Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The voting wasn’t even close. Sarah Palin’s claim that the Democrat’s health care reform would create “death panels” was selected by 61% of respondents to PolitiFact’s inaugural “Lie of the Year” contest. No other distortion or half-truth came even close in the running, although there was no shortage of competitors.
First runner-up went to conservative talk show host Glenn Beck for his remark that John Holdren, President Barack Obama’s top science adviser, was proposing to force abortions “and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population.”
Next in line was birther attorney Orly Taitz’s claim to have a copy of President Obama’s birth certificate from Kenya, purporting to show the commander-in-chief really wasn’t eligible to hold office after all.
Fourth place went to President Obama for his statement that “preventive care saves money,” A claim that is diputed by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
PolitiFact's Lie of the Year: 'Death Panels' (by Angie Drobnic Holan, PolitiFact)
And the Runners-up ... (by Angie Drobnic Holan, PolitiFact)
Comments