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Subscribe to RSSZANESVILLE, OH -- The meta-fact check war rages on.
As the campaigns continued to trade salvos over the accuracy of claims made in both parties' convention speeches, Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he's happy to be under the microscope of fact checkers.
Carolyn Kaster / AP
Vice President Joe Biden talks with Lisa McIntosh of Lewisburg, Ohio, as he stops for an ice cream cone Saturday at a Dairy Queen in Nelsonville, Ohio.
"I say to the press, 'Fact check me,'" the vice president declared before launching into a lengthy critique of the Republican plan for Medicare overhaul.
"What they're proposing will actually cost the Medicare trust fund that pays for the benefits when you go to the hospital, the doctor, to run out of money, a sufficient amount of money by 2016," he said. "That's when it would hit the wall."
Biden's claim echoes one made Wednesday night by former President Bill Clinton, who said that the Romney-Ryan goal of repealing the Affordable Care Act would eliminate that bill's measures to keep Medicare solvent until 2024, pushing the date when Medicare will "go broke" up by 8 years.
The non-partisan factcheck.org found that to be an exaggeration; while repeal of ACA would mean the earlier exhaustion of the part of Medicare that covers hospitals, the fund would still collect payroll taxes to cover the vast majority of hospital bills.
The Washington Post put it more bluntly: "This is wrong," it wrote on Sept. 6 of Biden's 2016 Medicare solvency claim.
On Saturday, Biden also accused Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryanof proposing to turn the federal health insurance program for seniors into "Vouchercare," saying that the Romney-Ryan plan would raise costs for seniors.
Independent fact checkers have pointed out that while Ryan's most recent budget would provide private insurance vouchers which would grow at the rate of inflation rather than at the rate of health costs, it would also keep traditional Medicare as an option for seniors who wanted it. While most agree that it's likely that seniors would have to pay more if they chose Medicare, it's hard to project how health care costs would change under a hypothetical Romney-Ryan plan.
"Today, Vice President Biden said that he should be fact-checked, and we agree," said Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg. "The vice president knowingly and deliberately leveled false and discredited attacks."
The fact check challenge comes after a Romney pollster was quoted saying that "we're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers." Paul Ryan's convention speech was heavily criticized for citing several discredited claims.
Biden poked fun at that sentiment Saturday, calling it "amazing" that the Romney campaign "doesn't like to be fact checked."
Addressing the crowd of about 450 at an Ohio elementary school, Biden also needled Republicans for their impassioned support for Medicare.
"If … you got dropped down from Mars and turned on the convention, you'd think that they really cared about it. You'd think it's something they thought of," Biden said of Republicans.
“They mention it so often you'd be surprised to learn that they've always been trying to chip away [from it] for the last 40 years," he added.
Another fact check? You can't survive on Mars.
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Oddly enough you had to show your photo ID to go to the convention. But not to vote? Joe - reality check - fact check - that's bull @!$%#e.
I would love to see Debbie Wasserman-Schultz fact checked, that would be a comedians dream come true
Facts will not get you to the White House. It's money.
Check this out. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/rulings/pants-fire/
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/48708046/#48707867
Bite-me is now going to elementary schools for votes.
Depends on how you look at it really.
the 716 billon is supposed to be cutting a lot of red tape. that will in turn significantly reduce the overall cost and once medical records are electronic and we can have insurance across borders we will have arrived in the 21 century and the cost will plummet.
they fixed healthcare by laying the ground work to remove it from the free market. $ shouldnt = life. speech either. corporations arent people and healthcare is a human right.
So how do they cut medicare. By not paying the service providers as much. Right now Medicare averages 76% of what private insurance pays on bills. Now the government is going to cut that to the area of 50%. What kind of care, if any, do you think senior are going to get.
So you say Obamacare solves the problem. What originally was sold as costing $800 billion now according to the CBO is up $2.8 trillion. Much of the claims of the Obama administration were based on forecasts of 6%-7% growth in the economy therefore raising the amount of revenue collected. Well, guess what, over the last two years the best quarter had 2.4% growth and only 3 quarters over 2%. The first 2 quarter of 2012 were 1.7% and 1.4%. All we have done with Obamacare is started another deficit program which will bankrupt our government. How good will the government health care be when they can't pay the bills.
Fact Check ME?
This should be a lot of fun for any serious journalist - if there are any?
Biden's train of thought only has an engine with no fuel and a caboose.
Biden's observation is impossible to fact-check at this point, since we don't know clearly what the Romney-Ryan camp is proposing and, even if the assumptions of an "option" for those now on Medicare were included, the resulting impact on the fund can't be known until people would have chosen one or the other of the options.
The plan was a proposal. Congress would write any bill, Something does need to be done as Medicare cannot go on without reform much longer as is without imploding.
Biden's claim that "they're not for preserving Medicare at all," is also misleading. Under the Romney/Ryan plan, those 55 and older would remain in traditional Medicare. For those currently under 55, the Romney-Ryan plan would institute a new premium-support plan beginning with new beneficiaries in 2023. Seniors would pick from private plans, or could choose traditional Medicare, all of which would be offered on a new Medicare exchange. So, those 55 and over would still get Medicare, and those under 55 could opt for traditional Medicare.
Biden Fact Check:
''I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people. ''
Oops, that was Clinton!
Obviously what he meant was "brain scan me". Those crafty Martians have stolen my brain!
You don't need a scan to find Biden's brain - you need a proctologist!
Just remember, Joe Biden is a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
1. In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking. Joe Biden
2. I never had an interest in being a mayor 'cause that's a real job, you have to produce. Joe Biden
3. . If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, if we stand up there and we really make the tough decisions, there's still a 30 percent chance we're going to get it wrong." Joe Biden
4. Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S. Joe Biden
5. When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, "look, here's what happened." Joe Biden
6. A man I’m proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next President of the United States — Barack America! Joe Biden
Need I post more quotes from the idiot, Joe Biden?
Crazy Uncle Joe would be really funny if he wasn't next in line to be PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
E.D. As scary as it seems that Biden is in line to be the next president, I'm afraid it might be an upgrade.
Man, Biden like most libs is so clueless and in that pic of the biker broad sitting in front of him it looks like the two boys on either side of him want to kick his backside for maybe getting frisky with one of the boy's old lady. Unless of course this is a gay biker bar which makes more sense for Biden to be there. My opinion is: If you voted for Obama in '08 to prove you're not a racist, you'll have to vote for someone else in '12 to prove you're not an i d i o t.
Man, you are so clueless...period!
Hey guys, don't make fun of Uncle Joe, I loved him on Petticoat Junction.
Wow, that's bold, telling his trained monkey lackeys in the press to "fact check" him.
PFFT.... go to infowars for a really good pic.
Election's over. Hillbillies, you can return to fornicating your cousins.
Satanick & others; bought & sold press, won't totally disagree on that. Fox news stands out above everyone on this planet on that one!
Barack Obama:
Alias Barry Soetoro pawns himself as Barack Obama, the humanitarian, the POTUS, the campaign for hope and change. But we know better. Barry is a radical Marxist who was raised by Communist parents and Communist grandparents. His mentors were known Communists, his contacts in college were strictly Marxists supporters, Marxist professors and a group of Pakistani activists as stated in his book, "Dreams From My Father".
Barack Obama, tell us about Frank Marshall Davis or Bill Ayers. Surely you remember Mr. Davis. After all, your mother knew him all too well. Mr. Ayers, a known terrorist, responsible for at least a dozen bombings, helped your early Illinois campaign by raising money, thru his organization Underground Weather. Davis, a well known Communist. Tell us about your trip to Pakistan ('81) with Pakistani Wahid Hamid.
Share with us your ideals of socialism, after all you're a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), referred as the "New Party". Please tell us why you have been influenced by the writings of Karl Marx, the prelude to Communism. Share with us your association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Do you justify this man's message by condemning our country by saying, "God bless America? No, God Damn America"? Was this a forethought supporting your belief in Marxism?
United States of America………………you didn't build it Barack Obama.
TopDrum doesn't mean to be derogatory!
He is just cranky in the morning when his Republican Party has failed him with a candidate like Mitt Romney, forcing him to tear the opposition down to make them seem as bad as Mitt "Runaway" Romney.
TopDud's straw dogs, created out of lucent dreams of Rush Limbaugh's Oxycontin stupor, do not help him to present a valid case against President Obama.
TopDrunk's imaginary straw dogs just reveal how far TopDork is willing to go to trash the only President who could have stopped the collapse of our banks, while saving our Auto Industry, and giving 30 million more Americans healthcare, along with a 14 year extension of Medicare services, without a loss in benefits!
TopDooby, you are sooooo Republican! You are the reason Americans should vote for another four years with President Obama! Your dogs don't hunt!
Biden was off a bit with his numbers but correct in his statement. The republican plan will cause medicare to run dry faster than Obama's plan. Biden was wrong about the year, 2016, but the rest of what he said was true.
When it comes to these numbers, they are all projections anyway and will change as time goes on. No one can predict the future precisely.
The key point is, the republicans will cost the average American more while giving more benefits to the wealthy. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
MY FELLOW AMERICANS, THINK!
...what's really absolutely TRUE is that there are OVER 88,000,000 (eighty-eight million) Americans out of work. Get it?
Fredddddddddy4life.....Republicans put them out of work! Obama has stopped the bleeding! No one could have done better!
Do we think "yells at cloud" McCain would have saved GM? Would he have created a HealthCare system that will allow thirty more Americans to return to work?
Would our wages have gone up with McCain at the helm?
Would US manufacturers start making things again, using trickle down economics theory that does not work?
Giving millionaires tax breaks does nothing to allow our Middle Class to buy products if their wages cannot stay ahead of the cost of living increases.
In the last 35 years, our wages have stagnated under Trickle Down Republican Principles, Corporations have stolen our benefits and pensions, and Republicans want to try it again!
All we have seen in thirty-five years is our jobs going overseas, because, just like a few weeks ago, a unanimous decision by Republicans blocked another passage of an Obama Bill! That bill would have removed the tax breaks for companies shifting jobs overseas and increased tax breaks for companies who bring those jobs back!
Who do the Republicans in Congress, under John Boehner and Eric Cantor, serve? The interests of China?
We cannot say they were voting for American values on that vote!
VOTE FOR BARRACK OBAMA, TO KEEP SLUGS IN OUR OUR GOVERNMENT AT BAY!
biden was fact checked by the press and he was found to have made false staements at the convention. this was on tv over the weekend. i wish they were all called on their lies.
Since Obama is against any new oil exploration and the Keystone Pipe line, he should consider looking into nuke Syria, Iran, Iraq and take over the oil fields in Iran and Iraq. If Pakistan complains..nuke them as well to get them out of the way. If Russia and China maybe N.Korea try to counter us, maybe a nuclear war would be a great solution to boost our economy and get the jobs rolling. Plus this will cut the population down in these countries that are nothing but a primitive dumping site for Arabs and Muslims who have been sponging off of us for years. Aah the smell of charred bodies early in the morning!!!!
Obama has quadrupled the number of pumping oil wells in America since he took office! Republicans won't tell us that. But it is true!
The XL pipeline, because the Canadian owners of the Shale Tar fields refuse to allow the US to get any benefit of the oil until after it reaches the Tax-Free zone in the Texas Gulf, where Koch Brothers can refine it, is still being negotiated!
There is no benefit to anyone in the US if the Oil gets to the World Market and does not benefit the US consumers, while it threatens our groundwater, and does not give us cheaper gas!
Do you think Obama is stupid? Would you agree to a crappy deal like that? Would you agree to take the risks of another trans-American pipeline, while the refiners refuse to build new refineries that actually could lower our gas prices? The pumped oil is stacked up, awaiting refining, while the Koch Brothers keep the refining costs high by restricting the amount of gas they can produce!
Don't any Republicans understand what is really happening? The US and the world have to compete for the oil as it comes out of the refineries. That is what keeps the price of gasoline high! Fewer refineries=higher gas prices and more profits into KOCH INDUSTRIES!
Obama still needs a nuclear war to help produce new post nuclear jobs for millions of unemployed workers in this country
Well Carrie, it looks like people are taking Joe up on that and look at the results. Basically, the democrats are as big at lieing as NBC News, and ABC, CBS, CNN, NPR, and all of the media. Sorry,....but you put it up and Joe said it. Truth hurts, doesn't it? But if you can ever get used to it,....you'll love it,....it will set you free and you won't be putting up with this bs.
This reporter uses Fact-Check.org to verify that the Medi-Care Fund will not be reduced in eight years less, due to Ryan's Budget, but the Hospital Funding will, resulting in no Hospital to deliever the Medicare Services from! Say, What?
Did the Reporter go to Pat Robertson's Heritage University for her reporting credentials? Oh, our payroll taxes will have to be used to keep it going, after Ryan's Budget guts the Medicare funding, taking the 716 Billion from Medicare to give an additional 10 per cent tax break for millionaires, while Obama's plan uses the same 716 Billion and returns it to Medicare, to keep it solvent into the 2020's!
Tea Party Ryan's Budget would, according to this reporter's findings, only raise the cost of Medicare with the voucher system he proposes at the current rate of inflation.
What the reporter fails to mention is that Romney/Ryan plan to repeal ObamaCare on the first day of a Republican White House will reverse the Health Care Provider's constraints under ObamaCare to go from our current 4% rate increases per year back to the doubling of HealthCare costs every three years, which was the driving reason Obama pushed so hard for the Healthcare bill in the first place!
Shouldn't we assume reporters, who deal with these subjects day after day, year after year, would have some semblance of loyalty to the truth of the entire story, not just using wordsmithing to create division in our public just to sell their lies?
Every source this reporter uses is either another un-verified headline news source, or Independent fact checkers from who knows where (*The Koch Brothers Heritage Foundation?*) or a partial word-smithed clipjob from Fact-Check, twisted to create more controversy!
What's the point of having news if we have to fact check the news sources, Carrie Dan from Ohio??