Politifact Lie Of The Year

krugman.blogs.nytimes.com — This is really awful. Politifact, which is supposed to police false claims in politics, has announced its Lie of the Year — and it’s a statement that happens to be true, the claim that Republicans have voted to end Medicare. And given all the actual, indisputable lies out there, how on earth could saying that it is be the “Lie of the year”?

more »

motherjones.com — Should PolitiFact have chosen this as its Lie of the Year? Not a chance. Ryan's plan was an existential change to the current program, which guarantees essentially unlimited medical coverage to all seniors in return for a nominal annual premium. Ryan's plan doesn't, and describing that as an entirely different kind of program is perfectly legitimate. Hell, even some conservatives agree that PolitiFact made an elephant out of a mouse.

more »

swampland.time.com — In selecting ending Medicare as the lie of the year, it seems PolitiFact chose it for its political potency rather than for the depth or deviousness of its deception. This is a claim that will appear in countless TV ads next year and has arguably already helped swing a special congressional election in New York. It’s a big deal to be sure, and its nuances are worth exploring. But lie of the year? Maybe that will require a debate over the word “lie.”

more »

huffingtonpost.com — In announcing their 2011 "Lie Of The Year," the truth-squadding agency has settled on something that isn't so much a "lie" as it is "100 percent true on its face," and the selection seems to have been made because they don't seem to understand some very basic things about Medicare's defined health benefits.

more »

washingtonmonthly.com — The fact-checking website PolitiFact has announced its “Lie of the Year” for 2011: "Republicans voted to end Medicare" It made a poor, credibility-killing choice. This is simply indefensible. Claims that are factually true shouldn’t be eligible for a Lie of the Year designation. It seems foolish to have to parse the meaning of the word “end,” but if there’s a program, and it’s replaced with a different program, proponents brought an end to the original program. That’s what the verb means. Imagine someone owns a Ferrari. It’s expensive and drives beautifully, and the owner desperately wants to keep it intact. Now imagine I took the car away, removed the metallic badge off the trunk that says “Ferrari,” stuck it on a golf cart, and handed the owner the keys. By PolitiFact’s reasoning, I haven’t actually replaced the car — and if you disagree, you’re a pants-on-fire liar.

more »