“True, but Misleading”

from The Gray Area:

CNN ran the Democratic Presidential Town Hall in NH last night for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. The Town Hall format is a better format for these things as it eliminates the aggressive debating of every single point a candidate makes. At the same time, some one has to call the candidate when they make misleading statements. CNN provided a post Town Hall “Reality Check” that at least attempted to do just that.

The net of this “Reality Check” can be found in two words that are repeated throughout the article, “true, but misleading”. This really gets to the heart of any election, how to determine the facts from the spin, hyperbole and outright falsehoods.

During the Town Hall Q&A last night it appeared to me that the questions were pre-prepared and therefore, answers pre-prepared. The questioners were not nervous as if they had been rehearsed. The questions were so good, that normal people could not create such organized questions. So, the staged event offered the two candidates the opportunity to explain at any length their prepared answers. As you listened, it was obvious they were leaving out critical information and spinning for maximum benefit, which, of course, politicians of all parties try to do. The moderators in this format should be prepared to call the candidates on this, and Anderson Cooper did not.

CNN’s check on several comments made by Bernie Sanders on:

Prison population. CNN rated his answer as TRUE. Actually, it left out much in the area of context on US prison population such as the answer to the question, WHY? By making a statement of cold fact, he sends his message of a rigged system that is racist. But he never talks about why this prison population has skyrocketed.

Veteran Health care. CNN rated his answer as TRUE.

Negative ads. TRUE, BUT MISLEADING.

Hillary Clinton reality check on:

Johnson Controls Inversion. TRUE. But they never discuss that failed tax policies that generate this action. If we changed our tax policy we could bring trillions of dollars of income home. If we penalize further, companies will further look for loopholes to save money.

Secretaries of State delivering speeches. TRUE, BUT MISLEADING.

On Iraq War vote. FALSE.

Auto Bailout. FALSE & TRUE.

Campaign donors are mostly women. TRUE, BUT MISLEADING.

CNN could have done a more complete job of fact checking Bernie on his healthcare claims that a single payer plan will save money, that the rich are stealing from the middle class, and that the rigged Wall Street system he hypes, could not have a better example than the Obama Administration Fed QE policy of the past 8 years.

And with Clinton on her honesty, on her working for women, on her being attacked by “the right”. How about the standard demonize and destroy tactics of the left being discussed? And going after Republican donors in one of their standard “Koch” lines without pointing out the special interest billionaires supporting them, and the leftist media and propaganda machines.

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