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KCBS Cover Story: Truth And Lies On The Campaign Trail

CHARLOTTE (KCBS) – State Attorney General Kamala Harris and Bill Clinton will be the headliners on day two of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte on Wednesday night.

In her speech on Tuesday, First Lady Michelle Obama got one of the biggest ovations when she said "the truth matters," something that has become decidedly important for undecided voters and professional fact-checkers alike this campaign year.

KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:

It's a matter of which side to believe for many across the country, whose version of the facts you agree with.

For her part, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the Republicans are trying to "lie and buy" their way to the White House.

"Deception and big money: it's a combination that is deadly to a democracy," said Pelosi. "And that is what they're putting forth."

But Jeff Randle, one of the leaders of the California delegation to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, said Mitt Romney hasn't told any lies and neither has Paul Ryan.

"I don't accept the premise. You're going to always find someone who is always going to dispute the facts," said Randle. "I think everything he's said has been double and triple checked by the Romney campaign. I'm 100 percent confident it was good."

The repeat false attacks from both campaigns are leaving independent voters like Keith Wilson of Charlotte shaking their heads.

Wilson voted for George W. Bush twice, President Obama in 2008 and right now, is inclined to give him another chance this time around.

"It takes a lot of work to be an educated voter because you're hearing things, it's almost like cognitive dissonance," he said. "You've got somebody that's telling you and you believe them and when you see the data that's real, you don't believe it because that person told you that it wasn't real. And that's unfortunate because the issues are hard enough without trying to make stuff up."

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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