O'Malley-Ehrlich second Maryland gubernatorial debate fact check...
>>>O'Malley-Ehrlich second Maryland gubernatorial debate fact check
October 15, 2010 - 07:30 AM
TBD.com
Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and former governor Bob Ehrlich (R) both talked quite a bit -- and often at the same time -- during yesterday’s debate sponsored by the Washington Post, WUSA and WAMU.
The Facts Machine would overload if it had to fact-check every last statement, so we selected the top 17 statements. (Why 17? Why NOT 17?) Here they are, in chronological order.
1. Before the debate even began, Washington Post Live Editor Mary Jordan said: “The candidates have both agreed not to filibuster.” If you watch the debate, you can clearly see they broke that agreement.
2. Ehrlich said Maryland’s population is 6.5 million. The U.S. Census Bureau puts it at 5.7 million. Ehrlich would repeat this number later in the debate.
3. Ehrlich mentions in his opening statement (and would repeat several times) that 3,000 small businesses had disappeared in Maryland in the last year. That statistic is based on the number of unemployment insurance accounts opened with the state, and the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation says it wasn't a valid way to track businesses opening and closing.
4. Ehrlich accuses O'Malley of passing the "largest tax increase in Maryland history." In pure dollar terms, this is accurate. However, adjusting for inflation, a much bigger tax hike was passed in the 1960s.
5. Ehrlich said unemployment doubled under O'Malley. It has gone from 3.6 percent in January 2007 to 7.3 percent in August 2010. That's accurate.
6. Does Maryland have more PhDs per capita than any other state? Ehrlich said so, and O'Malley has made the same claim in speeches. However, the Facts Machine couldn't locate any hard evidence backing this up. A Brookings Institution analysis shows Maryland has the 3rd-most graduate degrees per capita of any state, trailing only Massachusetts and the District.......
Read more at
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-facts-machine/2010/10/the-top-21-fact-checks-of-the-second-debate-of-the-2010-maryland-governor-s-race-3158.html
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-facts-machine/2010/10/the-top-21-fact-checks-of-the-second-debate-of-the-2010-maryland-governor-s-race-3158.html
