Fact checking Bill Clinton’s speech and other Democrats at the convention in Charlotte

Fact checking Bill Clinton’s speech and other Democrats at the convention in Charlotte

Posted by at 06:02 AM ET, 09/06/2012


(LARRY DOWNING/REUTERS)

“We are not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers.”

— Former president Bill Clinton, quoting Romney campaign pollster Neil Newhouse

Whew. In a previous life, The Fact Checker covered the Clinton White House and always marveled at Bill Clinton’s speechifying, his apparent command of policy and his sometimes slippery use of the facts. We are going to offer an initial take on some of his claims — and those of other Democrats — and then may come back to others in the coming days. Everyone needs to get some sleep.

“He [Obama] has offered a reasonable plan of $4 trillion in debt reduction over a decade. For every $2.5 trillion in spending cuts, he raises a dollar in new revenues, 2.5 to 1. And he has tight controls on future spending. That’s the kind of balanced approach proposed by the Simpson-Bowles commission, a bipartisan commission. … It passes the arithmetic test.”

— Former president Bill Clinton Continue reading “Fact checking Bill Clinton’s speech and other Democrats at the convention in Charlotte”

In Late Boost, Unions Chipped In More for Convention

Washington Wire

September 6, 2012, 1:35 PM

By Alicia Mundy,Associated Press

Delegates hold up signs during union leaders’ speeches at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Labor unions gave new donations to the Democratic Party for its national convention just as delegates were convening for the event, people with knowledge of the matter say.

The contributions marked something of a change for organized labor, which had scaled back its donations compared to prior years. That was due in part to the Democrats’ decision to hold the event in North Carolina, whose right-work-laws are bitterly opposed by unions. Continue reading “In Late Boost, Unions Chipped In More for Convention”

Democratic platform supports collective bargaining

Democratic platform supports collective bargaining

Sep. 4, 2012 – 02:05PM   |  By STEPHEN LOSEY
 Three women wear T-shirts with pictures of President Obama stating "He saved our jobs" as they walk outside the Time Warner Arena, where this year's Democratic National Convention takes place, in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday. Preparations for the Democratic National Convention have begun around Charlotte, where the party is expected to nominate Obama for a second term.

Three women wear T-shirts with pictures of President Obama stating “He saved our jobs” as they walk outside the Time Warner Arena, where this year’s Democratic National Convention takes place, in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday. Preparations for the Democratic National Convention have begun around Charlotte, where the party is expected to nominate Obama for a second term. (Mladen Antonov / AFP)

The Democratic Party reaffirms its support for collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers in its 2012 platform, which it released Monday night.

“Democrats believe that the right to organize and collectively bargain is a fundamental value,” the platform said. “Unions helped build the greatest middle class the world has ever known. We will fight for collective bargaining rights for police officers, nurses, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, teachers and other public-sector workers — jobs that are a proven path to the middle class for millions of Americans.” Continue reading “Democratic platform supports collective bargaining”

GOP’s ‘We Built It’ Refrain Is Both Puzzling and Telling

August 31, 2012; by

Delegates filled the floor Tuesday during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.
Enlarge Win McNamee/Getty ImagesDelegates filled the floor Tuesday during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

The 2012 Republican National Convention may have been the first gathering of its kind to take its theme from a gaffe.

Some variation of the phrase “We Built That” was the theme of the first night but, in effect, dominated the stage rhetoric throughout the convention. The phrase was the only one heard as often as “Hurricane Isaac.” Continue reading “GOP’s ‘We Built It’ Refrain Is Both Puzzling and Telling”

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