Polls close Friday for PolitiFact's Lie of the Year

By Bill Adair
Published on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 at 11:58 a.m.

Related rulings:

Congressional Republicans have introduced dozens of bills on social issues and other topics, but "zero on job creation."

Facebook posts, Sunday, October 23rd, 2011.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

The stimulus created "zero jobs."

National Republican Senatorial Committee, Thursday, October 13th, 2011.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

President Obama "went around the world and apologized for America."

Mitt Romney, Thursday, September 22nd, 2011.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

Says the vaccine to prevent HPV can cause mental retardation.

Michele Bachmann, Tuesday, September 13th, 2011.

Ruling: False | Details

Scientists are "questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. … (It is) more and more being put into question."

Rick Perry, Wednesday, August 17th, 2011.

Ruling: False | Details

"What I have done -- and this is unprecedented ... is I've said to each agency ... 'look at regulations that are already on the books and if they don't make sense, let's get rid of them.'"  

Barack Obama, Wednesday, June 29th, 2011.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

By advocating new requirements for voters to show ID cards at the polls, Republicans "want to literally drag us all the way back to Jim Crow laws."

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sunday, June 5th, 2011.

Ruling: False | Details

"Seniors will have to find $12,500 for health care because Republicans voted to end Medicare."

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Monday, April 18th, 2011.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

Abortion services are "well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does."

Jon Kyl, Friday, April 8th, 2011.

Ruling: False | Details

"I didn't raise taxes once."

Barack Obama, Sunday, February 6th, 2011.

Ruling: False | Details

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Vote early (but only once!) for the Lie of the Year! Polls close at 5 p.m. Friday.

Our Readers' Choice poll for Lie of the Year has produced some unprecedented jockeying from both ends of the political spectrum.

Liberal bloggers have criticized our inclusion of the Democratic claim that Republicans voted to "end Medicare" as a finalist. Conservatives have highlighted that claim and several others that involve falsehoods from Democrats.

Rep. Paul Ryan has e-mailed his supporters asking them to vote for the Medicare claim. Last night, he posted a video appeal. And now the liberals say he's trying to rig the results.

Just a reminder: The PolitiFact staff will name the Lie of the Year later this month. We select the falsehood that we believe was the most significant of 2011. We'll also publish the results of the Readers' Choice poll.

Here are the finalists and the link to vote:

President Obama "went around the world and apologized for America." -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney

The Obama administration's review of obsolete regulations was "unprecedented." -- President Barack Obama

The vaccine to prevent HPV can cause mental retardation. -- Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann

"Republicans voted to end Medicare." -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other Democrats

Abortion services are "well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does." -- Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Because of more restrictive voting laws, Republicans "want to literally drag us all the way back to Jim Crow laws." -- Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and head of the Democratic National Committee

Scientists are "questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. … (It is) more and more being put into question."-- Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry

Congressional Republicans have introduced dozens of bills on social issues and other topics, but "zero on job creation." -- Facebook posts

The economic stimulus created "zero jobs." -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee and other Republicans

"I didn't raise taxes once." -- President Barack Obama

Click here to vote in the PolitiFact Readers' Choice poll.