Fact-Check Obama

[TuTu Monroe]

Friday, January 29, 2010

Fact-Checking the President in Baltimore [Daniel Foster]

In this video, a bemused President Obama responds to a claim by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas) that monthly deficits under the Democrat-controlled Congress exceed the annual deficits accrued by Republican Congresses from 1996 to 2007:


Obama calls for "independent fact check" of Hensarling factual statement

Beginning at about 3:33, the president says: "When you say that suddenly, I've got a monthly . . . deficit that's higher than the annual deficit left by the Republicans . . . that's factually just not true. And you know it's not true."


At 5:08, the president says "I am happy to have any independent fact-checker out there take a look at your presentation versus mine in terms of the accuracy of what I just said."


Obama is right. Monthly deficits under the recent Democratic Congresses don't exceed annual deficits under those Republican Congresses. But they come pretty darn close.

Hensarling's comments likely emerged from a release issued by the Republican Study Committee just yesterday, showing that the total accumulated deficit from Republican-controlled budgets from FY 1996-FY 2007 (and factoring in the substantial surpluses run from 1998-2001) stands at just under $1.246 trillion. The deficit run by Democratic-controlled Congresses in just three years — starting with FY2008 and including the latest CBO projections for FY 2010 — is already $3.222 trillion.


That means that over twelve years of Republican rule, there was an average annual budget deficit of about $104 billion. Compare that with an average annual deficit since 2008 of $1.074 trillion — or about $90 billion per month.


No need to trust the GOP document either. The CBO has all the data in a handy downloadable spreadsheet here.


The Corner/National Review

 

[Bonestorm]

So, long story short, Obama is right even if you dishonesty ascribe the lat two years of the Bush Administration to the Democrats?

Is this the best you can do for a two-hour Obama appearance?

 

[PostmodernProphet]

even if you dishonesty ascribe the lat two years of the Bush Administration to the Democrats?

so, they were there, but they really weren't there?........guess it didn't do them as much good as they thought to take control of Congress.....

 

[Cancel 2016.2]

So, long story short, Obama is right even if you dishonesty ascribe the lat two years of the Bush Administration to the Democrats?

Is this the best you can do for a two-hour Obama appearance?

It is hardly dishonest to state what occurred under Republican led Congress's vs. Democrat led Congress's. I know many on the left like to attribute the budget JUST to the President, but reality is... it is CONGRESS that passes the budget. They have just as much if not more control over the budget than the President.

But many on the left fail to acknowledge this because it might mean they have to give credit to the Reps for the imaginary 'surpluses' of the late 90's and it might mean their precious Dem leaders in Congress might share the blame for the deficits of 2007 and 2008.

 

[Cancel 2018. 3]

So, long story short, Obama is right even if you dishonesty ascribe the lat two years of the Bush Administration to the Democrats?

Is this the best you can do for a two-hour Obama appearance?

heap of dung or dung sweeper, please tell me you made this post in jest. you act as if there is only one branch of government. you ignore the democratic party majority in both the house and senate. but, it must still be bush's fault, he is so powerful that his actions alone control the fate of the world.

you are a dungheap

 

[Canceled2]

heap of dung or dung sweeper, please tell me you made this post in jest. you act as if there is only one branch of government. you ignore the democratic party majority in both the house and senate. but, it must still be bush's fault, he is so powerful that his actions alone control the fate of the world.

you are a dungheap

They had that power the last two years of Bush as well.

 

[Bonestorm]

heap of dung or dung sweeper, please tell me you made this post in jest. you act as if there is only one branch of government. you ignore the democratic party majority in both the house and senate. but, it must still be bush's fault, he is so powerful that his actions alone control the fate of the world.

you are a dungheap

I was simply referring to the context of what Obama said you ignorant shits:

The fact of the matter is, is that when we came into office, the deficit was $1.3 trillion. $1.3 trillion. So -- so when you say that suddenly I've got a monthly budget that is higher than the annual -- or a monthly deficit that's higher than the annual deficit left by Republicans, that's factually just not true, and you know it's not true. And what is true is that we came in already with a $1.3 trillion deficit before I had passed any law. What is true is, we came in with $8 trillion worth of debt over the next decade.

Had nothing to do with anything that we had done. It had to do with the fact that in 2000, when there was a budget surplus of $200 billion, you had a Republican administration and a Republican Congress, and we had two tax cuts that weren't paid for, you had a prescription drug plan -- the biggest entitlement plan, by the way, in several decades -- that was passed, without it being paid for, you had two wars that were done through supplementals, and then you had $3 trillion projected because of the lost revenue of this recession.

OBAMA: That's $8 trillion. Now, we increased it by $1 trillion because of the spending that we had to make on the stimulus.

I am happy to have any independent factchecker out there take a look at your presentation versus mine in terms of the accuracy of what I just said.

Jackasses.

And even ascribing the last two years of the Bush Administration to Obama, hw as still right.

He basically schooled some dumbass Republican House member off the top of his head. It was hilarious. This was the best gothca the Republicans could come up with and it isn't even a gotcha.

 

[apple0154]

When it comes to health care reform the bottom line is do the citizens of the United States of America believe the ill should be taken care of? Talk of budgets, plans, proposals, deficits.....if the country was attacked by a foreign power would the people sit around and discuss budgets, plans, proposals and deficits before taking action?

What value do you put on your fellow citizen; your fellow, ill citizen? Rep. Jeb Hensarling talks about 20% rising to 24% of GDP in the video. Is he saying 24% is too much and they have to ignore the ill?

Why is medical care treated as an option? The attitude is the budget is made and medical care is fitted in at the end assuming there is enough money. Why isn't medical care placed in the budget first and then other things discussed as to viability regarding budgets and deficits? What priority do the ill have?

Is the cost of picking up the garbage in a National Park budgeted for before the costs of treating the ill? What other things are budgeted for before medical costs?

Let's say one knew their child would require braces for their teeth within the next year. When the family sat down at the dining room table to go over their budget where would the braces fit on their budget sheet? After budgeting for a new TV? After budgeting for lawn maintenance? Or would the braces be at the top of the list?

I would think the braces would be at the top of the list and if there was money left over then discuss a TV and lawn maintenance. Is my view a minority view?

 

[Cancel 2018. 3]

I was simply referring to the context of what Obama said you ignorant shits:



Jackasses.

And even ascribing the last two years of the Bush Administration to Obama, hw as still right.

He basically schooled some dumbass Republican House member off the top of his head. It was hilarious. This was the best gothca the Republicans could come up with and it isn't even a gotcha.

so you also blame the democrats? are you actually going to be honest?

*won't hold breath*