FactcheckED.org
Sins of Omission Take a quick stroll through the Congressional
Record, and you'll
see that there's nothing straightforward about
legislation. The bills themselves
are complicated: They have many
parts; they go through numerous revisions, and
they use jargon and
language that's tough to understand. The conversations surrounding the
bills are complex too,
and there are often subtle differences in
opinion that don't break down along party lines. Politicians can
exploit this
complexity to misrepresent their own opinions or those of
their opponents, making issues seem cut and dried when,
in fact,
they’re anything but. In this lesson, students look at some claims made
by presidential candidate John McCain
about his Democratic opponent,
Barack Obama. In evaluating whether these claims are accurate, they
will see the
importance of researching context and learn to be on the
lookout for fallacies that exploit incomplete knowledge.
AND
FACTCHECK.ORG
A Full Tank of Nonsense
July 22, 2008
McCain ad says Obama's the guy to thank for emptying our wallets at the filling station. We say that's ridiculous.
The Truth on Troop Support?
July 22, 2008
A McCain TV ad says Obama "voted against funding our troops." He did, once. Every other time he voted in favor.
Questionable Quotes
July 18, 2008
Vets for Freedom ad attributes CIA chief's viewpoint to a critical newspaper.
Straining a Point
July 16, 2008
An Obama ad says he'll "fast track alternatives" to imported oil. Actually, his plan is a 10-year proposal with no guarantees.
McCain's Small-Business Bunk
July 14, 2008
He
claims 23 million small-business owners would pay higher tax rates
under Obama. He's wrong. The vast majority would see no change, and
many would get a cut.
AFL-CIO Falsely Attacks McCain
July 10, 2008
It
runs an ad claiming McCain voted "against increasing health care
benefits for veterans," when he actually voted repeatedly to increase
them.
A False Accusation About Energy
July 9, 2008
An RNC ad claims Obama has "no new solutions" to the energy problem, when he actually proposes $150 billion worth.
The $32,000 Question
July 8, 2008
The
McCain campaign falsely claims that Obama voted to raise income taxes
on individuals earning "as little as $32,000 per year."
Errors en Español
July 8, 2008
A Spanish-language McCain radio ad gets nearly all its facts wrong.
Tax Tally Trickery
July 3, 2008
Republicans claim Obama "voted 94 times for higher taxes." But their count is inflated and misleading.
Obama's Work Claim
July 2, 2008
His new ad says he "worked his way" through college and law school. His campaign says he had two summer jobs.
Distorting Obama
June 26, 2008
McCain's new Web ad misrepresents some of the Democrat's positions on energy.