The new Hillary TV ad for Wisconsin, by the way, doesn't do that well on the accuracy scale. In fact, all three of the issues it addresses are distorted. You can view it below. Here's the script:
"Barack Obama still won't agree to debate in Wisconsin. And now he's hiding behind false attack ads. Maybe he doesn't want to explain why his health care plan leaves out 15 million people and Hillary's covers everyone. Or why he voted to pass billions in Bush giveaways to the oil companies, but Hillary didn't. Or why he said he might raise the retirement age and cut benefits for social security. But Hillary won't. Why won’t Barack Obama debate these differences?"
Here's some facts:
1. Obama's health plan doesn't "leave out" 15 million -- estimates are that 15 million will choose not to buy insurance, but they could if they wanted. The ad tries to make people think his plan is going to shove aside needy people or something, which is completely untrue. The only saving grace is that Obama, in his ads, makes the equally inaccurate claim that his plan is "universal" or will "cover everyone" -- which isn't true, either.
2.The energy bill raised taxes on the oil industry more than it cut them, according to the Annenberg School's factcheck.org, which has repeatedly declared Clinton's repeated claim "misleading" here and here and here.
3. And finally, while Obama has said "everything is on the table" for putting Social Security's finances in order, he has said he doesn't want to raise the retirement age or cut benefits, and has suggested imposing payroll taxes on income over $100,000 or $200,000. Clinton supports none of the ideas because she has proposed no measures to secure SS. Instead, apparently hoping to avoid the kind of distorted attacks she is now launching on Obama, she supports only a study commission and fiscally prudent budgets.
Now keep in mind -- the latest Clinton slogan is that she's the candidate with "solutions." Apparently that's not true for Social Security, where she's the candidate who attacks solutions.
Comments (1)
I am glad to see another "journalist" who is being objective. I am glad we have a media who is objective about the presidential candidates.
It seems to me that the "raising of the age" for retirement is quoted with a date and news organization that it was said on.
What solutions do you give for social security? What positive impact do you have on this country except to pull down people who have served the people of the United States.
Let's talk about how Obama hasn't given one specific answer to a problem. "Everything is on the table" is not an answer. When people are not required to be covered in health insurance and then go to the emergency room and can't pay, that raises my rates. Obama's health plan does nothing for America and he has not given one specific solution to problems.
Stop hating Hillary Clinton and be objective.