The ‘Facts’ According to Obama and Romney Ads

In dueling ads, the Obama and Romney campaigns claim the factual high ground on deficits and taxes while, ironically, distorting the facts.

An Obama ad uses a truncated quote that makes NBC’s Andrea Mitchell seem to contradict Romney’s statement that his tax plan doesn’t amount to a $5 trillion cut. In fact, she went on to say Romney “said again tonight that his plan would be paid for.”
A Romney ad claims Obama is “adding almost as much debt as all 43 previous presidents combined.” It’s true that debt held by the public is up 79 percent since Obama took office, but that’s not all his fault. As we’ve often noted, the fiscal 2009 deficit was already running at an officially projected $1.2 trillion before he was sworn in.

It has been our experience at factcheck.org that when a political campaign touts that it is providing “facts,” it’s wise to proceed with skepticism. These two competing ads from the Obama and Romney campaigns, both released after the first presidential debate, prove our point.