PolitiFact: Who Lies, Who Doesn't

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Monday November 07, 2016 · 1:56 PM PST

2016/11/07 · 13:56

Totals from PolitiFact, updated 11/7/2016, sorted by most (top) to least (bottom) truthful.

These charts are based on totals taken directly from PolitiFact.com and sorted. Above, I sorted by the percentage of statements that were judged either “True” or “Mostly True.” The chart below slightly different. It is sorted by the percentage of statements determined to be “Mostly False,” “False” or 🔥 “Pants on Fire” 🔥.

As is plain, Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine and Barack Obama – and Democrats in general – are consistently more truthful than most Republicans. Donald J Trump performs worst of all, and Mike Pence is not much better.

At the PolitiFact site, you can easily look up each politician and drill down to see which statements were evaluated and how they were analyzed. I find just googling “PolitiFact” plus the last name of the person quickly takes me to each person’s summary.

The irony of course is that Republicans have successfully painted a picture of Hillary Clinton as a “liar” or “untrustworthy,” when she is anything but. Donald Trump, who so many think “tells it like it is “ – is in fact a pathological liar.

I posted a version of the top chart earlier but wanted to update it for the election. I have also posted these charts on Twitter.

Debate: Kaine 79% True, Pence 31% (PolitiFact)

Auriandra

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Wednesday October 05, 2016 · 2:23 AM PDT

2016/10/05 · 02:23

Taken from PolitiFact data 9/29/2016 (includes all rulings on file)

PolitiFact evaluated 32 statements made by Kaine and Pence last night during the VP debate. Of 19 Kaine statements checked by PolitiFact, 15 were True or Mostly True (79%); Four of Pence's 13 statements were True or Mostly True (31%) bit.ly/…

There were several rulings for which they didn’t use the precise language of their system (True, Mostly True, etc). Most were obvious. I did my best on the others, though a couple of times, I thought they were too harsh on Kaine and lenient on Pence. They gave Half-True to Obama’s "15M new jobs" and Trump having said women should be punished for having an abortion.

Note: True (in header) includes True plus Mostly True.

GOP Wisconsin vs Dem Minnesota: Rankings

Auriandra

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Sunday July 12, 2015 · 6:38 PM PDT

2015/07/12 · 18:38

no image description available — Table 1: Comparison on Minnesota and Wisconsin in 18 recent rankings

Table 1: Comparison on Minnesota and Wisconsin in 18 recent rankings

Much more below the squiggle. Read More

A Gift for Scott Walker: Rankings!

Auriandra

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Saturday July 11, 2015 · 11:39 AM PDT

2015/07/11 · 11:39

You've heard that Blue Minnesota is beating Red State Wisconsin on ... just about everything. Well, it's true. Here's the proof, pre-Tweet formatted if you're interested in joining me in welcoming Gov Scott Walker as he throws his hat into the presidential ring. These are in reverse chronological order. Sorry for the apparent redundancy after the "⋙'s " it's so I can read my files easily. I am also updating my file of articles comparing MN and Wi. Hope to post that as well.

CNBC (6/24/2015): America's Top States for Business 2015 http://cnb.cx/... MN #1, WI #15 #MNvWI #RedStateFAIL
⋙ 6/24/2015, MN #1, WI #15

BLS (Jun 2015): State Unemployment Rates (May 2015) http://1.usa.gov/... MN #5 (3.8%), WI #17 (4.6%) http://1.usa.gov/... #MNvWI
⋙ Jun 2015, MN #5 (3.8%), WI #17 (4.6%)

WaPo/IWPR (5/20/2015): The best states for women in America http://wapo.st/... MN #1 Score 7.5, WI ? not tolled but score 20.8 #MNvWI
⋙ 5/20/2015, Institute for Women's Policy Research, MN #1, WI ? but not in top 10; 6 subcategories: MN: 10, 2, 9, 16, 1, 7 = 7.5; WI: 22, 7, 22, 41, 16, 17 = 20.8

AmericasHealthRankings (5/20/2015): State Rankings for 2014 http://bit.ly/... MN #6, WI #23 #MNvWI #RedStateFAIL
⋙ 5/20/2015, MN #6, WI #23

BusinessInsider (3/18/2015): The 50 State Economies Ranked http://read.bi/... MN #8, WI #18 #MNvWI #RedStateFAIL
⋙ 3/18/2015, MN #8, WI #18

StateTech&ScienceOrg (3/17/2015): State Tech and Science Index: State Rankings http://bit.ly/... MN #12, WI #25 #MNvWI #RedStateFAIL
⋙ 3/17/2015,* MN #12, WI #25

Gallup-Healthways 2014 Well-Being Index (2/18/2015) http://bit.ly/... MN #11, WI #18 #MNvWI #RedStateFAIL
⋙ 2/18/2015, MN #11, WI #18

Politico (1/20/2015): The States of Our Union...Are Not All Strong http://politi.co/... MN #1, WI #17 #MNvWI #RedStateFAIL
⋙ 1/20/2015, MN #1, WI #17

⋙ More below the squiggle …

Auriandra

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Sunday September 07, 2014 · 7:04 AM PDT

2014/09/07 · 07:04

The benefits of increased productivity over the last 35 years have not gone to the middle class. So, where did they go? UMass's William Lazonick identifies a key change made by the Reagan Administration – to date largely overlooked – that bears a lot of the blame.

EPI report: Americans need faster wage growth http://bit.ly/... (9/1/2014)

In an article titled Profits Without Prosperity in the September Harvard Business Review, UMass professor William Lazonick describes original research into companies listed on the S&P 500. Lazonick finds that between 2003 and 2012, an incredible 91% of the profits of these firms profits went – NOT to R&D, investments in plant and equipment, job creation or workers' wages – but to stock repurchases (54%) and dividends (37%).

HBR, Wm Lazonick: Profits Without Prosperity: Stock buybacks manipulate the market & leave most Americans worse off http://bit.ly/... (Sep 2014)

It was not always so....

More charts & explanation below the squiggle.

Auriandra

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Friday August 22, 2014 · 8:57 AM PDT

2014/08/22 · 08:57

Police Brutality Statistics http://bit.ly/...

I was checking the web for data on police shootings when I found this Infographic. It is a remarkable compilation of data, fully referenced. This is a small segment. The full Infographic is below the squiggle. PLUS there is additional data from a national survey the DOJ did in 2000 on "Police Attitudes on Abuse of Authority." The findings are stunning. Read More

Hillary wants Obama's "Organizing Principles"? Here they are

Auriandra

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Tuesday August 12, 2014 · 4:56 PM PDT

2014/08/12 · 16:56

Hillary Clinton's claim that that the Obama administration does not articulate "organizing principles" beyond "Don't do stupid stuff" left me scratching my head because it seemed I had heard something recently. Aha! Here it is:

I guess she wasn't listening or maybe these principles are new, but what can I say? As visionary as the Declaration and as crisp as the Preamble, to me this statement matches Kennedy's "We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship..." promise, but wisely adapted for our 21st Century.

Someone finally polled the 1% — And it's not pretty

Auriandra

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Thursday May 29, 2014 · 9:52 AM PDT

2014/05/29 · 09:52

On May 22, The Campaign for America's Future gave a conference on The New Populist Majority. The keynote speaker was Elizabeth Warren. The conference confronted the meme that the US is a "center-right" country.

Most interesting to me was the fact that they obtained poll results from "the 1%." Typically, "upper income" in polling is considered "over $250K/yr" or even "over $150K/yr." Such people are rich compared to most, but they do not have enough money to buy elections with their spare change.

The poll results for this comparison came from the Russell Sage Foundation. "Elites" are defined as at or near "the 1%" in wealth with an average income of $1M/yr or more. The perspectives of this group are compared to responses from other polls such as Pew and Gallup.

The poll results are below the squiggle.

Auriandra

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Wednesday April 16, 2014 · 9:04 PM PDT

2014/04/16 · 21:04

The Tax Foundation just released its 2014 edition of its Tax Freedom Day map. This is an annual charade intended to shame blue states into lowering their taxes. I decided to compare it with another analysis they do: showing "donor" (or "giver") vs "taker" states – also intended to shame blue states into lowering their taxes. Here's what I found:

They are pretty close to mirror images of one another. The Tax Foundation should release these two charts as a matched set.

Al Franken Attacked in IRS Ad: My Letter to the Editor

Auriandra

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Wednesday March 26, 2014 · 9:29 PM PDT

2014/03/26 · 21:29

To the Editor:

No, Senator Franken does not oppose "free speech"

An ad opposing Senator Al Franken has begun airing on local television claiming that he "opposes free speech." It is sponsored by "American Encore," a group registered with the IRS as a "501(c)(4)" organization. Mr. Franken expressed concern that, since the Citizens United ruling which lifted spending constraints on political campaigns, money has poured into such 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations for the sole reason that these organizations — once the domain of garden clubs and civic drives — do not have to disclose their donors.

The ad claims Senator Franken opposes "free speech." This is untrue. Organizations have always been free to "speak" as 527 "political" organizations. But 527 groups must, under current law, disclose their donors. Since the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, an oil company can now give large donations to a 501(c)(4) organization to run anti-EPA ads without having to inform the public that it has certain vested interests. Often these groups have unfamiliar but pleasant-sounding names like "American Encore" or "Americans for Prosperity." But behind these pleasant names, hundreds of millions of dollars from wealthy individuals and corporations with vested interests are now able to hide. Such speech is anything but "free"; it is, in fact, very expensive.

[more below the squiggle]

Auriandra

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Sunday March 09, 2014 · 10:13 AM PDT

2014/03/09 · 10:13

In the 113th Congress, about three-quarters (15) of the 19 doctors in the House and Senate are Republicans. Of these, about three-quarters (11) belong to the Surgical Specialities. What's more, almost all of them come from the worst performing states for healthcare identified by a recent report from the Commonwealth Fund.

In 2009, Mayo Clinic polled 2000 MDs on their political views and their views on health care reform: NEJM (2009): Mayo Clinic Poll: Physicians' Beliefs and U.S. Health Care Reform.

A key finding was that "surgeons, procedural specialists, and those in nonclinical specialties were all significantly less likely than primary care providers to favor reform that expands access to basic health care by reducing reimbursement for expensive drugs and procedures"

Join me below the squiggle for a list of doctors in Congress, state health care rankings and maps showing where in the United States you really, really don't want to get sick. Read More

A List of Political News Sources: Left to Right

Auriandra

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday February 02, 2014 · 6:50 AM PST

2014/02/02 · 06:50

Several years ago, I started this list for my high school and college-aged kids to give them a sense of how news sources line up politically. I've kept adding to it as more online sources have become available.

I thought I'd share it, in case there's an interest & also to get feedback, as I likely have some in the wrong place. It's organized from Most Left to Most Right to Crazy.

LEFT
Campaign for America's Future http://bit.ly/...
Firedoglake http://bit.ly/...
CounterPunch http://is.gd/...
Daily Kos http://bit.ly/...
Democratic Underground http://bit.ly/...
Crook & Liars http://bit.ly/...
Political Carnival http://bit.ly/...
Alternet http://bit.ly/...
Mother Jones http://bit.ly/...
Nation http://bit.ly/...
ThinkProgress (wonkroom) http://bit.ly/...
Progressive http://bit.ly/...
Rolling Stone Politics http://bit.ly/....
American Prospect http://bit.ly/....
Center for American Progress http://bit.ly/....
Salon http://bit.ly/....
Msnbc http://on.msnbc.com/....

Full list below the squiggle...

Newer
Older

RSS

PolitiFact: Who Lies, Who Doesn't

Debate: Kaine 79% True, Pence 31% (PolitiFact)

GOP Wisconsin vs Dem Minnesota: Rankings

A Gift for Scott Walker: Rankings!

The Inequality "Smoking Gun"

Polls: Police Brutality – What The Police Have To Say

Hillary wants Obama's "Organizing Principles"? Here they are

Someone finally polled the 1% — And it's not pretty

Tax Freedom Day & Donor vs Taker States

Al Franken Attacked in IRS Ad: My Letter to the Editor

Surgeons are Red, Internists are Blue

A List of Political News Sources: Left to Right