There are a lot of fact checking websites out there that weigh the accuracy of statements made by politicians and pundits, and dispel the many myths carried by chain e-mails. PolitiFact is probably the best of the bunch, lining up each claim with an illustrated gauge that reads: True, Mostly-True, Half-True, Barely True, False, and Pants on Fire. Beneath the veracity meters are links to a detailed analysis of why each statement gets its rating. Liberals and conservatives are treated to the same scrutiny - although you'll no doubt see a disproportionate number of "False" and "Paints on Fire" readings from right-wingers because, let's face it, they're more inclined to spread lies. Spending 30 minutes or so browsing through PolitiFact's website is time well spent. Below are some recently discredited claims, along with a few brief notes.
The Republican National Committee: The Obama administration offered "$900 million to Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, to rebuild Gaza." (Typical GOPer misrepresentation. Humanitarian aid was offered to the Palestinian people, not Hamas.)
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN): "The Democrats propose a government-controlled health care plan that will deprive roughly 120 million Americans of their current health care coverage." (This staggering number was plucked from a health care consulting firm that says if consumers are given the option of cheaper government-backed medical insurance, that's how many people would switch - voluntarily. In any event, this isn't what the Obama administration is proposing.)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK): "Under the Obama plan, all the health care in this country is eventually going to be run by the government. So it's part of an incremental creep towards eliminating any objection, both as us as taxpayers and then individual physicians in terms of not complying with a government-run bureaucracy." (This assertion is really too ludicrous to take seriously. But private heath insurers just love accusations like these. Lowers their blood pressure.)
Rep. Steve King (R-IA): "The federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act bill would create special protection for pedophiles." (This whopper has been floating around the Christian Taliban since May. King wanted to amend the bill to exclude pedophiles which are excluded anyway because sexual orientation and pedophilia are not realated. Committee members recognized it as a stalling maneuver and pulled the plug. Still, in Fundie World, every time a politician says the words "homosexual" and "pedophile" in the same breath, an angel gets its wing.)
Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN): "ACORN will be a paid partner with the Census Bureau and they will be in charge of going door-to-door and collecting data from the American public." (ACORN will not be gathering information. It is one of 30,000 organizations that partner with the bureau to help recruit workers. These groups are not paid.)
Chain E-mail: The ACLU has filed a suit to have all military cross-shaped headstones removed. (Typical fear-smear from Christians who become moist at the idea of being oppressed.)
Conservative pundit Joe Scarborough: "President Obama has never received a paycheck from a profitmaking business in his entire life." (This is sheer lunacy, and PF has the list of businesses to prove it.)
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell: "In just one month, the Democrats have spent more than President Bush spent in seven years on the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina combined." (McConnell should brush up on his Cost-of-War math.)
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich: "Inside the stimulus package is anti-Christian legislation that will stop churches from using public schools for meeting on Sundays, as well as Boy Scouts and student Bible study groups." (And anyone caught praying to God will be crucified on the spot. I'm surprised right-wing Christians don't just hang from crosses in the front yard, much as they love the thought of their own persecution. Of course Gingrich has never had more than a passing acquaintance with the truth, which shows whenever he opens his mouth.)
Yes, some Democrats are less than honest. When one chooses a career in politics, facts often become expendable. But to GOPers promoting an obstructionist agenda, lies are like mother's milk - and in pursuit of their quarry, Republicans can't seem to forgo sucking on that teat.
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