GOP half-truths in debate

One of my favourite sites is the U of PA's Fact Check project at the Annenberg School of Public Policy edited by CNN alumnus Brooks Jackson. This week they parsed the GOP candidates' debate the other day in South Carolina, and some of the points just made me laugh:

• Rudy Giuliani, the only pro-choice candidate in the field, claimed adoptions went up 73% during his time as NYC mayor -- in an attempt to suggest there are ways to eliminate abortion other than through coercive and criminal legal means. True, he did create policies that encouraged foster care -- he got rid of a lot of the red tape and made sure the state's Womens Infant and Children program was better publicized. But that 73% only applies to his first three years in office. After that it dropped 32 basis points. The net gain over the eight years works out to 17% by Fact Check's numbers.
• Giuliani claimed he made NYC the safest large city in America. Megacity, maybe. True, his broken window strategy made a huge bite out of crime and he got rid of graffiti on the subways. The safest city during his time, though, was San Jose with only 1/8 the population.
• Doug Hunter claimed illegal immigrants from North Korea cross the border at Mexico. Yes, he said North Korea. It was something like 22 last year -- and wouldn't North Koreans want to make a run for the South? Since when did Pyongyang allow North Koreans to visit Mexico?
• Mitt Romney claimed Massachusetts' pay or play insurance scheme -- which Dukakis introduced during the 80s but was never enforced until Mitt came to town -- is working. Maybe so, but about 375,000 Bay Staters remain uninsured.
• Tommy Thompson claimed he cut the paperwork in welfare by 93%, while he was Governor of Wisconsin. But add in other entitlements added during his term and the gains were wiped out.

The Democrats were full of similar crap last week, although Jackson says in their case it was more spin rather than outright misrepresentations.

At least someone's out there keeping an eye on the truth. I'd rather trust Keith Olbermann over Bill O'Reilly but if the latter got his wish and Keith dropped out of the scene, Fact Check is on the money.

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