I really like the website Politifact. I don't always agree with their conclusions, but it is pretty interesting. And while I don't think they are the final word on who is honest and who is a liar, it is pretty interesting how things end up breaking down. The people you'd think of as less truthful tend to have lower "scores." And the people who are viewed as more honest tend to have higher "scores." So, without further adieu, let's take a look at the Politifact report cards for each of the three candidates leading the GOP race:
1) Newt Gingrich:
-Half True or Better--14
-Mostly False or Worse--18
That's a 43.75% truthfulness score.
2) Mitt Romney:
-Half True or Better--54
-Mostly False or Worse--31
That's a 63.5% truthfulness score.
3) Ron Paul:
-Half True or Better--18
-Mostly False or Worse--10*
That's a 64.3% truthfulness score.
I think that this pretty telling. Not determinative of honesty, but pretty darn interesting and (I think) absolutely relevant.
*Just as a note on two of Ron Paul's "False" ratings:
1) Dr. Paul said the country is bankrupt. Politifact concluded that if we can meet our obligations, we're not. But they are obviously using a vastly different definition of bankrupt. The continued devaluation of our currency through forced inflation means that if we owe $50 today, and pay it in a couple of weeks, we haven't actually met our obligations, because the $50 is worth less now. We're skating by for now, but eventually we will have to stop printing fiat currency to pretend to meet our obligations. I emailed Politifact with this explanation (well, actually a bit more detailed) and they actually emailed me back pretty quickly, acknowledged the concerns and said they'd review it. Didn't ever happen of course. At any rate, I think this should have at least been "Half True."
2) Ron Paul only votes for things expressly allowed by the Constitution. Politifact names a few obscure votes that are a little borderline and gives this statement a "False." I think anyone who knows about Dr. Paul's record would question this. This deserves a "Mostly True."
So I personally think he should at least have a 71.4% truthfulness score.
1) Newt Gingrich:
-Half True or Better--14
-Mostly False or Worse--18
That's a 43.75% truthfulness score.
2) Mitt Romney:
-Half True or Better--54
-Mostly False or Worse--31
That's a 63.5% truthfulness score.
3) Ron Paul:
-Half True or Better--18
-Mostly False or Worse--10*
That's a 64.3% truthfulness score.
I think that this pretty telling. Not determinative of honesty, but pretty darn interesting and (I think) absolutely relevant.
*Just as a note on two of Ron Paul's "False" ratings:
1) Dr. Paul said the country is bankrupt. Politifact concluded that if we can meet our obligations, we're not. But they are obviously using a vastly different definition of bankrupt. The continued devaluation of our currency through forced inflation means that if we owe $50 today, and pay it in a couple of weeks, we haven't actually met our obligations, because the $50 is worth less now. We're skating by for now, but eventually we will have to stop printing fiat currency to pretend to meet our obligations. I emailed Politifact with this explanation (well, actually a bit more detailed) and they actually emailed me back pretty quickly, acknowledged the concerns and said they'd review it. Didn't ever happen of course. At any rate, I think this should have at least been "Half True."
2) Ron Paul only votes for things expressly allowed by the Constitution. Politifact names a few obscure votes that are a little borderline and gives this statement a "False." I think anyone who knows about Dr. Paul's record would question this. This deserves a "Mostly True."
So I personally think he should at least have a 71.4% truthfulness score.
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