Monday, November 03, 2008
Fact Check: The Myths That Wouldn't Go Away
Tomorrow is the "big" day, when half of the country will be elated, and the other half devastated, as the election finally arrives and our 44th President is chosen by "We" the people.
Before that there is still time for many things to occur and perhaps change the outcome. One thing that has not changed is the myths that have refused to die.
The following story is at Yahoo News, by Calvin Woodward, an Associated Press Writer, confronting and correcting the myths on both sides:
Facts have taken a beating in Campaign '08.
Each in his own way, John McCain and Barack Obama have produced enduring myths, amplified by their running mates and supporters. When a non-licensed plumber who owes back taxes and would get a tax cut under Obama is held out by McCain as a stand-in for average working Americans who should vote Republican, you know truth-telling is taking a back seat to myth-making.
McCain has clung tenaciously to many of his distortions throughout the campaign, yielding on a few. Obama has taken a different tack when he is called on his misstatements. Although perhaps too late to really set the record straight, he's edged closer to the facts. You might need a microscope to tell the difference, but slight variations in a pitch or accusation can make all the difference between bogus and real.
Obama saddled McCain with a bum rap when he accused the Republican of wanting a 100-year war in Iraq back in the spring. Finally he relented and said McCain sees U.S. troops being in Iraq for 100 years. That's closer to right — as a peacekeeping force like the one in South Korea. But McCain might be long associated with war without end.
Obama accused McCain of wanting to privatize Social Security, which he doesn't. Now he accuses McCain of wanting to privatize "part" of Social Security, which he does, as one option that younger workers could choose.
link to full story
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