Recently there were two responses from opposite camps on PolitiFact’s Fact-Checking rulings, namely, Arianna Huffington (“Democrat”) and Sarah Palin (“Republican”). I thought it might be worth checking both of their responses, as well as their fact-checks, to see how both compared as an experiment in looking at PolitiFact’s supposed “bias.”
Palin’s original claim: “ …this is going to result in the largest tax increase in U.S. history.” (in response to Chris Wallace question on tax cuts expiring FOR TOP 2% [he WAS very specific])
What PolitiFact (PF) checked: ….” her claim that the Democratic plan would result in "the largest tax increase in history."
Gist of Palin’s response: “There is NO plan” by Obama or the Democrats. PF are the pants on fire liars.
My summary: (1) She conflated top 2% tax with *everyone* tax. (2) She refused to recognize (or didn’t know about) *unofficial* proposals and (3) she still thinks it’s 2008 and she’s campaigning (or maybe she’s campaigning for 2012, who knows).
Huffington’s original claim: “Halliburton defrauded the U.S. government… hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq.”
Palin’s original claim: “ …this is going to result in the largest tax increase in U.S. history.” (in response to Chris Wallace question on tax cuts expiring FOR TOP 2% [he WAS very specific])
What PolitiFact (PF) checked: ….” her claim that the Democratic plan would result in "the largest tax increase in history."
Gist of Palin’s response: “There is NO plan” by Obama or the Democrats. PF are the pants on fire liars.
My summary: (1) She conflated top 2% tax with *everyone* tax. (2) She refused to recognize (or didn’t know about) *unofficial* proposals and (3) she still thinks it’s 2008 and she’s campaigning (or maybe she’s campaigning for 2012, who knows).
Huffington’s original claim: “Halliburton defrauded the U.S. government… hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq.”
What PF checked: “…we decided to fact-check Huffington's statement that Halliburton defrauded the U.S. government of "hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq.”
Gist of Huffington’s response: “…PolitiFact's facts clearly supported a conclusion different than the one its editors came to.” PF is “equivocating.”
My summary: (1) Inefficiencies are not the same as fraud, but Arianna clearly implies they are the same (2) She does not address the security problem (which KBR procured and illegally billed for because the military often did not protect their workers) and (3) Concluding with her emotive “Workers of the World Unite” complaints with regard to AIG and BP sort of misdirects her anger at PF’s “equivocation.” That being said, PF could have easily gone with Mostly True. But I would not go with True.
Analysis of both:
