Checking Romney's campaign speech in Atlanta

Super Tuesday is only one month away, which means it’s showtime in Georgia for the GOP’s presidential candidates. GOP candidate Mitt Romney stumped at a small Atlanta business Wednesday to persuade Georgians to choose him in the March 6 primary. PolitiFact Georgia was there, too. And we happened to bring our Truth-O-Meter.

By Willoughby Mariano, Eric Stirgus :: Published on Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at 5:06 p.m.

Fact-checking the Republican response

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels offered the Republican Party's response to Tuesday night's State of the Union address. We checked it for accuracy.

By Louis Jacobson :: Published on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 3:05 p.m.

Fact-checking the State of the Union address

President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night seemed to be as much about political positioning as it was a report on his progress.

By Bill Adair :: Published on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 10:40 a.m.

Fact-checking the CNN debate in South Carolina

The presidential debates are shrinking, but they're just as lively as ever. With Rick Perry now out of the race, there were four candidates on stage Thursday night for the CNN debate in Charleston, S.C. We'll be posting new fact-checks later today, but here's a recap of some of the claims we've addressed before.

By Bill Adair, Angie Drobnic Holan :: Published on Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 10:16 a.m.

Fact-checking the Republican debate in Michigan

Republican presidential candidates clashed over the economy Wednesday night on on CNBC — and we're checking the facts.

By Becky Bowers :: Published on Thursday, November 10th, 2011 at 10:05 a.m.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul remix

(Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Ron Paul.) Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook. Every month since 9/11, there have been as many suicide attacks against the United States and its allies as there were in all the years leading up to 9/11. Paul made this remark Sept. 30 at a forum in Manchester, N.H., to criticize the U.S. for playing "policeman of the world." Whether Paul meant al-Qaida suicide attacks only or all groups who have executed suicide campaigns against the U.S. and its allies was unclear. Either way, the number of suicide attacks against the U.S. and its allies since 9/11 is not "equivalent" to the total before 9/11. The average number each month is actually greater than the total number that predated that day, so Paul is actually understating the magnitude. And the data support his underlying point that the number of attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, has grown. We rate Paul's claim Mostly True.

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Saturday, November 5th, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

Herman Cain's golden oldies

(Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Herman Cain.) Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook. The 9-9-9 plan "does not raise taxes on those that are making the least." Herman Cain made this claim to defend his tax plan against accusations it would raise taxes on the middle class and poor during the Oct. 18 Republican presidential primary debate in Las Vegas. His plan includes a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent sales tax and a 9 percent business tax. Based on what Cain’s campaign has said about the plan, the only exemptions on the income tax will be for charitable deductions and for undefined "empowerment" zones that would encourage development in inner cities. The 9 percent sales tax would exclude used goods. Payroll taxes on workers would go away. The Tax Policy Center, an independent policy group that includes tax analysts who have worked in both Democratic and Republican administrations, found that high percentages of lower-income tax filers would see tax increases. Cain’s campaign may release more details on his plan that could change this picture, but knowing what we know now, his claim is False.  

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

PolitiFact Georgia reviews Gingrich's classics

(Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Newt Gingrich.) Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook.

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

The Best of Texas Gov. Rick Perry

Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook.  "We cut property taxes by one-third in the state of Texas while I’ve been governor." On the campaign trail in New Hampshire Oct. 1, Perry repeated this common battle cry in his campaign for the Republican nomination. He’s referring to House Bill 1, which he signed into law in 2006. It’s intended to reduce property taxes paid to local school districts. The overhaul effectively lowered the maintenance and operation segment of the school tax, from $1.50 to $1.00 per $100 of assessed property value, or about one-third. But it didn’t translate to 33 percent lower bills for taxpayers. If you look at total property tax revenue, Texans paid about the same amount in 2010 as they did in 2005. If you adjust for inflation, he's closer (it's about 9 percent less), but it's still far short of one-third. We find his claim Mostly False.

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

PolitiFact Georgia recounts Mitt Romney's Greatest Hits

Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Mitt Romney. Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook. "The people in Massachusetts like [the state health care plan] by about a 3-1 margin." This was a defense of his record on health care -- when he was governor of Massachusetts -- during an Oct. 11, 2011, debate in Hanover, N.H., where he took heat for signing into law a health care program similar to the reforms passed nationally in 2010. Romney has strong support for this claim. A recent survey by a credible pollster found the ratio of support to opposition for the Massachusetts law at 3 to 1, and other polls suggest levels of support even higher. So we rate Romney’s statement True.

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Monday, October 31st, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

Some new broken promises on the Obameter

With Republicans controlling the House, many of Obama's promises have been rated Stalled or Broken.

By Bill Adair :: Published on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 2:02 p.m.

Yes he Cain?

Who would have thought that presidential long shot Herman Cain would become the sweetheart of the Republican field? On Friday, the Georgian appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Sunday, he was on ABC’s "This Week" with Christiane Amanpour. Monday he hobnobbed with developer Donald Trump. He even gabbed with the ladies of The View.   His new memoir "This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House" cracked Amazon’s top 10 list. This political Cinderella tale might not be a fantasy. A CBS poll released Tuesday shows Cain tied with front runner former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for first place.  Support for the political newbie more than tripled to 17 percent of likely Republican voters in only two weeks. Other polls have also placed him at or near the top of the race. 

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011 at 11:32 a.m.

Truth-O-Meter passes on claim about 10th Amendment

Fans of limited government, put down those pompoms and get off the sidelines. GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich wants you to join Team 10. Long a rallying point for those who want to curtail the power of federal government, the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution describes the powers held by states and people. It’s been neglected for too long, Gingrich said in a conference call announcing the effort. That’s why Gingrich launched Team 10, an Internet crowd-sourcing initiative, to brainstorm ideas to end big government and get the federal government to "enforce the 10th Amendment," the effort’s Facebook page says.   

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Saturday, September 10th, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

Readers chew over ruling on Clinton's vegan diet

A number of readers stood up for crustaceans and other creatures, saying our ruling on a claim by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals didn't pay them enough heed.

By Louis Jacobson :: Published on Monday, September 5th, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.

Truth-O-Meter takes a bite out of politics. And pit bulls.

Thank goodness the Truth-O-Meter’s a polymath. PolitiFact Georgia relied on its encyclopedic knowledge to tackle subjects as utterly unrelated as pit bull aggression and health care reform. Rulings varied. La Raza, a Hispanic issues advocacy group, earned a True for its claim on the percent of Latino children on Medicaid. U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey earned a False for his claims that a federal health care board can kill you. A DeKalb County commissioner earned a Mostly True on those controversial canines. Former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall earned a False. Curious? Here are shortened versions of our extensive fact-checks. To comment on our findings, hit the "like" button on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter.

By Willoughby Mariano :: Published on Sunday, August 7th, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.