Sharing a quick laugh. FoxNews "Fact Check"???

[Mugsy]

Couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when I saw the following link on the Google News page this morning:

FACT CHECK: Obama's Job Creation, Deficit Claims Questionable
President Obama turned the page on 100 days in office with an iffy boast about job creation and claims of fiscal prudence that are hard to square with his spending. - FOXNews

Isn't that and oxymoron (or is that "oxymoran"?) The "AP" op-ed makes a number of spurious claims with nothing to back them up (surprise!).

From the article (you don't need to give them a Hit):

President Obama turned the page on 100 days in office with an iffy boast about job creation and claims of fiscal prudence that are hard to square with his spending.

Obama spoke with abundant confidence about his chances for achieving the big-ticket items on his agenda despite economic calamity:

-- His assertion that his proposed budget "will cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term" is an eyeball-roller for many economists, given the uncharted terrain of trillion-dollar deficits the government is negotiating.

-- He promised vast savings from increased spending on preventive health care in the face of doubts that such an effort, however laudable it might be for public welfare, can pay for itself, let alone yield huge savings.

-- He pitched a remedy for Social Security's long-term crisis that analysts say won't fix half the problem.

Now, the story (which was released just this morning) doesn't claim to be "fact-checking his speech last night", but since Fox didn't even cover the presser, chances are many Fox viewers aren't aware these subjects were not even brought up. Maybe it's just me, but I don't remember ANY "boast about job creation or fiscal prudence" in his speech last night. Nor do I remember (please correct me if I'm wrong) about "cutting the deficit in half" (a claim he has made in the past, but did not make last night). Neither am I aware Obama made these claims ON DAY 100 like the story suggests.

Nor did he bring up "savings from health care reform" or anything about "Social Security" last night.

"Fact check"? I'd think the first fact they'd want to "check" is whether or not he actually said the things you claim in his speech last night. That would seem like a no-brainer... but then, look who I'm talking about.

[zbdent]

1. sheesh ... and the easiest way to "fact check" what he said was to have a

staffer watch the conference on another channel ...

[madokie]

2. correct me if I'm wrong

I think he said something about creating some jobs and cutting the deficit in half but hell I've slept since then so I could be wrong.

[gratuitous]

3. Here's a fact for you to check, Fox

Mars, bitches!

[Demit]

4. They had a reporter there. They just didn't show the press conference.

I remember his saying something about the deficit, and something about job creation. One way to make sure about what he said specifically, so that what Fox said could be disputed specifically, would be to fact check the transcript itself. I believe it's posted.

[Mugsy]

5. Checking the transcript.

All I found in the transcript on "savings from health care reform":

"new investments in health care that will cut costs for families and businesses, and new savings that will bring down our deficit." - (is this everything Fox is basing it's "fact check" on?)

The words "Social Security" were not mentioned.

[Demit]

6. Next time don't read so fast. The AP story points out he spoke in 2 places yesterday.

—the high school in Missouri and the news presser. And when they quoted him, they noted where he said what:

"...OBAMA: "You could cut (Social Security) benefits. You could raise the tax on everybody so everybody's payroll tax goes up a little bit. Or you can do what I think is probably the best solution, which is you can raise the cap on the payroll tax." -- in Missouri. ..."


Sorry to scold, but you did make me go to the Fox site (to fact-check what *you* said). :)