The first of three presidential debates kicked off at the University of Denver last night, with candidates President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney going toe-to-toe on issues of healthcare, the economy, and taxes. A look at some of the exaggerations and untrue facts touted by both candidates, according to FactCheck.org:

• Romney claimed that middle-income Americans have “seen their income come down by $4,300.” That’s too high. Census figures show the decline in median household income during Obama’s first three years was $2,492, even after adjusting for inflation.
• Obama said 5 million private-sector jobs had been created in the past 30 months. Perhaps so, but for now, the official tally is a bit over 4.6 million.
• Obama oversold his health care law, claiming that health care premiums have “gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years.”
• Romney accused Obama of doubling the federal deficit. Not true. The annual deficit was already running at $1.2 trillion when Obama took office.

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