FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. According to its website, FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. It monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. The stated goal of FactCheck.org is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
The news media tend to focus on President Trump’s exaggerations, misstatements and false claims - not a hard task, given the president’s tendency for loose talk. No such due diligence with the current crop of Democrat candidates. No ongoing catalogue of lies, ala CNN, of anyone other than Donald J. Trump. As if Trump were so bad, it’s okay to downplay the shortcoming of “anyone but Trump”. I don’t share that sentiment. So thank you FactCheck.org for combing through the Democrat debates and calling out candidates for speaking less than the truth.
Per FactCheck.org (and in their own words), here are questionable statements made by Joe Biden during the Democrat debates:
Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed that the “wealthy are the only ones doing well, period.” But weekly paychecks for rank-and-file workers have been rising. January 2020 Democratic Debate
In defending his 2002 vote to authorize the use of military force in Iraq, Biden claimed the Bush administration “said they were not going to go to war” and only sought weapons inspections. But days before the vote, President George W. Bush said, “I hope this will not require military action, but it may.” January 2020 Democratic Debate
Biden repeated a false claim that PolitiFact referred to his early climate change legislation as “a game changer.” The fact-checking website did not say that, although it did say he was a “climate change pioneer.” January 2020 Democratic Debate
Biden was right when he said international public opinion polls rate President Donald Trump below China’s leader, Xi Jinping. But most foreigners still want the U.S. to be the world’s leading power. December 2019 Democratic Debate
Biden said “most Americans, if they received a bill for $400 or more they’d have to sell something or borrow the money.” But “most” actually said they’d cover the expense with cash or credit. December 2019 Democratic Debate
A poll released earlier in the day contradicted former Vice President Joe Biden’s claim that “the vast majority of Democrats do not support Medicare for All.” The survey showed 77% of Democrats favored the single-payer health care plan. November 2019 Democratic Debate
Biden falsely said that PolitiFact called his 1987 climate change legislation “a game changer.” The fact-checking site did not use that phrase to describe the bill, and instead highlighted its limitations. November 2019 Democratic Debate
Biden was wrong when he said that American troops withdrawing from Syria were “being fired on by [Syrian President Bashar] Assad’s people.” October 2019 Democratic Debate
Biden claimed Medicare for All will cost “at least $30 trillion over 10 years. That is more on a yearly basis than the entire federal budget.” It may cost that much, but federal spending is projected to exceed $50 trillion over 10 years. And, while Medicare for All would significantly increase federal spending, it also would eliminate health care spending by individuals, businesses and local governments. October 2019 Democratic Debate
Biden said that, unlike the Trump administration, the Obama administration “didn’t lock people in cages” at the southern border. But the Obama administration did use similar chain link structures to house unaccompanied minors who illegally migrated. September 2019 Democratic Debate
Both Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren overstated the support for an assault weapons ban and government buybacks. September 2019 Democratic Debate
Biden falsely claimed President Trump “immediately discontinued” an aid program to Central America, and implied that’s the cause of surging immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. The aid was reduced about 23 percent during Trump’s first two years. June 2019 Democratic Debates
Links:
January 2020 Democratic Debate
December 2019 Democratic Debate
November 2019 Democratic Debate
October 2019 Democratic Debate