Fact-Checking McCain/Palin Catching On

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo notes that fact-checking questionable claims by the GOP ticket, particularly VP nominee Sarah Palin, seems to be catching on in media outlets across the political spectrum.

The McCain camp has made her signature issue shutting down the Bridge to Nowhere. But as The New Republic put it today that's just "a naked lie." And pretty much the same thing has been written today in Newsweek, the Washington Post, the AP, the Wall Street Journal. Yesterday even Fox's Chris Wallace called out Rick Davis on it.

On earmarks she's an even bigger crock. On the trail with McCain they're telling everyone that she's some kind of earmark slayer when actually, when she was mayor and governor, in both offices, she requested and got more earmarks than virtually any city or state in the country.

Now, if they could just to the same with McCain's 180 degree flips on his "maverick" positions on taxes, climate change, energy, immigration.....

UPDATE: Steve Benen of Washington Monthly adds:

Regardless, it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to keep telling a lie after it's been exposed as an obvious distortion...So, why repeat a lie that's already been exposed? Who knows? The McCain campaign clearly doesn't respect voters very much. McCain, Palin, & Co. also probably don't respect reporters, and assume that if they repeat the same lie over and over again, eventually the media will eventually stop pointing it out. The campaign also doesn't have much respect for Palin's record, or the team would point to her actual accomplishments, instead of obvious lies.

Whatever the motivation, the McCain campaign simply has a problem telling the truth. With each passing the day, the disdain this gang shows for the democratic process becomes a little more breathtaking.

Kevin Drum of Mother Jones:

And not to get too sanctimonious about this, but this really is a test of some kind for the press. This lie is unusually egregious given the plain facts of the situation (Palin was eagerly supportive of the bridge until after Congress pulled the earmark, at which point she reluctantly decided to take the money but use it for other projects), and if the media allows the McCain campaign to get away with it — if they relegate it to occasional closing paragraphs and page A9 fact checks — well, that means McCain knows he can pretty much get away with anything. The press will be writing its own declaration of irrelevance. Interesting times indeed.

--Ballard Burgher