FACT CHECK: Not the whole truth in Pawlenty claims

[Born_A_Truman]

WASHINGTON (AP) — "Truth" was Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's buzzword Monday when he announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. He said he will tell the truth about hard choices facing the nation while others — President Barack Obama notably among them — do not.

A parsing of Pawlenty's opening-day statements shows they were not the whole truth.

Here is a sampling of his claims Monday and how they compare with the facts.

PAWLENTY: "The truth is, people getting paid by the taxpayers shouldn't get a better deal than the taxpayers themselves. That means freezing federal salaries, transitioning federal employee benefits, and downsizing the federal work force as it retires." — Campaign announcement.

THE FACTS: A federal pay freeze is already in effect. Obama proposed and Congress approved a two-year freeze on the pay of federal employees, exempting the armed forces, Congress and federal courts.

PAWLENTY: "ObamaCare is unconstitutional." — USA Today column.

THE FACTS: Obama's health care overhaul might be unconstitutional in Pawlenty's opinion, but it is not in fact unless the Supreme Court says so. Lower court rulings have been split.

PAWLENTY: "Barack Obama has consistently stood for higher taxes." — Campaign announcement.

THE FACTS: Obama's record shows more tax cutting than tax raising. The stimulus plan early in his presidency cut taxes broadly for the middle class and business, and more recently he won a substantial cut in Social Security taxes for a year. He also campaigned in support of extending the Bush-era tax cuts for all except the wealthy, whose taxes he wanted to raise. In office, he accepted a deal from Republicans extending the tax cuts for all. As for tax increases, Obama won congressional approval to raise them on tobacco and tanning salons. The penalty for those who don't buy health insurance, once coverage is mandatory, is a form of taxation.

===More at the link===

If their lips are moving ...

[Baltoman991]

When Pawlenty said he was going to tell the America People the truth I knew that it was pure BS. Anyone with an R after their name treats truth like Superman treats kryptonite.

He's lied to Minnesota for 8 years, so I see nothing changing when addressing the entire country. Good bye Timmy. Day one of your bid and you've been proven a liar. What'll you do for an encore in day two?

[Cha]

(05-23-2011 04:07 PM)Baltoman991 Wrote:  When Pawlenty said he was going to tell the America People the truth I knew that it was pure BS. Anyone with an R after their name treats truth like Superman treats kryptonite.

He's lied to Minnesota for 8 years, so I see nothing changing when addressing the entire country. Good bye Timmy. Day one of your bid and you've been proven a liar. What'll you do for an encore in day two?

Oh, day two is another day of lying just like the day before and just like the 3rd day..ad infinitum until he shuts up.

[nofurylike]

thank you for posting that, Pat.
just, wow.