State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
Another year, another insufferable State of the Union address from President Obama. Last night's speech -- partially because it boasted a length that would have fatigued Castro at his most vital -- also provided a catalog of half-truths, overstatements and outright falsehoods. Consider this, for example:
This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.
All of the above apparently excluding the Keystone pipeline or the idled oil rigs of the Gulf Coast. Let's crowdsource the more outrageous statements, shall we? Post some of the egregious errors of fact, mischaracterizations, and outright balderdash in the comments section below. If the mainstream media won't hold the president accountable, Ricochet members certainly will.
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Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
This was an especially farcical moment:
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
To contribute to the cause, I'll post CATO's excellent response from its scholars:
Apr '11
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
Isn't the increase in domestic production a result of whoever was in charge 10 years prior? if it takes 10 years to get oil to market, then we will see the impact of his policies in about 7 years, when he'd be hustling speaking fees. So if the facts are right, it certainly isn't to his credit.
Not sure about the - what, 50% - less dependance on foreign oil? Anyone?
Jun '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
Yeah, right. Actually his solution to entitlements is to raise taxes and then ration care.
Jun '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
I loved when he was talking about education and he made this statement:
So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.
Don't they already require that to age 16. How's that working out for them? When was the last time you saw a truant officer. I laughed so hard I cried. He lives in a world of "If I wish it, it will be true."
Of course he will say this unpopular statement because the under 18 can't vote for him.
Jul '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
Not to quibble, but wouldn't the hard part be to pick out correct assertions from the speech?
Jul '11
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
He lost me at "My fellow Americans"
Nov '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
Let's crowdsource the more outrageous statements, shall we?
Troy, why must you always do things the hard way? If your goal was to generate a comment thread that ran into the hundreds, you should simply have followed Ricochet SOP and written a post about gay marriage. Sheesh!
My dart landed on this:
"Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics."
From the guy who rejected federal matching funds.
May '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
The president may have changed milk spill regulations (at the urging of congressional Republicans and the ag lobby,) but I may need some more details about what fraction of the more than 500 reforms he is announcing that will save more than $10 billion over five years. We may just have to enact the reforms to find out what is in them.
May '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
The part that I found unbelieveable and beyond the bounds of cerulity was the part that came between, "My fellow Americans," and "God bless America." Other than that it was good.
May '10
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
From James Taranto on WSJ:
All right, one quick word about the SOTU substance. Look at this passage:
"The money we're no longer spending at war" is a fiction. It is money that has never been collected or borrowed and won't have to be because there is (touch wood) no war to fight. It's like a wife demanding that her husband buy her an expensive gift with the money she saved by not buying herself something even more expensive. Does Obama really think Americans foolish enough to fall for this?
Jun '11
Re: State of the Union Fact-Check: Ricochet Edition
ljt: Isn't the increase in domestic production a result of whoever was in charge 10 years prior? if it takes 10 years to get oil to market, then we will see the impact of his policies in about 7 years, when he'd be hustling speaking fees. So if the facts are right, it certainly isn't to his credit.
Not sure about the - what, 50% - less dependance on foreign oil? Anyone? · 4 hours ago
According to Victor Davis Hanson on Milt Rosenburg's WGN Extension 720
http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/ext720/wgn-x720-hanson-jan2,0,6429474.mp3file
recently, the technological improvements in drawing oil from the ground has resulted in the USA producing 1 million barrels more in the last 2 years than were expected. Victor seemed optimistic in America's future mainly due to problems in other countries.
Edited on January 26, 2012 at 1:42am