Lie: Barack Obama began his presidency "with an apology tour."
Truth: A review of Obama’s foreign travels and remarks during his early
presidency showed no
evidence to support such a blunt and disparaging
claim. While Obama's speeches contained
some criticisms of past U.S. actions,
he typically combined those passages with praise for the
United States
and its ideals, and he frequently mentioned how other countries had
erred as
well. There is not a single, full-throated apology in the
bunch. Calling those remarks "an
apology tour" is a ridiculous charge.
Lie: "Under Obama’s plan (for welfare), you wouldn’t have to work and
wouldn’t have to train for a
job. They just send you your welfare
check."
Truth: The law never required all welfare recipients to work. Only
29 percent of those receiving cash
assistance met the work requirement by the time President Obama took office.
Under the new policy, states can now seek a
federal waiver
from work-participation rules that,
among other things, require welfare
recipients to engage in one of 12 specific “work
activities,” such as
job training. But, in exchange, states must develop a plan that would
provide a “more efficient or effective means to promote employment,”
which may or may not
include some or all of the same work activities.
States also must submit an “evaluation plan”
that includes “performance
measures” that must be met — or the waiver could be revoked.
Lie: Romney said that Obama "didn't even mention the deficit or the debt" in his State of the Union
address.
Truth: At least six different times in his 2012 State of the Union address, Obama mentioned the debt
or deficit by name.
