Bill Clinton’s DNC Speech Was A Fact Checkers Nightmare Except For AP’s Matt Apuzzo
Former president Bill Clinton’s brilliant (but long) speech last night at the Democratic National Convention was a fact-checker’s nightmare. Many reporters put on a lot of time and effort to run down his many statistics and factual claims, coming up with nothing. But that didn’t stop Associated Press reporter Matt Apuzzo to push the envelope and write what can only be described as a “smear job” by using his own personal opinions instead of actual facts in his article Fact Check – Clinton Claims of Compromise a Stretch
Apuzzo claims that the fact is that both parties Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the gridlock in Washington. His proof? President Obama brought in Rahm Ehmannuel as his chief of staff! Obama and the Democrats have bent over backward, and made many changes and cuts to Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Reform (aka “Obamacare”) just to get it to pass because of Republican obstructionist and was also willing to push through cuts on foundational Democratic programs: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Republicans refused, and publicly stated they would stop any bills or measures unless it was the ones that they wanted.
But it was Apuzzo’s “fact checking” when Bill Clinton quoted the famous line of the Romney campaign, that they wouldn’t be dictated by fact checkers that takes the cake. What is brave, fearless bullshit journalist Matt Apuzzo’s fact check response? But Clinton got a blowjob!
CLINTON: ‘‘Their campaign pollster said, ‘We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers.’ Now that is true. I couldn’t have said it better myself — I just hope you remember that every time you see the ad.’’
THE FACTS: Clinton, who famously finger-wagged a denial on national television about his sexual relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky and was subsequently impeached in the House on a perjury charge, has had his own uncomfortable moments over telling the truth. ‘‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,’’ Clinton told television viewers. Later, after he was forced to testify to a grand jury, Clinton said his statements were ‘‘legally accurate’’ but also allowed that he ‘‘misled people, including even my wife.’’
Is that a fact check?
It’s time to start fact checking the fact checkers and call them out on their biased bullshit and crap reporting. The AP should retract Appuzo’s article immediately and the Associated Press should apologize for allowing such garbage to be printed under its name.
