Recent stories from Willoughby Mariano

Transportation tax takes turn on Truth-O-Meter

Curious about that upcoming referendum on whether to raise taxes to overhaul transportation across metro Atlanta? The Truth-O-Meter has your back. Those for and against the one-percent tax increase say that the facts and figures are on their side. Sometimes they are. Other times they aren’t. Your PolitiFact Georgia scribes have completed seven fact checks on the referendum. With 10 weeks to go before the July 31 votes, we have plenty more in store.   Here’s how both sides have fared so far.

In Context: Bill Maher on women

(Want to comment? Go on, mouth off on our Facebook page.) Conservatives are trying to paint liberal comedian Bill Maher as the same kind of public relations hazard for Democrats that Rush Limbaugh has become for Republicans. Limbaugh ignited a firestorm when he called a Georgetown law student a "slut" and "prostitute" after she testified in Congress about health insurance and birth control. (To see her complete comments, read "In Context: In Context: Sandra Fluke on contraceptives and women's health.") Essentially, Limbaugh used misogynistic terms to attack a woman whose political view he opposes. Conservatives point out that at least one politician's daughter has not been off-limits to Maher. How similar are Maher’s and Limbaugh’s comments? We thought this would be a good subject for PolitiFact’s "In Context" series, where we publish controversial statements in their original context.  

Groggy? Daylight saving may be hazardous to your health

Still recovering from daylight saving time? Brace yourself. PolitiFact Georgia research shows that the time change may be hazardous to your health.

Super Tuesday guide: Finding truth in the attacks

It's Super Tuesday, and Georgians are heading to the polls. Here’s PolitiFact’s guide to the multimillion-dollar ad blitz. With the field down to four Republican contenders, campaigns and super PACs are attacking their opponents with hot-button allegations about supporting Planned Parenthood, Obamacare and even Nancy Pelosi that are designed to strike fear in the hearts of Republican voters. There's been some piling on. We've seen several examples where two (or more) candidates have made the same attack. The one candidate who hasn't been attacked much: Ron Paul. He's has been busy attacking others — but we didn’t find ads attacking him. (If you see one, send it our way!) Want to comment on our findings? Hit the "like" button on our Facebook page to post your thoughts. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Fact-checking pre-Super Tuesday campaign appearances

GOP presidential candidates stormed Georgia and the airwaves Sunday, buffeting voters with one more powerful gust of rhetoric during the final weekend before Super Tuesday Although the appearances were new, the talking points were largely the same. We’ve checked a few of them before. Here’s a look at statements from the three leading candidates: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum.  Want to comment? Go to our Facebook page. You can also try us on Twitter.

Fact-checking the new pro-Mitt Romney ad

The GOP presidential primary campaign may still be in mid-season, but at least one campaign TV ad is already in reruns. Restore our Future, a pro-Mitt Romney super PAC, is slated to air a commercial in Georgia beginning Thursday that, save for a few visuals, is identical to one that ran during the former Massachusetts governor’s failed 2008 presidential campaign.   It’s also similar to a viral Internet story that PolitiFact National checked Jan. 30. Both television ads feature former business partner Robert Gay crediting Romney with helping reunite Gay with his daughter after she went missing. "Mitt’s done a lot of things that people say are nearly impossible," Gay says in both ads. "But for me, the most important thing he’s ever done is to help save my daughter." Did Mitt "help save" Gay’s daughter?

Checking pro-Romney group's new campaign ad

You’ve heard the bashing. Now see the commercial. On Wednesday, Pro-Mitt Romney super PAC Restore Our Future was slated to unveil ads in Georgia arguing that rival Newt Gingrich is too risky a pick for GOP presidential nominee.  Primary day is March 6. We’ve seen it, and it has all the hallmarks of your typical attack ad. Unflattering images, menacing music, and dire claims. Claims that PolitiFact National and other fact-checking outlets happen to have vetted.  

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.

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.

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.