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We all know that this election season has brought out the worst television attack ads as far back as many of us can remember. One would think that this is just something that is going on in our respective states in which we live but that is not the case. It is as though everyone on the Republican side of the aisle have all been reading from the same playbook as have the Democrats who have come up with a few of their own truth exaggerations. Difference is that the Republicans are in lock-step with each other (as always) while the Democrats have only mixed pages of their playbook and they do not know what to do next. This has always been a problem for this party. No one wants to cooperate with the other and they end up in the mess in which they now find themselves in. Republicans lie in their attack ads and the Democrats have not enough brains in their heads to bring up the untruths so they eat the dust come election time.
Republican lie: Democrats are cutting Medicare.
While this is not an entirely untrue statement, the GOP just flat out forgets to tell viewers the whole story.
We lost count of the Republican ads telling seniors to worry because Democrats had slashed $500 billion from Medicare, the government-run health insurance program for seniors. But each time, we've rated it a significant exaggeration. Democrats did vote to reduce spending as part of the health care reform law, and it does sound like a humongous amount -- until you learn that the cuts are spread out over the next decade and aimed at parts of Medicare that are considered wasteful or ineffective.
So what about the lies from the Democrats? The GOP wants to privatize Social Security!
Social Security is basically a pension program paid for with payroll taxes from today's workers. But some lawmakers, primarily Republicans, would like to reduce the future burden on the government by letting younger workers set aside part of their payroll taxes into individual retirement accounts. The attack ads leave out that Republicans who support such a plan -- which they call "personal" accounts -- don't want to change benefits for current retirees or those who are near retirement.
- We fact-checked an attack ad from Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Wisc., that his Republican opponent Reid Ribble "wants to phase out Social Security, forcing Wisconsin seniors to fend for themselves." We rated that Pants on Fire.
- We looked at a statement by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., that her Republican opponent Rep. John Boozman wants to privatize Social Security. We rated that Barely True.
- And in Colorado, we looked at Sen. Michael Bennet's charge that Republican Ken Buck wants to privatize Social Security. That got a Half True.
Tough election year for the politicians and it is even tougher this time around for the voters. Do you thing people and get out to the polls on Tuesday. If you do not like your choices then vote “none of the above.” You cannot do any worse.
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