http://twitter.com/#!/mark28210/status/522343514106249216
Glenn Kessler in today’s Washington Post has a must-read fact check where he awards 4 Pinocchios to Dems and their ads claiming “that only Republicans are to blame for cuts to Ebola research.” Here’s his conclusion:
On many levels, this line of attack is absurd.
Obama’s Republican predecessor oversaw big increases in public-health sector spending, and both Democrats and Republicans in recent years have broadly supported efforts to rein in federal spending. Sequestration resulted from a bipartisan agreement. In some years, Congress has allocated more money for NIH and CDC than the Obama administration requested. Meanwhile, contrary to the suggestion of the DCCC ad, there never was a specific vote on funding to prevent Ebola.
There’s no doubt that spending has been cut, or at least failed to keep pace with inflation, but the fingerprints of both parties are on the knives. This blame game earns Four Pinocchios.
As you might imagine, conservatives have greeted this fact check as welcome news:
Washington Post fact checker notes it was the Obama WH, not Republicans, that proposed cuts to NIH's budget. http://t.co/Zh9eITX6yU
— Brian Walsh (@brianjameswalsh) October 15, 2014
@brianjameswalsh @GlennKesslerWP So WH strategy for Ebola: blame Rs in lieu of leading, fixing the problem.
— George Canty (@grcanty) October 15, 2014
WaPo Fact Checker: President George W. Bush, a Republican, is responsible for significantly boosting NIH’s funding http://t.co/IqjRHjAdCt
— S2 (@StewSays) October 15, 2014
Libs never let facts get in the way of hysterical rhetoric=> Absurd claim Repubs to blame for cuts to Ebola research http://t.co/TUKnvd749E
— L. North (@LadyLNorth) October 15, 2014
@DanaPerino @GlennKesslerWP that is the most low down vicious lie I've ever heard. Whoever came up with that has no morals sorry if believed
— russell jones (@rwjones61) October 15, 2014
And we like this idea:
@DanaPerino @GlennKesslerWP Might think of adding a 5th Pinocchio level just for those who truly deserve whacko level comments.
— John Kerber (@johnkiowa) October 15, 2014
Related:
Here is Paul Begala doubling down on desperate Ebola-blaming lies by blaming Bush. No, seriously