a vocal critic of Bush's failure to veto wasteful spending bills. So to try to paint McCain as Bush II is not credible.
4. Biden tried to give the impression that an Obama-Biden administration would be against gay marriage.
Fact: Biden failed to mention that Obama opposes all state bans on gay marriage, that Obama opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment, and that Obama even wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which is the federal law that allows states to refuse to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. Biden also failed to mention that Obama has said he thinks children in grade school, starting in the second grade, should be taught positive portrayals of homosexuality. For documentation of these facts, see:
Should Christians Vote for Barack Obama?
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1...nsandobama.htm
or
http://michaelgriffith1.tripod.com/c...nsandobama.htm
5. Biden claimed that McCain's healthcare plan would make healthcare less affordable, that it "gives with one hand but takes away with another."
Fact: This was a distortion of McCain's healthcare plan. Fortune Magazine recently studied Obama's and McCain's healthcare plans and concluded that McCain's would be better. The Fortune analysis points out that under McCain's plan, employees would actually have $11,000 that they could use toward healthcare. Here's the analysis done by Fortune Magazine:
Why McCain Has the Best Health-Care Plan
http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/10/news...hcare.fortune/
6. Biden claimied that McCain, like Obama, voted against funding the troops, because McCain voted against a military funding bill that required a withdrawal timetable.
Fact: This is a dubious argument. McCain led the charge in the Senate to prevent the Democrats from cutting off funding for the troops and from forcing an early withdrawal. Obama and other Democrats were only willing to vote for funding the troops if a withdrawal timetable was specified with the funding. Needless to say, McCain voted against it. McCain voted for the troop funding bill that did not require a withdrawal timetable, and that was the bill that passed. Our military commanders in Iraq, including Gen. Petraeus, did not want to be hampered by a withdrawal timetable when we were just starting to turn things around in Iraq. Who ever heard of announcing a timetable for withdrawal in the middle of a pitched battle that you're winning?
7. Biden assured us that Obama is a friend of Israel, that he would not have joined Obama on the ticket if he had any doubts about Obama's stand on Israel.
Fact: Obama recently told the New York Times that the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, which have killed untold numbers of Israelis and which continue to call for the destruction of Israel--Obama said these groups have "legitimate claims." Obama's collection of anti-Israeli foreign policy advisers has caught the attention of many Jewish groups and analysts. Obama has a long record of associating with virulent anti-Israeli activists. Obama's longtime friend and pastor, Jeremiah Wright, took part in efforts to pressure American companies to pull their investments from Israel. From the pulpit of his church and in his church magazine, Wright called Israel "a dirty word" and accused Israel of having worked on a secret bomb that would only kill African Americans. Obama attended Wright's church for nearly 20 years and gave tens of thousands of dollars to it. Much more could be said here. For more information on Obama's troubling ties, see:
Should Christians Vote for Barack Obama?
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1...nsandobama.htm
or
http://michaelgriffith1.tripod.com/c...nsandobama.htm
8. Biden claimed the Constitution says the VP is only the president of the Senate if there's a tie vote, and that Article I of the Constitution discusses the executive branch's powers.
Fact: Both claims are wrong. The Constitution says the VP is always the president of the Senate, not just in cases of a tie vote. When Thomas Jefferson was Vice President, he took advantage of his authority to preside over the Senate as president of the Senate on many occasions, not just with tie votes. And Article I does not discuss the executive branch--Article II does.
Biden Gets Veep Role Wrong
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008...ep-role-wrong/
One can only imagine what ABC, MSNBC, CBS, CNN, and NBC would be saying if Sarah Palin had made these mistakes.
Finally, FYI, it turns out that the accusation that Sarah Palin made rape victims pay for their own rape kits when she was mayor of Wasilla is false:
Accusations That Gov. Sarah Palin Charged Victims for Rape Kits Proven False
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4364.html
