Fact-checking the Republican Ticket

The McCain/Palin ticket has told numerous lies, about themselves and about the Obama/Biden proposals, over the past several days. This is, after all, what Republican politicians excel at: lying loudly so as to drown out the truth. Which is why we no longer blink at having our wireless phone records mined by government officials, are resigned at having our phones tapped, and why we anticipate the continued loss of our civil rights. We’ve been deadened by lies.

And by the fact that McCain/Palin have NO PLATFORM. Has anyone noticed this fact? They just spend their time lying.

A few facts to combat the lies. This fact-checking has been provided by three sources: Politifact.com, supported by the St. Petersburg Times, the NY Times, and USA Today (surely conservatives cannot argue with that source) and Taxpayers for Common Sense.

1. The Bridge to Nowhere:

Congress decided to kill this particular earmark before SP ever got her chance to say no. Indeed, she said yes UNTIL she realized that funding for it was going to be killed anyway. Conveniently for SP, Alaska still got to keep the over $200,000,000 (200 million dollars) of the $220,000,000 originally slated for the bridge to spend on other projects. How nice.

2. Fighting the Earmarks and the “Establishment”:

SP, Governor of “Pork Central,” has requested $197 million alone for 2008—and the year isn’t even over. That is, by the way, more per person than any other state has received. As mayor of a town of less than 7000, SP received $27,000,000 (27 million) in earmarks.

3. The Tax Plan:

Obama’s plan lets the Bush cuts expire for couples making $250,000 or more and individuals making $200,000 or more. NO ONE ELSE. Obama REDUCES taxes for all those couples and individuals who make less than those amounts, respectively. Thus, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, 95.5% of those with children will receive a tax cut, and 81% of those without children would receive a tax cut. This results in taxpayers keeping roughly $2,200 more per year (about 5%). The top 1% of income earners would pay about $19,000 more in taxes—sorely needed.

McCain’s plan reduces the corporate income tax rate (didn’t know they needed a tax break). McCain reduces people’s taxes about 3%. McCain also cuts the top 1% of income earners taxes by more than $125,000 (didn’t know they needed it, either, but we could certainly use their taxes for other programs like education and health care). Whose side do you think he’s on?

4. Rudy Giuliani’s constant clarion cry: “When I dealt with 9/11…”

Like McCain, that Giuliani dealt with a crisis hardly makes him an authority about anything. But his assertion that Democrats don’t discuss terrorism is wrong—they did discuss it during the convention and now. It is just that they don’t sensationalize and exploit issues for their own gain. Perhaps this is what Giuliani doesn’t recognize: the inability or unwillingness to exploit because it is immoral, which he certainly does.

5. The Mantle of “Family Values”:

Bristol is getting married, in a gunshot wedding because she is pregnant. Her husband advocates seceding from the Union. It is difficult to see how this does not reflect upon Palin as a choice for Vice President. An inexperienced, slick, earmark-loving, lying woman who thinks that being a pit bull soccer mom is a good example of family values?

6. Drilling and Nuclear Power

McCain never explains that drilling will not alleviate our current problems. If he did, people would suddenly see through his ploy, to play on people’s fears to get their votes. At least, one would hope.