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The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Sen. Richard Shelby overlooks safeguards in financial regulation bill

Now that the health care debate has come to a close, lawmakers are prepping their talking points for the next looming battle: financial institution reform.Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on his chamber\’s Banking Committee, aired his grievances in a March 25, 2010, letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The letter was largely prompted by Shelby\’s concern that in a recent speech Geithner mischaracterized the senator\’s support for financial regulation. Shelby also took the opportunity to point out several ways that he believes the legislation his committee recently approved is flawed. \”The bill reported out of committee sets up … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: True | Bill Clinton says he never had a filibuster-proof Senate

In an interview with former President Bill Clinton on ABC\’s This Week on April 18, 2010, host Jake Tapper marveled at the fact that Clinton\’s first Supreme Court nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg — now one of the most liberal members of the court — was confirmed in the Senate 96 to 3. In fact, Tapper noted, Sen. Orrin Hatch, a senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, credited Clinton with bringing him into the consultation process when Ginsburg was chosen. \”What advice would you give President Obama?\” Tapper asked. \”Because Republicans are saying he\’s not including them in … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Bill Clinton takes credit for \”flowering\” of economy in 1990s

On the April 18, 2010, edition of ABC\’s This Week, interim host Jake Tapper and former President Bill Clinton discussed whether Clinton sees similarities between his first two years as president and the first two years under President Barack Obama. Asked by Tapper, \”Politically does this year remind you of 1994?\” Clinton responded, \”A little bit. We passed the bill which reversed trickle-down economics by one vote. (It was) close like the health care bill (this year). And it led to an enormous flowering of the economy in America.\”We thought it would be worth checking whether … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Barely True | Clinton says UAE only Middle East country to pass laws to address plight of immigrant workers

In an April 18, 2010, interview on ABC\’s This Week, former President Bill Clinton spoke about how the unresolved Palestinian issue in the Middle East has been feeding the energy of terrorist organizations; and how a peace plan could lead to \”a whole different world.\” Moreover, he said, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has deflected attention away from advances in the Arab world.\”Dubai is the only country with huge amounts of imported workers that\’s actually passed legislation to give these immigrant workers a better deal in the Middle East,\” Clinton said. \”And they\’ve got women in the government. They have … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Bank bailouts not in bill, but liquidation is

Sen. Mitch McConnell said that new financial regulations under consideration in the Senate could lead to only one thing: bailouts.\”In fact, if you look at it carefully, it will lead to endless taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street banks,\” McConnell said at a press conference on April 14, adding that it \”actually guarantees future bailouts of Wall Street banks\” and that it sets up \”in perpetuity the potential for additional taxpayer bailouts of large institutions.\” Those comments must have sounded like fighting words to President Barack Obama. He directly rebutted McConnell, the leader of the Senate Republicans, … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Barely True | Reid says financial regulation bill \’will end taxpayer bailouts\’

As the long-awaited bill to curb risk and excess on Wall Street nears a Senate vote, key Republicans and Democrats have sparred over what the bill does and does not do.Much of the debate has been over whether the bill stops or encourages \”bailouts.\” This became a special focus of attention after Republican pollster Frank Luntz advised opponents of regulation that \”the single best way to kill any legislation is to link it to the Big Bank Bailout.\”In an April 19, 2010, floor speech, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that the bill \”will end … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Barely True | Paul Ryan\’s federal dole statistics omit important details

In a recent speech, Paul Ryan, top Republican on the House Budget Committee, made the case that President Barack Obama\’s policies are only making people more reliant on federal assistance.He used recent passage of the health care overhaul to make his case to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs on March 31, 2010.\”A growing centralized bureaucracy will provide for everyone\’s needs, care for everyone\’s health, direct everyone\’s career, arrange everyone\’s important private affairs, and work for everyone\’s pleasure,\” the Wisconsin congressman said. \”The only hitch is, government must be the sole supplier of everyone\’s happiness … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Obama campaign financed by large donors, too

New financial regulations are pending in Congress, but both political parties get a lot of campaign contributions from the people they intend to regulate — Wall Street. The financial sector donates millions to both Republican and Democratic candidates. And during the last couple of election cycles, Democrats have outstripped Republicans, who have traditionally been thought of as more business friendly. Those political realities have made for interesting dynamics as the negotiations on financial regulation continue. President Barack Obama answered questions on this topic in an interview with CNBC\’s John Harwood on April 21, 2010.> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: True | The facts on the risks of nuclear power plants

Not only is nuclear power reliable and efficient, it\’s also extremely safe, Sen. Lamar Alexander wrote in an op-ed column in the newspaper The Hill. \”No member of the American public has ever been killed by commercial nuclear power — a record unmatched by other fuels,\” wrote Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, along with Theodore Rockwell, a fellow of the American Nuclear Society and a vice president of Radiation, Science and Health Inc. Considering the history of incidents like Three Mile Island and the deadly Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine, we decided to take a closer look at the history of … >> More

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Barely True | Obama didn\’t expand offshore drilling, Boehner says

UPDATE: This item was originally attributed to House Republican Leader John Boehner because we found this news release on his website. But after we published it, Boehner\’s staff pointed out to us that it actually originated with the Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee. So we are republishing the item and attributing it to them. Our analysis and ruling has not changed. A few weeks ago, President Barack Obama announced that he\’s going to open up new areas for offshore drilling.But according to conservative members of Congress, he\’s actually closing them.Here\’s such a claim in … >> More