Factcheck.org reaches a blunt assessment of President Obama’s first 2012 campaign ad: false and misleading.
The ad is running in several key swing states, including Michigan.
The fact-checkers found that Obama is out of bounds in his claims about ethics, clean energy jobs and U.S dependence on foreign oil.
They cite these examples:
* The TV spot uses outdated quotes from Common Cause, a watchdog group, that said the incumbent’s record on ethics is “unprecedented” and that he “kept a promise to toughen ethics rules.” Common Cause said later that he “has let down millions of Americans who accepted his word,” and another group said he broke his promise to end the “revolving door” government officials going to work as lobbyists.
* The 30-second TV ad also trumpets a claim of 2.7 million jobs in America’s clean-energy industry. That mostly counts jobs put in place long before Obama took office, relying upon a timeline going back to 2003.
* Finally, the commercial boasts that U.S. dependence on foreign oil has declined to below 50 percent, as a net share of total demand, for the first time in more than a decade. “That’s true, and increasing U.S. oil production is a factor (despite Republican criticisms that Obama is anti-drilling). But economists say the chief factor is reduced U.S. oil consumption, brought on by the recent economic recession,” Factcheck concludes.
To read the entire analysis, click here.
