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| Setting the record straight...Fact Check Obama's answer's. |
OBAMA CLAIM: “There are some legitimate complaints about regulations. A lot of it is overstated.”(President Obama, Town Hall On The Economy, 5/11/11)
FACT CHECK: Obama’s Regulations Are Choking Small Business Growth And Costing American Jobs
Due To ObamaCare’s Regulations, As Much as 69 Percent of Employees and 80 Percent of Small Businesses Could Be Forced To Change Health Care Plans. "The administration estimated that by 2013, health plans covering as few as 39 percent and as many as 69 percent of employees could lose protected status. For small employers, the total could be as high as 80 percent; for large ones, it could reach 64 percent." (David S. Hilzenrath and N.C. Aizenman, "New health-care rules could add costs, and benefits, to some insurance plans," The Washington Post, 6/15/10)
The Hill: “Study: U.S. Loses Its Competitive Edge During Obama Administration.” (Jay Heflin, “Study: U.S. Loses Its Competitive Edge During Obama Administration,” The Hill’s “On The Money” Blog, 9/10/10)
- U.S.’ Business
Competitiveness Ranking Falls From First Place Due To “High Taxes And
Onerous Regulations.” “The World Economic Forum has released a report
showing the United States in fourth place. Two years ago, the U.S. was
ranked first. … The forum identified high taxes and onerous regulations
for dulling the competitive edge of the United States.” (Jay Heflin,
“Study: U.S. Loses Its Competitive Edge During Obama Administration,” The
Hill’s “On The Money” Blog, 9/10/10)
OBAMA CLAIM: “[N]othing affects consumer sentiment, how people feel about the economy, more than gas prices, because they see it every single minute when they're driving. … So, this is something that we've really got to get a handle on.”(President Obama, Town Hall On The Economy, 5/11/11)
FACT CHECK: Obama Has Made Clear He Wants Americans To Adapt High Gas Prices
Obama In 2008: “[O]bama Suggested That The Main Problem With High Gasoline Prices Is Their Rapid Rise, Not Their Total Of About $4 A Gallon.” (Charles Babington and Jim Kuhnhenn, “One Down, More To Go For Republicans Aiding McCain,” The Associated Press, 6/12/08)
In 2008, Obama Said He Thinks Americans Can “Adapt” To Higher Gas Prices. “But if the government gives middle-class families tax cuts and encourages the market ‘to adapt to these new circumstances more quickly, particularly U.S. automakers, then I think ultimately, we can come out of this stronger and have a more efficient energy policy than we do right now.’” (Charles Babington and Jim Kuhnhenn, “One Down, More To Go For Republicans Aiding McCain,” The Associated Press, 6/12/08)
In 2008, Obama Said He Would Have Preferred A Gradual Increase In Gas Prices. Obama: “Well, I think that we have been slow to move in a better direction when it comes to energy usage. And the president, frankly, hasn't had an energy policy. And as a consequence, we've been consuming energy as if it's infinite. We now know that our demand is badly outstripping supply with China and India growing as rapidly as they are. So...” CNBC’s John Harwood: “So could these high prices help us?” Obama: “I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing.” (CNBC’s “Your Money, Your Vote,” 6/10/08)
http://youtu.be/HuXYKYsYbAg
OBAMA CLAIM: “What we can control is, number one, are we producing as much as we can here in the United States. And, in fact, we're producing more oil now than any time since 2003. So production is actually up.”(President Obama, Town Hall On The Economy, 5/11/11)
FACT CHECK: Production Is Up Thanks To Bush-Era Policies,
While Obama’s Policies Are Causing U.S. Oil Production To Decline
“Obama’s Fuzzy Oil Production Math - Bush Administration Actions Have Led To Gains In Supply.” (Amy Harder, “Obama’s Fuzzy Oil Production Math,” National Journal, 3/17/11)
·
Obama
Touting Domestic Oil Production At Its Highest Level Since 2003, But Doesn’t
Acknowledge That He Is Taking Credit For George W. Bush’s Policies. “He doesn’t want to admit it, but
President Obama is taking credit for something George W. Bush did. The White
House is touting federal data that shows domestic oil production is at its
highest level since 2003. In a blog post last week, Obama’s top climate and
energy aide, Heather Zichal, points to Energy Information Administration data
that shows oil production from the Outer Continental Shelf (which basically
means the Gulf of Mexico) has increased by more than a third between 2008 and
2010.”(Amy
Harder, “Obama’s Fuzzy Oil Production Math,” National Journal, 3/17/11)
·
Current
Oil Production Numbers Due To Actions Taken Before Obama Became President,
Especially Since He Didn’t Take Any Major Action To Expand Drilling In His
First Year. “While Bush
was in office from 2001 to 2009, the oil and gas industry saw many new leases
and other expanded drilling opportunities. In March 2010, Obama announced plans
to expand offshore drilling, but he retreated in the aftermath of the BP oil
spill. According to EIA’s short-term 2011 outlook, released last week, oil
production was significantly higher in 2009 than in the years prior. Obama may
have been in office for most of that year, but the oil production numbers
are due to action taken before he became president. In 2010, most if not all of
the production increase recorded is likely due to action that predates Obama,
since Obama didn’t take any major action expanding offshore drilling his first
year in office.”(Amy
Harder, “Obama’s Fuzzy Oil Production Math,” National Journal, 3/17/11)
U.S.-Produced Oil Will Decline In The Next Two Years, Partially Because Of Obama’s Drilling Moratorium. “Oil production is projected to go down in 2011 and 2012 by about 190,000 barrels per day, EIA says. That is expected to bring U.S. domestic oil production down from 5.51 million barrels a day in 2010 to 5.40 million barrels a day in 2011 and 5.27 million barrels a day in 2012. The cause? Cogan says it’s a result of the ‘natural rate of decline in existing wells,’ as well as the lasting effect of the Gulf of Mexico moratorium that was imposed after last year’s oil spill and the slow-down in permitting in the Gulf.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Fact-Checking The Washington Rhetoric On Oil, Drilling And Energy,” The Hill’s “E2 Wire” Blog, 4/23/11)
The Obama Administration’s Reaction To The Oil Spill “Effectively Locks Up An Estimated 7.6 Billion Barrels Of Oil And 36.6 Trillion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas.” “In December, the White House reversed course on its own five-year plan to open portions of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Mid-Atlantic and the South Atlantic to offshore exploration. This effectively locks up an estimated 7.6 billion barrels of oil and 36.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.” (Joseph Mason, Op-Ed, “Time For A Cease-Fire In The War On Oil,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/25/11)
Obama’s Anti-Drilling Policies Will Result In A Loss Of 375,000 Barrels Of Oil Per Day This Year. “[T]he Obama administration stopped awarding permits for deep-water drilling until late February. The drilling suspension, along with a new, slower permitting process, will result in the loss this year of about 375,000 barrels of oil a day, according to energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie. That is roughly equivalent to one-third of the production in Libya that remains shut down because of political turmoil there.” (Angel Gonzalez, “Spill's Toll On Oil Output Grows Clearer,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/20/11)
OBAMA CLAIM: “We are trying to expand the loan modification program to reach more people.” QUESTIONER: “A lot of what you've first introduced hasn’t worked very well. “ OBAMA: “Well, it's not that it hasn't worked.”(President Obama, Town Hall On The Economy, 5/11/11)
FACT CHECK: Obama’s HAMP
Program Failed Miserably
Inspector
General Neil Barofsky, Who Oversaw HAMP, Said That The Program “Continues To
Fall Short Of Any Meaningful Standard Of Success.” “The program has
faced sharp criticism. Neil Barofsky, the departing special inspector general
overseeing the program, has faulted the administration for launching it with
inadequate analysis and only partially developed guidelines. This led to delays
and confusion, and the program ‘continues to fall short of any meaningful
standard of success,’ he said a report released in January.” (Alan Zibel and
Louise Radnofsky, “Only 1 In 4 Got Mortgage Relief,” The
Wall Street Journal, 2/28/11)
OBAMA
CLAIM: “We can't keep on living beyond our means. And our government has to
make sure that it is only spending what it's also taking in.”(President Obama, Town
Hall On The Economy, 5/11/11)FACT CHECK: Obama’s Budget Never Spends Less Than It Takes In
"President Barack Obama's Claim Tuesday That His Proposed Budget Would Stop Adding To The National Debt Is Wrong -- And Is Proved Wrong In His Own Budget."(Steven Thomma, "Obama Says He'd Stop Adding To Debt, But That's Not True," McClatchy Newspapers, 2/15/11)
·
Robert
Bixby, Director Of The Non-Partisan Concord Coalition, On Obama's Claim:
"It's Not True." "What's
that mean about Obama's statement Tuesday? 'It's not true,' said Robert Bixby,
the director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog
group." (Steven
Thomma, "Obama Says He'd Stop Adding To Debt, But That's Not True," McClatchy Newspapers, 2/15/11)
· Obama's Budget Shows
National Debt Would Grow "Every Year" And Almost Double By FY 2021. "However, his
budget shows that the gross national debt would continue to rise every year
under his proposal, almost doubling from $13.5 trillion last year to $26.3
trillion in fiscal 2021." (Steven Thomma, "Obama Says He'd Stop Adding To Debt,
But That's Not True," McClatchy
Newspapers,
2/15/11)
PolitiFact Rated Obama's Claim That His Budget
Would Not Add To The Debt As FALSE. POLITIFACT:
"We think the president's statement is likely to mislead a lot of
Americans about what his budget would do. So we rate Obama's statement False."
("Barack
Obama Says White House Budget Would Not Add To The Debt Within A Few
Years," St. Petersburg Times' "PolitiFact,"
2/15/11)
OBAMA
CLAIM: “Now, the health care reform act that I passed last year started on
the road of reducing health care costs, and, in fact, it's estimated that we'll
save about $1 trillion once we implement that plan fully.” (President Obama, Town
Hall On The Economy, 5/11/11)
FACT CHECK: ObamaCare’s Savings Are Vastly Overstated
The Associated Press:“The Idea That Obama's Health Care Law Saves Money For The Government Is Based On Assumptions That Are Arguable, At Best.” (Calvin Woodward, “Fact Check: Obama Ledger Out Of Balance,” The Associated Press, 1/25/11)
- AP: ObamaCare’s Savings From Medicare Are “Unrealistic.” “To be sure, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the law will slightly reduce red ink over 10 years. But the office's analysis assumes that steep cuts in Medicare spending, as called for in the law, will actually take place. Others in the government have concluded it is unrealistic to expect such savings from Medicare.”(Calvin Woodward, “Fact Check: Obama Ledger Out Of Balance,” The Associated Press, 1/25/11)
·
CMS Says Health Care Spending Will Increase More Than Before
ObamaCare Was Passed.
“In February, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projected
that overall national health spending would increase an average of 6.1% a year
over the next decade. The center's economists recalculated the numbers in light
of the health bill and now project that the increase will average 6.3% a year,
according to a report in the journal Health Affairs. Total U.S. health spending
will reach $4.6 trillion by 2019, accounting for nearly one of every five U.S.
dollars spent, the report says.” (Janet Adamy, “Health Outlays Still
Seen Rising,” The
Wall Street Journal, 9/9/10)
Medicare’s Chief
Actuary Richard Foster Said ObamaCare Won’t Keep Costs Down. “The landmark
legislation probably won't hold costs down, and it won't let everybody keep
their current health insurance if they like it, Chief Actuary Richard Foster
told the House Budget Committee. His office is responsible for independent
long-range cost estimates.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Medicare Offical Doubts Health
Care Law Savings,” The
Associated Press,1/26/11)
Source: Republican National
Committee Research, www.gop.com
