PolitiFact has unveiled their "Lie of the Year" for 2015

[The Tradition]

Donald Trump is dismissing the political fact-checking website PolitiFact, which on Monday awarded him its 2015 Lie of the Year for his claims about Muslims celebrating the 9/11 attacks.

“[PolitiFact is] a totally left-wing group,” the GOP presidential front-runner said on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends." "They are bad news.
“You could tell something 100 percent and they will make it out to a lie if you’re a certain person,” he added.

Trump also defended his assertion that scores of Muslim Americans celebrated the 2001 terrorist attacks, saying people have come forward with evidence to back his recollection.

“Well, you know there were a lot of people, and I’ve had it from a lot of people,” he said of others corroborating his claims. "We’ve had hundreds of phone calls. We’ve had at @RealDonaldTrump, we’ve had proof.”

PolitiFact, which is run by the Tampa Bay Times, announced Monday that Trump had garnered its annual Lie of the Year for “various statements” of questionable accuracy on the 2016 campaign trail.

“When it comes to inaccurate statements, the Donald was on fire,” PolitiFact wrote.

“Trump hasn’t apologized or backtracked on his statements. Instead, when challenged, he offers flimsy explanations and suggests he shouldn’t be held accountable — or simply insists he’s right.”

PolitiFact concluded that roughly three-quarters of Trump’s public statements were “mostly false,” “false” or “pants on fire.”

It cited Trump’s recollection of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as one of the real estate tycoon’s most egregious inaccuracies.

PolitiFact additionally dismissed Trump’s claims about the Mexican government sending “the bad ones over” into the U.S. and statistics he used about the number of black people killing white people.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box...trump-politifact-is-a-totally-left-wing-group



It's only a lie if Trump knew it to be untrue at the time he said it.

 

[Funky Bunch]

I'm more interested in who was the lay of the year

 

[Vroom_C14]

“Cliton hasn’t apologized or backtracked on her statements. Instead, when challenged, she offers flimsy explanations and suggests she shouldn’t be held accountable — or simply insists she’s right.”

See how easy that is.

 

[Lone Clone]

He said thousands -- or tens of thousands -- celebrated in New Jersey. His critics said nobody did. Neither is correct. But his critics are closer.

 

[Nat Algren]

“Cliton hasn’t apologized or backtracked on her statements. Instead, when challenged, she offers flimsy explanations and suggests she shouldn’t be held accountable — or simply insists she’s right.”

See how easy that is.

Agreed. Maybe ISIS uses this as a recruiting tool:



Or this:


Hitlery knows who is the source of terrorism:

 

[theIowaHawk]

It's only a lie if Trump knew it to be untrue at the time he said it.

This is true, or when he repeated it and every time he has doubled down on it since. But, technically you are correct, if he "believes" it to be true it isn't lying, because lying is intentional.

What it actually means is something far, far more concerning.

 

[theIowaHawk]

He said thousands -- or tens of thousands -- celebrated in New Jersey. His critics said nobody did. Neither is correct. But his critics are closer.

This is bullshit intended to let him off the hook.

He said he SAW thousands/tens of thousands. The counter was that HE SAW none.

 

[SCHawkFan]

This is bullshit intended to let him off the hook.

He said he SAW thousands/tens of thousands. The counter was that HE SAW none.

My guess is he saw video of the 1000s celebrating in Palestine and thought it looked like New Jersay.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

Annenberg politifact?obama was chair of Annenberg chitown

 

[Hawk and Awe]

I love it when they ask him about this. Listening to him defend the statement based on his excellent memory and the calls Trump HQ has received is just so presidential.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

I saw people celebrating trump saw it everyone saw it-to suddenly call the truth a lie is par for the course in obama's America

 

[Herkmeister]

I'm more interested in who was the lay of the year

Haven't heard lately, but here's your 2012 winner.

 

[KitingHigh]

Politifact is one of the more embarrassing parts about living in St Pete. At least the paper changed their name though. It used to be the St Petersburg Times, but they sold out to try and get more of the Tampa market from the Tribune.

 

[Lone Clone]

This is bullshit intended to let him off the hook.

He said he SAW thousands/tens of thousands. The counter was that HE SAW none.

That's a good point. I hadn't focused on that. However, it doesn't change my assessment, which obviously doesn't let him off the hook, since I said his critics were closer to the truth than he was.

What he would have seen was celebration in other countries. I don't think there were any videos of celebration in the U.S. But were people celebrating in New Jersey and other parts of the United States? Yes, unless the news stories reporting it were incorrect.

For the record, I'm old enough to remember stories of people celebrating the deaths of JFK and especially MLK.

 

[artradley]

My guess is he saw video of the 1000s celebrating in Palestine and thought it looked like New Jersay.

While I realize this is meant as a little jab at NJ, it's actually likely close to the truth. There were tons of outrage videos flying across the Internet at the time of Palestinians celebrating, but labelled variously as Muslims in NY or NJ. Hardly a day passed when you didn't encounter somebody breathlessly reporting another video showing American Muslims celebrating on the streets. None of the videos really showed what they purportedly showed -- in fact, most of them were several years old and showed people in another country celebrating who-knows-what.

But undoubtedly a certain percentage of gullible Americans, to this day, believe they say large crowds of celebrating Muslims in this country.

Were there a couple of incidents of five or ten Muslims seen exchanging high-fives? Possibly. What we do know for a fact is that Donald Trump did not see what he claims he saw. And the fact that he doesn't back down demonstrates that he is either far more dishonest than most politicians (which is saying something), or ranks among the bottom tier of the country in his ability to discern fiction from reality. Personally, I suspect he's both.

 

[Lone Clone]

While I realize this is meant as a little jab at NJ, it's actually likely close to the truth. There were tons of outrage videos flying across the Internet at the time of Palestinians celebrating, but labelled variously as Muslims in NY or NJ. Hardly a day passed when you didn't encounter somebody breathlessly reporting another video showing American Muslims celebrating on the streets. None of the videos really showed what they purportedly showed -- in fact, most of them were several years old and showed people in another country celebrating who-knows-what.

But undoubtedly a certain percentage of gullible Americans, to this day, believe they say large crowds of celebrating Muslims in this country.

Were there a couple of incidents of five or ten Muslims seen exchanging high-fives? Possibly. What we do know for a fact is that Donald Trump did not see what he claims he saw. And the fact that he doesn't back down demonstrates that he is either far more dishonest than most politicians (which is saying something), or ranks among the bottom tier of the country in his ability to discern fiction from reality. Personally, I suspect he's both.

I honestly (no pun intended) don't think any politician is as dishonest as Hillary Clinton. Trump may be deluded and unable to see the truth because of his ego, but we have that in the White House already.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

who cares. the idiots celebrated and spiked the football. Obama does this as well. must be a Hussein family trait. trump is awesome.

 

[theIowaHawk]

That's a good point. I hadn't focused on that. However, it doesn't change my assessment, which obviously doesn't let him off the hook, since I said his critics were closer to the truth than he was.

What he would have seen was celebration in other countries. I don't think there were any videos of celebration in the U.S. But were people celebrating in New Jersey and other parts of the United States? Yes, unless the news stories reporting it were incorrect.

For the record, I'm old enough to remember stories of people celebrating the deaths of JFK and especially MLK.

Saying that critics "were closer to the truth" is, in fact, letting him off the hook. He has presented with enough evidence, enough reason to disbelieve his own claim ... yet he keeps doubling down on it.

But the lying isn't the issue, imo, it is the fact that he might actually believe it and that we are discussing whether he could, crazily, actually believe and stick to his story. Why would you want someone representing your entire nation when they won't listen to any advisers on the subject, anybody telling him he is wrong (including the author he cited to), and yet he just keeps getting louder?

 

[The Tradition]

Saying that critics "were closer to the truth" is, in fact, letting him off the hook. He has presented with enough evidence, enough reason to disbelieve his own claim ... yet he keeps doubling down on it.

But the lying isn't the issue, imo, it is the fact that he might actually believe it and that we are discussing whether he could, crazily, actually believe and stick to his story. Why would you want someone representing your entire nation when they won't listen to any advisers on the subject, anybody telling him he is wrong (including the author he cited to), and yet he just keeps getting louder?

When has Obama ever admitted he was wrong? Or Hillary Clinton for that matter? The best we get out of them is stupid "I've evolved on that issue" crapola.

 

[theIowaHawk]

When has Obama ever admitted he was wrong? Or Hillary Clinton for that matter? The best we get out of them is stupid "I've evolved on that issue" crapola.

Yawn. Good for you Tradition, good for you.

We should all adopt your thought process:

Sure, MY guy is a complete blowhard with no regard for facts, evidence, or logic .... but since YOUR guy does that too, I'm voting for more!

 

[The Tradition]

Yawn. Good for you Tradition, good for you.

We should all adopt your thought process:

Sure, MY guy is a complete blowhard with no regard for facts, evidence, or logic .... but since YOUR guy does that too, I'm voting for more!

So, you're voting for Hillary, right?

 

[Lone Clone]

Saying that critics "were closer to the truth" is, in fact, letting him off the hook. He has presented with enough evidence, enough reason to disbelieve his own claim ... yet he keeps doubling down on it.

But the lying isn't the issue, imo, it is the fact that he might actually believe it and that we are discussing whether he could, crazily, actually believe and stick to his story. Why would you want someone representing your entire nation when they won't listen to any advisers on the subject, anybody telling him he is wrong (including the author he cited to), and yet he just keeps getting louder?

How is it letting him off the hook? I'm agreeing that what he said was untrue, which was the allegation. That is a fact that stands despite the actions or words of anybody else.

Pointing out that the people who criticize him for being wrong are, in fact, even wronger, is to point out their hypocrisy, not ameliorate his error.

 

[artradley]

How is it letting him off the hook? I'm agreeing that what he said was untrue, which was the allegation. That is a fact that stands despite the actions or words of anybody else.

Pointing out that the people who criticize him for being wrong are, in fact, even wronger, is to point out their hypocrisy, not ameliorate his error.

The people who say that Trump did not see thousands of people celebrating in NJ, because it didn't happen, are correct. And he is incorrect.