As part of our ongoing commitment to take a closer look at the claims being made on our air, on Monday 9News put both of the ads dealing with China under the scrutiny of our Truth Test.
"Failing American Workers" is a pro-Romney ad, paid for by Romney for President, Inc.
The ad starts by showing a pair of bar graphs.
"This is American manufacturing when President Obama took office," the announcer says. "This is China's. Under Obama, we've lost just over a half a million manufacturing jobs and for the first time, China is beating us."
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the latter part of that claim is true. In January of 2009, the BLS reported 12,552,000 manufacturing jobs in the country. In August of this year, the BLS reported 11,970,000 jobs. It represents a net loss of 582,000 jobs. But the BLS also reports a slight increase of manufacturing jobs almost every month since January of 2010.
The ad continues by claiming, "Seven times Obama could've stopped China's cheating. Seven times he refused."
This claim is also technically true, but fails to tell the entire story. Two times a year, a Presidential administration is asked if it wants to label China (or any country for that matter) a currency manipulator. To date, the Obama administration has decided against doing so with China. In 2008, then-Senator Obama campaigned heavily on the idea that China was engaging in currency manipulation. Since then, his administration has decided to take a much more nuanced approach to negotiations with China.
Romney is fair to criticize the policy, but even people within his own party have worried about possibly weakening already unsteady US-China relations.
"The Cheaters" is paid for by Obama for America.
It starts by mockingly asking, "Mitt Romney - Tough on China?"
"Romney's companies were called pioneers on shipping and manufacturing jobs overseas. He invested in firms that specialized in relocating jobs to low wage countries like China," states the ad.
That specific part uses a Washington Post article.
Similar claims made in previous ads have been labeled as "overreach." RNC Spokesperson Ellie Wallace told 9News it's "a false ad that has been debunked time and again by independent fact checkers."
"Even today, part of Romney's fortune is invested in China," the ad continues. It references a New York Times article.
The article adds, "The financial disclosure forms Mr. Romney filed last August show that a blind trust in the name of his wife, Ann Romney, held a relatively small stake of between $100,000 and $250,000 in the Bain Capital Asia fund that purchased Uniview."
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