NPR: Romney Goes On Offense, Pays For It In First Wave Of Fact Checks

[fishwax]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/10/03/162263539/romney-goes-on-offense-pays-for-it-in-first-wave-of-fact-checks?ft=1&f=1014&sc=tw

In their first of three debates, President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney "traded barbs" and stretched some facts, say the nonpartisan watchdogs at PolitiFact.com.

Similarly, the researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center's FactCheck.org found examples of truth-stretching by both men.

Overall, it was a debate packed with facts, a wonk's delight. From the very first remarks, with President Obama saying 5 million jobs have been created in the private sector over the last 30 months, the debate was very number focused. So there were some things to check. And because Romney made more factual assertions, he's getting dinged more — at least in the early hours after the debate — by the fact checkers.

More ...

[ProSense]

1. It's going to be brutal. n/t

[Jennicut]

7. Yup. Romney twisted and turned and flipped and flopped all over the place too.

I am still trying to figure out who he is.

Obama will sure have a lot of ad material.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. "I am still trying to figure out who he (Romney) is."

[img][/img]

[NYC Liberal]

9. Obama gave them zero fodder for ads

Romney, on the other hand, gave Obama enough ad material for a whole campaign season. We'll be seeing Romney's lies exposed non-stop all over the swing states for the next 5 weeks. And that will have far more of an effect than the debates will.

[grasswire]

2. uh....maybe Romney's getting dinged because he LIED more.

Not because he put forward more facts.

D'oh.

[caraher]

6. Good point, but...

for a Romney it's only when the lies get uttered in the guise of purported facts that fact checkers will count them as lies. So there's a pretty direct link there

[Dawson Leery]

3. The smarmy used Yugo salesman lied!

[WCGreen]

4. I didn't hear anything new tonight...

I'm kind of wonky in that I am a trained accountant with experience in Taxation.

Romney just seemed to throw anything against the wall to see if something might stick.

[Cha]

5. I saw that NPR tweet on another site..

thanks for posting, fishwax!

[flying-skeleton]

8. who cares about Fact checkers ...... when

who cares about Fact checkers ...... when 60 million viewers already saw the debate LIVE. The damage is already done. Obama let Romney pull off the heist of the century !!!!!

[ProSense]

10. "who cares about Fact checkers"

Not Romney, which is why he's counting on an unhinged performance and more lies to shave a point off Obama's lead.

It's not going to happen, and the Obama campaign can replay the treasure of lies and unhinged moments he delivered.

Thanks for being a lying asshole, Mitt.

[99th_Monkey]

12. I hate this "They Both Do it" steaming pile of bullshit

the media keeps repeating over and over.

Fuck NPR.

[CabCurious]

13. It's extremely irresponsible, yes.