Lying Liars: The Winner Is…
Or: Chris Mooney Should Really Learn to Use Graphics More
He’s got a great piece (“Reality Bites Republicans“) up over at The Nation on the rise of fact checkers, the perception that they’re bend-over-backward (or forward…) “even handed” in the face of blatant falsehood asymmetry, and long-term analysis of results from PolitiFact.
But he also gives use some Brand New Data analyzing the Washington Post Fact Checker column, pulled together with his research assistant Aviva Meyer.
Here’s how he presents it:
Republicans got nearly three times as many “four Pinocchio” ratings as Democrats (thirty-three versus twelve), according to our analysis. They were also overrepresented in the “three Pinocchio” category (forty-two versus thirty-one) and the “two Pinocchio” category (seventy-six versus fifty-five), the most frequent category used.
But, interestingly, this trend did not hold up in the “one Pinocchio” category, in which Democrats predominated (forty versus twenty-six).
Here’s how I present it (click for larger):
Everybody fudges. And all politicians lie, including Democrats. But matters of degree do matter, no?
The Washington Post is just a bunch of east-coast liberal media elitists, of course (facts nothwithstanding), so we can ignore this.
Cross-posted at Asymptosis.
Those dang wimpy dem’s. To scared to tell a real whopper for the cause. Then again, when your vision of your self and party is that you are making history while the liberals are discussing it, I guess lies just become a tool of leverage for making history.
Daniel
I am wondering if it constitutes a lie if you your “group” refuses to acknowledge that workers could easily pay for their own Social Security, because you are hoping you can stick the rich with the bill and turn SS into welfare, furthering the cause of “equality”and cosmic justice.
“Reality has a well-known liberal bias” – Stephen Colbert.
Tell us the one about tax cuts growing the economy again!!! It’s our very favorite one…
Well, as a real American, I’ll tell you all:
We want winners. If they are going to lie, give us the best liars. Losers are not welcome; we are number 1.