Fact check: Bill Clinton at the DNC

[trailmonkee]

Source: des moines register/usa today/factcheck.org

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (USA TODAY) — Former president Bill Clinton's stem-winding nomination speech was a fact-checker's nightmare: lots of effort required to run down his many statistics and factual claims, producing little for us to write about.

Republicans will find plenty of Clinton's scorching opinions objectionable. But with few exceptions, we found his stats checked out.

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/usatoday/article/57627036?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CIowa%20Politics%20Insider%7Cs

---

45 min speech, this is all they could find? If you read the article, at one point, when they were referring to his energy import use dropping stat, they actually used the term 'substantially correct', ....

[rfranklin]

1. Can we now safely say that RomneyRyan are bald-face liars? And Dems are not?

Or do we have to keep squawking "they both do it?"

[trailmonkee]

3. that would be a yes :)

[Bucky]

4. Anyone who says "They both do it" needs to be fact-checked.

[ailsagirl]

16. Or better yet, have their heads examined

[Jennicut]

7. Yes! This false equivalency thing is ludicrous.

Repubs are liars, period.

[trailmonkee]

23. hard to counter that in a two party system

[malaise]

20. Ding ding we have a winner

[mindfulNJ]

2. Those pesky fact checkers!

Looks like Bill's speech checks out pretty well!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. This is key from the article, and DUers who are quick to blame Obama MUST stop!!!!

"And plenty of other Clinton statistics checked out as accurate. For example, he said that since 1961, when John F. Kennedy took office, 42 million private-sector jobs had been added while Democrats held the White House, compared with 24 million while Republicans were in office. And that's exactly what Bloomberg News reported in a May 8 story.

He also accused Republicans of blocking 1 million potential new jobs, but that checked out, too:

Clinton: Last year the Republicans blocked the president's job plan, costing the economy more than a million new jobs.

Two independent economists — Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics and Joel Prakken of Macroeconomics Advisers — had estimated that Obama's proposed American Jobs Act would add more than 1 million jobs. Zandi claimed it would add 1.9 million jobs; Prakken 1.3 million.

Senate Republicans blocked the $447 billion measure, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell denounced it as "a charade that's meant to give Democrats a political edge" in 2012."

[trailmonkee]

8. +1

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Comparison Red v Blue:

[Kingofalldems]

6. K and R this one

For all the visiting Cave dwellers.

[ewagner]

9. My RW friends on facebook...

....have been mysteriously quiet this morning...

[trailmonkee]

19. that was bills strategy, so many facts that they'll be fact checking for the next 60 days!

no time to be dicks!

[cstanleytech]

25. They dont need time for that seeing as they are ones 24/7 already. nt

[proReality]

11. K&R n/t

[Arkansas Granny]

12. And more pesky facts from the article that need to be spread around:

And plenty of other Clinton statistics checked out as accurate. For example, he said that since 1961, when John F. Kennedy took office, 42 million private-sector jobs had been added while Democrats held the White House, compared with 24 million while Republicans were in office. And that's exactly what Bloomberg News reported in a May 8 story.

He also accused Republicans of blocking 1 million potential new jobs, but that checked out, too:

Clinton: Last year the Republicans blocked the president's job plan, costing the economy more than a million new jobs.

Two independent economists — Mark Zandi of Moody's Analytics and Joel Prakken of Macroeconomics Advisers — had estimated that Obama's proposed American Jobs Act would add more than 1 million jobs. Zandi claimed it would add 1.9 million jobs; Prakken 1.3 million. Senate Republicans blocked the $447 billion measure, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell denounced it as "a charade that's meant to give Democrats a political edge" in 2012.

Will the Republicans try to rebut those facts or just ignore them.

[trailmonkee]

13. +1

[chloes1]

22. I'm betting they ignore it

and focus on the "are you better off" taunt. But that, just me.

[Enrique]

14. expect to see "a fact-checker's nightmare" in GOP ads n/t

[trailmonkee]

18. then they need to fact check the 'fact checkers nightmare' ad, which is a fact checkers nightmare!

[corkhead]

15. We don't need to lie when the facts are on our side.

[AlbertCat]

21. We don't need to lie when the facts are on our side.

BINGO.

This is a meme that needs to spread.

Republican ideas don't work, haven't worked and will not work. That's why they have to lie about them.
Their very core ideas DON'T WORK.

[onehandle]

17. Big Dog Delivers! nt

[ieoeja]

24. Far better than the Associated Press crap.

The Associated Press is apparently trying to be “Fair and Balanced” with their “Fact” checking. The highlights:

o Clinton was wrong blaming gridlock on Republicans because Republicans voted against compromises with Obama while Democrats did not like the compromises. Not liking something is apparently the same as voting against it.

o They cited the same healthcare cost thing as the OP article. Which is a fair criticism.

o Clinton was wrong for saying the economy was great during his second term because he did something wrong economically at the end of his term. His mistakes does not mean his successes were not factual, though it is fair to being them up in response. But it is somewhat stretching the point to call this a "fact check".

o Clinton was wrong when he quoted the Romney campaign as saying they were not going to have their campaign dictated by facts because Clinton once lied about a blow job. Clinton tried to keep some minor hanky-panky a secret. Therefore, the Romney campaign is factual. I realize that Liberals and Conservatives think differently, but I can usually figure out their reasoning no matter how flawed it may be. But this one…?

http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-clinton-claims-compromise-stretch-043255807--election.html

[oldsarge54]

26. That's Playing Dirty Wild Bill

You are an evil man, that is why I approved of you as my first democratic vote. Using facts that check out on Republicans, heads will be exploding in boardrooms all over the nation. Thanks again.