Daily Archives: March 18, 2010

 Everything the right-wing does is designed to accomplish one of two things: either (a) transfer wealth from everyone else to the rich, or (b) distract everyone else from the fact that (a) is occurring. ~ Jack Clark (Blast the Right)

I was checking out Politifact today and ran across something VERY interesting.  They have a “Pants On Fire” section that deals with the greatest lies told by politicians and media pundits.  Well imagine my suprise when most of the “pants on fire” liars were GOPers!   I did see Charlie Rangel, The POTUS and a couple of other Dems on the list.  However, there is a 6-1 margin of GOPs over Dems.  Of course, I have concentrated on the outrageous GOP lies.  The links will lead you to all the people who lied so badly that they deserved the dubious honor of being told their pants were on fire by Politifact.

 Here’s a sampling:

Rush Limbaugh – “People “can’t go fishing anymore because of Obama.”    Politifact sets the record straight.   Obama isn’t confiscating rods and reels.

Americans for Prosperity - (fake grass roots organization) – “A government panel that didn’t include cancer specialists says women shouldn’t receive mammograms until age 50…If government takes over health care, recommendations like these could become the law for all kinds of diseases.”   Politifact explains correct facts…  Amendments assure mammogram coverage for women over 40.

Rep. Virginia Fox – “The economy began its nose dive when Democrats took control of Congress in January 2007.”     Politifact gets the facts right:   Is it a nose dive if it’s delayed by a full year?

Sen. Scott Brown -  The stimulus bill “didn’t create one new job.”  Fact…    Despite grim employment numbers, the stimulus has created jobs.

Nancy Pfotenhauer - The president’s health care proposals will cause “most Americans to have their premiums increased, not decreased, and hundreds of millions of people lose their current insurance coverage.”  Fact…  Pretending clarity while distorting.

Newt Gingrich - A recent Obama executive order could “lead to a number of investigations by Interpol in the United States, potentially aimed at American officials.”   Fact…  Interpol doesn’t work that way.

Rush Limbaugh - There are “high administrative costs” when you donate to Haiti relief through the White House Web site.  Politifact:  No, there’s no Pay Pal on White House site.

Rudy Guiliani - We had no domestic attacks under Bush.  Fact…  Did Rudy get amnesia?

Glenn Beck – “In the health care bill, we’re now offering insurance for dogs.”   Fact…  No public option for Bo.

Michele Bachmann - Page 92 of the House health care bill “says specifically that people can’t purchase private health insurance after a date certain.”    Fact…  She should read the other 1,989 pages.

Bloggers – Barack Obama wrote a thesis at Columbia University in which he criticized “plutocratic thugs” and said the Constitution gave Americans “the shackles of hypocrisy.”   Fact…  Ready, aim, fire!

Rush Limbaugh – “President Obama . . . wants to mandate circumcision.”   Fact…    No one’s mandating circumcision, including Obama.

Michael Steel – The Department of Veterans Affairs has “a manual out there telling our veterans stuff like, ‘Are you really of value to your community?’ You know, encouraging them to commit suicide.”  Fact…   The VA does not encourage suicide.

Orly Taitz - Birthers have obtained a copy of Obama’s Kenyan birth certificate.   Fact…  We take this stuff seriously, so you don’t have to.

Sarah Palin - Seniors and the disabled “will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care.”  Fact…  Sci fi scenario NOT based on reality.

Glenn Beck - John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, “has proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population.”  Fact…  Holdren never endorsed these ideas.

Betsy McCaughey - The health care reform bill “would make it mandatory — absolutely require — that every five years people in Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life sooner.”   Fact…  No, the government isn’t going to kill granny.

Michele Bachmann – Says the Constitution only requires her to tell the census “how many people are in our home.”  Fact…  Bachmann’s claim is wrong and illegal!

Steve King - The federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act bill would create “special protection for pedophiles.”  Fact… No special protection for pedophiles.