(Bloomberg News) Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and the other Republican presidential candidates stretched the truth on health care, job creation and the deficit in a debate last night as they attacked each other and President Barack Obama.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said Obama's health-care law would increase spending by $1 trillion, while Texas Governor Perry said he would make America energy independent. Former Godfather's Pizza chief executive Herman Cain argued that his "9-9-9" tax plan is revenue neutral.
Those are among the statements by the White House contenders that strayed from the truth as the candidates sought to distinguish themselves on jobs and the economy, the focus of the debate at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, sponsored by Bloomberg News and The Washington Post.
Following are examples of assertions that didn't stand up to fact-checking by Bloomberg and Post reporters and analysts.
Romney On Economy
The Claim: Romney said "median income in America has declined by 10 percent during the Obama years."
The Background: Republican presidential candidates have tried to outdo each other with their criticism of Obama for his handling of the economy.
The Facts: Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that median household income fell by 2.9 percent from the end of 2008 to the end to 2010 after taking inflation into account. A report released this week by two former census officials who made their own estimates put the drop at 9.8 percent from December 2007 to June 2011. That covers a period before Obama took office in January 2009 and also takes inflation into account, something Romney didn't mention.
Romney On Health
The Claim: Romney said Obama's health-care law raised spending by $1 trillion.
The Background: The 2010 legislation that Obama signed included a mix of spending increases and cuts.