Bernie and Hillary lies unpacked at debate last night

BUSTED: Hillary and Bernie’s biggest LIES from last night

Written by The Analytical Economist on February 5, 2016

In the most recent Democrat debate, neither Bernie nor Hillary could accuse the other of being dishonest without being a hypocrite.

It’s been quite a change from the first Democrat debates, where the candidates wouldn’t attack each other. Some comments (such as Bernie telling Hillary that people were “tired of hearing about your damn emails”) even strengthened both candidates.

The race is heating up – and after the Iowa caucus, Bernie is beginning to realize he may actually be able to win the nomination. The gloves were off this past debate, and the biggest victim was the facts.

Via USA Today

• Sanders claimed Clinton called Barack Obama “naive” in 2007 because he “thought it was a good idea to talk to our enemies.” That lacks context. Clinton objected not to meeting with enemies, but to Obama’s statement that he would do so without preconditions.
• Sanders claimed that NAFTA and other trade deals have cost “millions” of U.S. jobs, but independent economists have said the impact on the economy was small.
• Clinton revised history in discussing her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. She supported the trade deal as secretary of state.
• Sanders mixed and matched two different sets of data to claim that “millions of Americans … are working longer hours for low wages.”
• Sanders said that his campaign “did not suggest that we had the endorsement” of the Nashua Telegraph in a new TV ad running in New Hampshire. In fact, the ad leaves that false impression.
• Clinton said “the Wall Street guys are trying so hard to stop me.” But Clinton and PACs that support her have raised millions from Wall Street interests.
• Sanders said that his campaign could better deliver a large voter turnout, the key to a Democrat winning the White House in November. But statistics on voter turnout in presidential elections don’t show such a clear partisan trend.
• Sanders wrongly claimed that “not one Republican has the guts to recognize that climate change is real.” Two of the Republican presidential candidates, not to mention more Republicans in Congress, have said climate change is real and humans contribute to it.
• While discussing the Trans Pacific Partnership, Sanders ascribed an inaccurately low figure for the minimum wage in Vietnam.
• Sanders claimed that the United States has “the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country on earth.” But the childhood poverty rate is higher in several industrialized economies.

The media likes to paint Trump as loose with the facts, but they should take a look across the aisle some time.

[Note: This post was authored by The Analytical Economist]