Romney Campaign Press Release - The Obama Campaign's Top Ten Lies & Exaggerations

"We knew when President Obama was elected he had no experience, but at least we thought he'd tell us the truth. President Obama's campaign has spent millions of dollars on television spreading distortions and falsehoods about Governor Romney's record. Americans deserve better from their president." — Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

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NUMBER ONE: The Obama Campaign's Discredited Attack On Governor Romney's Record Of Job Creation:

The Obama Campaign Accused Romney Of Shipping Jobs Overseas While At Bain Capital. "Obama accuses Romney in a series of TV ads of being a 'corporate raider' who 'shipped jobs to China and Mexico,' asking if voters want to elect an 'outsourcer in chief.' ... Bain Capital, the venture capital firm founded by Romney in 1984, is the focus of the Obama campaign's attacks." (Robert Farley and Eugene Kiely, "Obama's 'Outsourcer' Overreach," FactCheck.org, 6/29/12)

• FactCheck.org: "We Found No Evidence To Support The Claim That Romney — While He Was Still Running Bain Capital — Shipped American Jobs Overseas." "But after reviewing numerous corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, contemporary news accounts, company histories and press releases, and the evidence offered by both the Obama and Romney campaigns, we found no evidence to support the claim that Romney — while he was still running Bain Capital — shipped American jobs overseas." (Robert Farley and Eugene Kiely, "Obama's 'Outsourcer' Overreach," FactCheck.org, 6/29/12)

• FactCheck.org: "The Post Story Did Not Reveal, To Use The Obama Campaign's Term, That Romney Relocated U.S. Jobs To Foreign Countries." (Robert Farley and Eugene Kiely, "Obama's 'Outsourcer' Overreach," FactCheck.org, 6/29/12)

• The Washington Post Has Repudiated These Ads, Saying "There Is Little In The Post Article That Backs Up The Obama Campaign's Spin." "Yet the campaign clearly seized on this report because their interpretation fit with a long-term "outsourcing" attack they have waged against Romney. One of their outsourcing ads before the article ran, in fact, earned Four Pinocchios. These new ads would not fare much better; there is little in the Post article that backs up the Obama campaign's spin." (Glenn Kessler, "Obama's New Attacks On Romney And Outsourcing," The Washington Post, 7/2/12)

NUMBER TWO: President Obama Falsely Claimed Obamacare Was "Absolutely Not A Tax Increase":

In 2009, President Obama Told Americans That Obamacare Was "Absolutely Not A Tax Increase." STEPHANOPOULOS: "That may be, but it's still a tax increase." OBAMA: "No. That's not true, George. The — for us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase." (Chris Good, "Obama In 2009: The Individual Mandate Is Not A Tax," ABC News, 6/28/12)

• The Obama Administration Argued Before The Supreme Court That The Law Was "Valid ... As A Tax In Its Own Right." "In short, the minimum coverage provision will plainly be 'productive of some revenue' and thus satisfies a key attribute of taxation. ... [T]he minimum coverage penalty operates to increase the taxpayer's total tax liability based on his individual circumstances. In that sense, the minimum coverage provision is valid not only as a tax in its own right, but also as an adjunct to the income tax, as it merely provides an additional input in calculating the total amount owed on the taxpayer's income tax return." (Brief for Petitioners (Minimum Coverage Provision) at 54, 56, Dep't of Health & Human Services v. Florida, Sup. Ct. Docket No. 11-398.)

• Chief Justice John Roberts' Ruling Agreed With The Obama Administration: Obamacare's Federal Individual Mandate "May Reasonably Be Characterized As A Tax." "The court ruled 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the majority, that the mandate is unconstitutional under the Constitution's commerce clause, but it can stay as part of Congress's power under a taxing clause. ... 'The Affordable Care Act's requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax,' Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the ruling. 'Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness.'" (Matt Negrin and Ariane De Vogue, "Supreme Court Health Care Ruling: The Mandate Can Stay," ABC News, 6/28/12)

• President Obama Now Refers To The Federal Mandate As "A Tax." OBAMA: "If you've got health insurance, you're not paying a tax. If you don't have health insurance, if you can't afford it, the health care bill helps you get health insurance. We provide you with subsidies. The only people who are impacted by the individual mandate, whatever you want to call it, whether you want to call it a penalty, a tax, a mandate, whatever it is." (WLWT's "News 5," 7/6/12)

NUMBER THREE: The Obama Campaign's Attempt To Deflect Blame For The Failed Solyndra Investment:

The Obama Campaign Has Claimed The Federal Program That Awarded Solyndra's Loan Guarantee Was Established Under President Bush. "'President Obama's investments in clean energy — along with the loan guarantee program established under the Bush administration that Romney now attacks — have supported 200,000 jobs in the clean energy sector and have helped bring our dependence on foreign oil to a 16-year low,' [Lis Smith] said." (Ben German, "Obama Campaign Strikes Back At Romney On Green Energy," The Hill, 5/29/12)

• The Washington Post's Fact Checker: "The President Should Accept Responsibility, Not Shirk It" For Giving Solyndra Its Loan. "The administration is straining too hard to reverse that aphorism — ie, saying the failure of Solyndra has a thousand fathers. While the original law may have set up the loan guarantee program, Solyndra received its loan through an expansion of that program that the administration was quick to take credit for. ... We find it hard to believe that any reasonable person could interpret Obama's remarks this week as anything but a distinct effort to put the blame for Solyndra in some one else's pocket. The president should accept responsibility, not shirk it." (Glenn Kessler, "Obama's Solyndra Shuffle," The Washington Post, 3/23/12)

NUMBER FOUR: President Obama's False Claim About His Record Of Creating Manufacturing Jobs:

President Obama Claimed That, "For The First Time Since 1990, American Manufacturers Are Creating New Jobs." "President Barack Obama packed an upbeat job statistic for his visit to the Master Lock plant in Milwaukee. 'For the first time since 1990, American manufacturers are creating new jobs,' the president said on Feb. 15, 2012, as he praised Master Lock for bringing jobs back from China. 'American manufacturers are hiring for the first time since 1990,' Obama said in repeating the claim two days later at a Boeing plant in Washington state." (Dave Umhoefer, "President Barack Obama Says American Manufacturers Are Creating New Jobs For The First Time Since 1990," Politifact, 2/22/12)

• Politifact: "Employment Is Still Down Compared To The Start Of Obama's Term. ... We Rate The President's Claim False." (Dave Umhoefer, "President Barack Obama Says American Manufacturers Are Creating New Jobs For The First Time Since 1990," Politifact, 2/22/12)

NUMBER FIVE: The Obama Campaign Distorted Governor Romney's Position On Abortion:

The Obama Campaign Has Alleged Governor Romney Would Outlaw Abortion In Cases Of Rape And Incest. "An Obama campaign ad twists Mitt Romney's stance on abortion, claiming Romney 'backed a law that outlaws all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.'" (Robert Farley, "Twisting Romney's Abortion Stance," FactCheck.org, 7/9/12)

• FactCheck.org: "Twisting Romney's Abortion Stance" (Robert Farley, "Twisting Romney's Abortion Stance," FactCheck.org, 7/9/12)

• Governor Romney's "Position Opposing Abortion — Including The Exceptions He Makes In The Case Of Rape, Incest Or To Save The Life Of The Mother — Has Remained Consistent." "But his position opposing abortion — including the exceptions he makes in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother — has remained consistent during both his 2008 and 2012 runs for president." (Robert Farley, "Twisting Romney's Abortion Stance," FactCheck.org, 7/9/12)

NUMBER SIX: The Obama Campaign's Distorted Attacks About Massachusetts Contracts For Foreign Jobs:

The Obama Campaign Accused Romney Of Outsourcing Call Center Jobs To India As Governor. "A new ad from the Obama campaign takes aim at Mitt Romney's performance as governor of Massachusetts... The [Obama] ad claims that 'instead of hiring workers from his own state, Romney outsourced call center jobs to India.'" (Robert Farley, Lori Robertson, And Eugene Kiely, "Obama Twists Romney's Economic Record," FactCheck.org, 6/7/12)

• FactCheck.org: "The State Wasn't Outsourcing Contracts." "The state wasn't outsourcing contracts. Rather, in some cases, state contractors were subcontracting work to companies overseas." (Robert Farley, Lori Robertson, And Eugene Kiely, "Obama Twists Romney's Economic Record," FactCheck.org, 6/7/12)

NUMBER SEVEN: The Obama Campaign's Misleading Claim About Massachusetts' Debt Burden:

The Obama Campaign Has Accused Romney Of Leaving Massachusetts With A Massive Debt Burden. "Obama's campaign also accused Romney of allowing state borrowing to rise by 16% during his four-year term, leaving Massachusetts with the nation's highest per capita debt burden." (Michael Finnegan, "Obama Campaign Omits Key Facts On Romney's Massachusetts Record," Los Angeles Times, 6/1/12)

• FactCheck.org: "The State Debt Grew By Less Than It Did In A Similar Time Period Before Romney Was Sworn In." "So, the increase under Romney isn't exactly startling news. If anything, it could be argued that the state debt grew by less than it did in a similar time period before Romney was sworn in. 'It's pretty much standard operating procedure that the amount of debt we issue grows at a reasonable rate from year to year,' for roads, bridges, prisons, etc., said Widmer, of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. 'One would expect that.'" ("Obama Twists Romney's Economic Record," FactCheck.org, 6/7/12)

• The Obama Campaign's Claim That Gov. Romney Increased Public Debt In Massachusetts Received Three Pinocchios By The Washington Post's Fact Checkers. "'@MittRomney giving another debt speech: will he say why he increased MA's debt by $2.6B, leaving w/largest per capita debt in nation?' — Tweet from Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith ... The president's rapid-response team earns Three Pinocchios for its tweet." (Josh Hicks, "Tweet-err: The Obama Team's Faulty Debt Comparison," The Washington Post, 5/23/12)

NUMBER EIGHT: The Obama Campaign's False Attack About Governor Romney's Position On Student Loan Rates:

"The Obama Campaign Claims That [Student] Loan Rates Would Double On Julia Under Romney And The Ryan Budget." (Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact.com, 5/4/12)

• Politifact: "Romney Opposes Allowing The Rates To Double ... We Rate The Claim False." "Romney opposes allowing the rates to double, and House Republicans -- including Ryan -- have voted to stop it from happening. Their approach to pay for the extension may not suit the White House, but it's inaccurate to say the rates would double. We rate the claim False." (Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact.com, 5/4/12)

NUMBER NINE: President Obama's Misinformation About His Own Record Of Job Creation:

President Obama: "Between 2000 And 2008, We Tried What They're Selling. It Didn't Work. Most Sluggish Job Growth That We've Seen, Outsourcing, Manufacturing Deteriorating ..." (President Barack Obama, Remarks, Dearborn, MI, 4/18/12)

• The Washington Post's Fact Checker Noted "The Worst Numbers On Record Occurred Under [President Obama's] Watch." "The president said that policies from 2000 through 2008 produced the 'most sluggish job growth we've ever seen.' perhaps so, but the worst numbers on record occurred under his watch." (Josh Hicks, "Obama's Remarks On Worst Job Growth: Did He End It Or Should He Own It?" The Washington Post, 5/21/12)

• The Washington Post's Fact Checker: "Obama Comes In Either Last, Second-To-Last Or In The Bottom Half Among Presidents Since The Great Depression..." "But Obama comes in either last, second-to-last or in the bottom half among presidents since the great depression, depending on which way you look at the numbers." (Josh Hicks, "Obama's Remarks On Worst Job Growth: Did He End It Or Should He Own It?" The Washington Post, 5/21/12)

NUMBER TEN: President Obama's "Ridiculous" Claim On Tax Cuts:

President Obama Claimed He Passed The "Biggest Middle-Class Tax Cut In History." "The president's Labor Day speech in Detroit featured an assertion that contained a number of warning signs that it might be an errant fact: 'biggest middle-class tax cut in history.'" (Glenn Kessler, "Obama's Whopper Of A Claim On Tax Cuts," The Washington Post, 9/7/11)

• The Washington Post's Fact-Checker: "Obama's Claim Of Having Passed The 'Biggest Middle-Class Tax Cut In History' Is Ridiculous." (Glenn Kessler, "Obama's Whopper Of A Claim On Tax Cuts," The Washington Post, 9/7/11)