23 New Fact Checks Added to the Count the Lies Counter

The Democratic National Committee today updated the Count the Lies counter to reflect the 23 new fact checks published during and after last night's third and final Presidential debate. McCain showed how desperate and erratic his campaign has become by choosing to repeats some of the most widely debunked campaign lies on everything from health care to taxes.

With these new articles, no fewer than 156 fact checks have been published debunking McCain-Palin campaign lies since he promised to run a respectful campaign in February. Visit www.democrats.org/CountTheLies to see the updated Count the Lies counter.

Chicago Sun-Times: McCain Misleading Public in Role Ayers Played in Obama Political Career. "Obama said McCain--running ads featuring Ayers with Sarah Palin making him an issue on the stump--never said anything to his face. Ayers did not came up in the first two presidential debates. If McCain continues to insist that Obama launched his political career from Ayers' Hyde Park living room, he is misleading the public by overplaying the size and significance of Ayers' early support. Obama's campaign really was launched when he got the backing of then state Sen. Alice Palmer (D-Chicago), who wanted him to replace her as she was planning a run for Congress. Palmer's backing gave him entrée into local influential political circles." [Chicago Sun Times, 10/15/08: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/ayers_alone_did_not_launch_oba.html]

WP Fact Checker: McCain's Small Business Tax Claims Wrong. "John McCain made two assertions on corporate taxes, one that small businesses pay 50 percent of the taxes and the other that U.S. corporations are among the highest taxed in the world. Both are wrong. All corporate income taxes--including giant corporations and the smallest of businesses--account for only about 14 percent of federal revenues raised in the year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Most federal taxes are paid by individuals, while fees and other taxes make up the rest. While the official corporate tax is high, compared to other countries, there are so many loopholes in the code that many companies pay little or no taxes. The General Accounting Office reported recently that more than half of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes during the boom years of the late 1990s, and those that did were able to shelter much of their income, generally by claiming deductions and credits. The GAO report showed that 61 percent of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes from 1996 through 2000, a period of rapid economic growth and rising corporate profits. An estimated 94 percent of U.S. corporations reported tax liabilities amounting to less than 5 percent of their total income in 2000. Indeed, small corporations were more likely to avoid taxation than large ones, the GAO said." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

ABC News: Obama's Career Was Not Launched in Ayers' Home. "[McCain] made an attack, that his campaign has been making for weeks, saying that Obama's campaign was launched in the living room of William Ayers, of the Weather Underground. That's not true. Obama says his campaign was launched at a Ramada hotel, there were several coffees, right about that same time that summer one was held in Ayers' house, but it isn't even clear it was specifically for Obama." [ABC News, 10/15/08]

Politifact: Small Businesses are Exempt From Health Care Fine. John McCain talked a lot about "Joe the plumber" during the third presidential debate, saying Joe is an example of a small business owner who would not do well under Barack Obama's policies…But generally, Obama does not fine "small businesses." They are specifically exempt. We rate McCain's claim False." [Politifact, 10/15/08: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/802/]

FactCheck.org: McCain "Off The Mark" On John Lewis Claim. "McCain was a bit off the mark when he said Obama did not repudiate the remarks of Democratic Rep. John Lewis. Obama did release a statement that said he 'did not believe' McCain 'or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies.'" [FactCheck.org, 10/15/08: http://wire.factcheck.org/2008/10/15/john-lewis-and-the-news/]

FactCheck.org: McCain Repeats $42,000 Lie. "McCain has claimed yet again that Sen. Obama "voted twice for a budget resolution to increase taxes on individuals making $42,000 a year." As we've reported, a single taxpayer making more than $41,500 would have seen a tax increase, but a couple filing jointly would have seen no increase unless they made at least $83,000, and for a couple with two children the cut-off would have been $90,000. Regardless, the increase that Obama once supported as part of a Democratic budget bill is not part of his current tax plan." [FactCheck.org, 10/15/08: http://wire.factcheck.org/2008/10/15/42000-a-year/ ]

Washington Post Fact Checker: McCain Misrepresents Biden Iraq Proposal. "McCain just mispoke in accusing Democratic running mate of wanting to divide Iraq into 'three countries.' Biden did propose a plan in 2006 to decentralize power in Iraq by giving control of a major region each to the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. But his plan would maintain Iraq as a single country." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

Washington Post Fact Checker: McCain Exaggerated the Ayers Relationship. "McCain exaggerated the closeness of the relationship between Obama and former Weather Underground founder Bill Ayers in claiming that his rival had 'launched his political career' in Ayers' living room. It is true that Obama attended a coffee meeting at Ayers' home after he announced his intention to run for the state senate in September 1995. But according to Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, who has tracked Obama's political career closely, the Ayers' event was only one of a series of coffees in the Hyde Park community where he lived. The kickoff for Obama's Senate run came at a meeting in the Hyde Park Ramada Inn on Sept. 19, 1995." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

Washington Post Fact Checker: McCain Recycled False Tax Claim. "McCain just recyled a frequent claim, that Obama has voted to raise taxes on people making $42,000 a year. It's based on Obama's vote this year in support of a non-binding Democratic budget resolution that would allow the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2011 and 2013. Independent analysts have asserted this claim is misleading since the resolution did not actually call for raising taxes, but set budgetary targets based on the premise that the tax cuts would expire. Obama has separately promised that he would extend the Bush tax cuts for any family making less than $250,000." [Washington Post, 10/15/08: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/10/final_presidential_debate.html]

New York Times: McCain Distorts Obama Health Care Plan Again. "As in the second debate, Mr. McCain charged that small businesses would be fined under Mr. Obama's health plan if they did not pay for health coverage as mandated by the government. And Mr. Obama, again, corrected him by pointing out that his plan would exempt small businesses from the requirement that employers either provide coverage for their workers or pay into a fund to subsidize coverage for the low-income uninsured." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Falsely Says Obama Supports "Single Payer." "Mr. McCain said: 'Senator Obama wants to set up health care bureaucracies, take over the health care of America through - - as he said, his object is a single-payer system. If you like that - - you'll - - you would love Canada and England.' Mr. McCain was wrong in saying that Mr. Obama's proposal called for a single-payer system. Mr. Obama wants private insurers to continue in operation, but would subject them to strict federal regulation, so, for example, they could not deny coverage to people in poor health." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Distorts on His Own Judicial Picks. "When asked whether he would appoint someone to the Supreme Court who disagreed with him and supported Roe v. Wade, Mr. McCain said he would apply no 'litmus test' in his Supreme Court appointments and would make his decisions "based on their qualifications." But Mr. McCain has gone much further while seeking to shore up his standing with Christian conservatives that make up the Republican base, giving an expansive speech at Wake Forest this year about his judicial philosophy and pledging to nominate strict constructionist, conservative judges--in other words, those who would oppose Roe v. Wade." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Overstates Impact of Fannie and Freddie. "Senator McCain argued as the debate began, and as he repeatedly does on the campaign trail, that the blame for the financial meltdown lies with the mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were a unique hybrid-government-chartered but shareholder-owner--until they were forced into government conservatorships last month. 'The catalyst for this housing crisis was the Fannie and Freddie Mae (sic) that caused the subprime lending situation that now caused the housing market in America to collapse,' Mr. McCain said. Few analysts of the current crisis trace its roots to Fannie and Freddie, whatever their mistakes." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

New York Times: McCain Distort on Repudiating Remarks. "Mr. McCain accused Mr. Obama of failing to repudiate recent remarks by Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and legendary civil rights leader, who accused Mr. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, of 'sowing the seeds of hatred and division' because of theinsults hurled by some at their rallies about Mr. Obama. Mr. Lewis likened the pair to former Gov. George Wallace of Alabama… The Obama campaign did quickly issue a statement repudiating the comparison to Wallace: 'Senator Obama does not believe that John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies.' The campaign, however, did add that it was appropriate for Mr. Lewis to criticize the 'hateful rhetoric' at Mr. McCain's rallies." [New York Times blog, 10/15/08: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/check-point-the-grand-finale/]

ABC News: Small Businesses Would Not Pay a Fine. "McCain was wrong to state that small businessman 'Joe the Plumber' would end up paying a fine if he refused to provide his workers with health insurance under Barack Obama's health-care plan. Under the Obama plan, small businesses are exempted from a requirement imposed on large companies that they contribute to a national health fund if they fail to make "a meaningful contribution" to their employees' health care costs." [ABC News Debate Live Blog, 10/15/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/10/live-debate-b-2.html]

ABC News: McCain Mortgage Plan is Not Similar to Hillary Clinton's. "During tonight's debate, McCain said that Hillary Clinton proposed the same kind of mortgage buy-up plan that he did. This is not true. While Clinton has proposed directly helping homeowners by having the government buy and resell mortgages that are in danger of foreclosure, her proposal would force financial institutions to take a loss. The McCain proposal, by contrast, is more generous to financial institutions and more costly for taxpayers." [ABC News Debate Live Blog, 10/15/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/10/live-debate-b-2.html]

ABC News: McCain Cannot Balance the Budget in Four Years. "But McCain is still saying he'd balance the budget within four years? This is silliness, and I think McCain knows it. I look forward to his campaign explaining how, exactly, he'll do this while extending the Bush tax cuts and funding bailouts." [ABC News Debate Live Blog, 10/15/08: http://blogs.abcnews.com/liveblogging/2008/10/live-debate-b-2.html]

AP: McCain's $700 Billion on Energy Claim Not True. McCAIN: "We have to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much." THE FACTS: This is a reference to U.S. spending on oil imports. McCain has repeatedly made this claim. But the figure is highly inflated and misleading. According to government agencies that track energy imports, the United States spent $246 billion in 2007 for all imported crude oil, a majority of it coming from friendly nations including neighboring Canada and Mexico. An additional $82 billion was spent on imported refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and fuel oil. A majority of the refined products come from refineries in such friendly countries as the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Trinidad-Tobago and the Virgin Islands." [AP, 10/15/08: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEBATE_FACT_CHECK?SITE=FLMYR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT]

AP: Experts Skeptical of McCain Mortgage Plan. McCAIN: "Now, we have allocated $750 billion. Let's take 300 of that billion and go in and buy those home loan mortgages and negotiate with those people in their homes, 11 million homes or more, so that they can afford to pay the mortgage, stay in their home." THE FACTS: Ordering the government to buy up bad mortgages to cut homeowners' monthly payments might sound good, but experts are skeptical. They say the plan McCain is promoting is unlikely to solve the housing crisis that's pushing the economy toward recession. One big problem: The vast majority of the toxic home loans that are clogging financial markets and freezing up credit have been repackaged into complex investments that the government would be hard-pressed to unravel and buy. And the government could end up paying far more than they would ever be worth. That could primarily help banks and lenders with taxpayer money." [AP, 10/15/08: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEBATE_FACT_CHECK?SITE=FLMYR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT]

Politifact: McCain's Aim Still Off on Tax Votes. "Sen. John McCain revived a claim against Barack Obama that he's made before -- that Obama voted to raise taxes on people making $42,000 a year… But it's inaccurate to suggest votes on nonbinding budget resolutions, which don't have the force of law and don't include precise details on taxes or spending, are the same as votes on legislation that actually increases taxes. The resolutions would not change the tax code. Moreover, Obama as a candidate has proposed tax increases hit those couples $250,000 or more a year, or $200,000 for singles." [Politifact.com, 10/15/08: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/801/]

FactCheck.org: Small Businesses Would be Exempt from Health Care Plan. "McCain said 'Joe the plumber' faced 'much higher taxes' under Obama's tax plan and would pay a fine under Obama's health care plan if he failed to provide coverage for his workers. But Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher would pay higher taxes only if the business he says he wants to buy puts his income over $200,000 a year, and his small business would be exempt from Obama's requirement to provide coverage for workers." [FactCheck.org, 10/16/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html]

FactCheck.org: McCain Misrepresents Obama Health Care Intentions. "McCain claimed that Obama's real 'object' is a government-run, single-payer health insurance system like those in Canada or England. The McCain campaign points to a quote from five years ago, when Obama told a labor gathering that he was "a proponent of a single-payer health care program." But Obama has since qualified his enthusiasm for Canadian-style health care, and his current proposal is nothing like that." [FactCheck.org, 10/16/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html]

FactCheck.org: McCain Gets in Wrong on Imports. "McCain described Colombia as the "largest agricultural importer of our products." Actually, Canada imports the most U.S. farm products, and Colombia is far down the list." [FactCheck.org, 10/16/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_debate_no_3.html]