Once Again, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker Cripples a Team Obama Talking Point (See Which One Here)
- Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:24pm by
Becket Adams
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The Obama campaign on Tuesday released another ad accusing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney of being an “outsourcer” of jobs.
“What a president believes matters,” the ad begins. “Mitt Romney’s companies were pioneers in outsourcing U.S. jobs to low-wage countries. He supports tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas.”
“President Obama believes in insourcing.”
“He fought to save the US auto industry, and favors tax cuts for companies that bring jobs home. Outsourcing versus insourcing. It matters,” the ad concludes.
Expected to run in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, the ad is part of a larger campaign based entirely on a Washington Post article titled “Romney’s Bain Capital Invested in Companies That Moved Jobs Overseas.”
Is the article accurate? Is Romney really an “outsourcer-in-chief”? This is where things get interesting.
Lately, we‘ve been impressed with the Washington Post’s (WaPo) Fact Checker for taking Team Obama to task for being less than accurate in its attacks on Mitt Romney. Does the Fact Checker have anything to say about these latest “outsourcer” ads? Well, Team Obama’s latest ad campaign, based on a Washington Post story, poses a bit of a problem.
See, the Fact Checker claims it only takes on politicians and their rhetoric. It usually stays away from claims made by newspapers, cable news, and pundits, according to the Post’s Glenn Kessler. But by not disputing the WaPo article and instead focusing entirely on how the Obama campaign has interpreted it, the Fact Checker decided to work around its long-standing rule and set the “outsourcing” record straight.
First, the article cited in the Obama ad only says that Bain was “prescient in identifying an emerging business trend — the movement of back-office, customer service and other functions out of companies that were willing to let third parties handle that business,” as the Fact Checker points out.
“This was an important shift in the U.S. business landscape, and Bain Capital caught the wave, investing in companies that … were ‘pioneers’ in the emerging market” of handling certain tasks for other companies.
That is to say, it is a bit of a stretch (to say the least) to claim that outsourcing was some exclusive to Bain Capital and that her management pioneered the practice.
Second, and this is what destroys Team Obama’s narrative, while all this “outsourcing” was going on, Mitt Romney wasn’t managing the company. The WaPo article details events that occurred post-1999 — after Romney had stepped down so that he could focus on the Olympics. In fact, the original article never even claims the outsourcing took place while Romney was in charge.
So what’s the bottom line?
The Obama campaign moved quickly to define what the article said, claiming that this transfer of jobs took place while Romney ran Bain. That’s not what the original article said.
Yet the campaign clearly seized on this report because their interpretation fit with a long-term “outsourcing” attack they have waged against Romney. One of their outsourcing ads before the article ran, in fact, earned Four Pinocchios. These new ads would not fare much better; there is little in the Post article that backs up the Obama campaign’s spin.
(Our colleagues at FactCheck.org have also offered their own analysis of the Obama outsourcing ads and the issues raised in The Post’s article, saying “some of the claims in the ads are untrue, and others are thinly supported.” The Obama campaign did not dispute the details of their analysis, except to once again claim that Romney had an active role in Bain after he left to run the Salt Lake City Olympics in 1999–a claim that FactCheck.org quickly debunked. We came to the same conclusion in January. There is no evidence that Romney played a role in Bain decisions after he left to run the Olympics.)
Simply put, the “outsourcing” campaign is total bunko.
(H/T: HuffPo)
This story has been updated.
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Comments (71)
devallsbluff
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:14pmBusiness goes where it is appreciated and the current occupant of the White does not appreciate business. If he thinks the last 3.5 years have been hard he will find out what hard is when the tax revenue generated by business dries up because of his misguided policies.
Report Post »william 123
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 8:27pmMore lies!! Can’t wait till November…..
Report Post »Chrison
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 11:37pmThe “problem” is simple math, folks. Lavish lifestyles + Cheap Prices = Outsourced Jobs.
The biggest “drivers” compelling businesses to move jobs outside of North America are high labour-related operating costs. These include high wages, employer-funded benefits, and high labor replacement costs for such benefits as sick leave, maternity/paternity leave, vacations, etc.
We North Americans demand high wages and plenty of benefits while, at the same time, we also demand cheap prices for everything we buy. Everybody “hates” Walmart, but most of us shop there because (gasp!) the prices are less than elsewhere! And, while we’re filling our carts at Walmart with those cheaper products, we’re b*tching about how terrible it is that there are fewer and fewer manufacturing jobs here… go figure!
These competing demands eventually *force* companies to move labor costs to countries where employees don’t demand such expensive wages and benefits. Want fewer jobs sent overseas? Then lower your salary & benefit expectations and prepare to pay more!
It’s as simple as that, folks! We have only OURSELVES to blame for jobs leaving the continent! As long as we want it all but aren’t willing to pay for it, the jobs will keep leaving, and which party holds the White House won’t matter all that much! The ONLY benefit to having a conservative in the White House is that he/she HOPEFULLY he won’t do his best to spend the country into oblivion like the current adminis
Report Post »Chrison
Posted on July 4, 2012 at 12:54amBy the way, thanks to Obama’s so-called Affordable Health Care Act, labor costs for U.S. employers is destined to increase in the coming years, either through higher employer-paid health care premiums or higher business taxes to pay for the government’s programs. This will make it harder for U.S. companies to compete with companies that use foreign labor, not easier. In short, the Affordable Health Care Act will make the “outsourcing” problem WORSE, not better!
So, Obama saying he is for insourcing not outsourcing is a bald-faced lie! Obama doesn‘t give a rat’s tush about making it easier to keep jobs in the U.S. All he cares about is increasing the power of the federal government and making the people more dependent on the government for their every need.
Report Post »Machtyn
Posted on July 4, 2012 at 9:55amIt doesn’t matter what he thinks. Obama wants to make everyone dependent on Government.
Report Post »LovinUSA
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:13pmBoy Barry, you are the best verbal contortionist I’ve ever seen, never knew anybody who can twist the truths & lies like you.
Report Post »LovinUSA
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:10pmYou all remeber the saying, “the pot is calling the kettle black” nothing has changed.
Report Post »sbenard
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:08pmWashington Post, propaganda press. In other words, they LIE!
Report Post »Machtyn
Posted on July 4, 2012 at 9:57amRight. The Blaze isn’t being totally accurate in their reporting, either. The Washington Post did write a hit piece that squarely laid the blame at Romney’s feet for outsourcing jobs while at Bain. Team Romney came in with slides, proof, and a complete refutation of the article. The Washington Post refused to back off their claims, until 2 weeks later. And only then, they didn’t really apologize and or make a full recant of their lies.
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:57pmI love it when they prove tha tem Obama lies.. but how do we get it to the misinformed???? Cut and paste this article to everyone you know!! Some of them won’t like it.. but the truth is the truth! I would rather know the truth than be a dummy!
Report Post »hillbillyinny
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:51pmMy return tweet after receiving this tweet from the Obama Truth Team re. Obummer and “outsoursing” stated fact: “OB doesn‘t even KNOW what ’outsourcing’ is, he calls it ‘off-shoring’ which had to do with financial accounts”!
The president that can’t even handle the English language with we common people, because he’s so cosmopolitan and arrogant he “knows better than us,” even to the level of his stupidity! Of course OB would support outsourcing if he really understood it, it’s paying those in third world countries our money to help us in ways we cannot understand what they are saying, and they don’t even know what we are asking about, while receiving pay that keeps them “at the level” to which they are accustomed–almost nothing!
Beyond that, OB knows nothings about business or what we the consumer wants or needs, or how to make money or produce goods that will sell.
Go Romney–at least you know what money is, and have used and invested your own!
Report Post »subic
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:58pmhaha, what a lying piece of slime, what about GE, the GM Cadillac project moving to Chicomm territory?
What about him & his butt boy Clooney going to raise $$ from the swiss?
Report Post »daleneff
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:50pmOutsourcing refers to sending jobs to another company, such as hiring a payroll company to do a companies payroll. The jobs are not necessarily sent out of the country. Off shoring jobs refers to sending them to a country over seas. The policies of the US government, by its high tax rates is the major reason most companies send jobs to other countries. If tax rates and were comparable to other countries, it would be more profitable to make things here.
Report Post »JoeDE
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:37pmRemember Obama’s campaign tour bus outsourced to Canada, and he doesn’t even like Canada.
Report Post »jsciai
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:56pmGreat Comment Joede,
Report Post »Romney will take his hits from the liberal left and MSM, but don’t anyone worry, the greater public of the US will not be fooled. Truth has a way of winning out. Now, just wait for the obamaton trolls like bro winston, justangry, west coast patriot, etc, to join in the fray. They will have nothing good to say about Romney but will try and divide the true patriots of this nation, thus getting obama re-elected. Yall remain firm, determined and resolute: obama must go and Romney is the guy to do it.
MEANS2RESIST
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:09pmhey I voted for Ron Paul in the primary, but when he lost I then turned my support to the guy that won the nomination Gov Romney to take out Obma. Obama has to be defeated so we can get him prosecuted for treason & sedition.
Those hardcore Paul guys have been listening to too much Alex Jones. Jones said that since Paul is out of it that it would be better to re-elect Obama, WTF is that?
Report Post »soybomb315
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 5:16pmwhat does Ron Paul and his supporters have to do with this?
Report Post »Canada_Goose
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:22pmIs the Obama campaign in effect “Swiftboating” Mr. Romney?
Report Post »If so they have learned from the best (Mr. Rove & Co.)
VTPatriot44
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:47pmNo actually that would require two things:
1. The add is being brought forward by a PAC
2. The claims have to be substantiated by people who were around him and have the credibility to be telling the truth about what actually happened
This add meets neither of those criteria.
Report Post »Canada_Goose
Posted on July 4, 2012 at 4:28pmMy mistake, I thought it was it was all about going after your opponents perceived political strength by airing TV ads full of lies and misinformation.
Report Post »aChameleon
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:06pmobama saved the auto industry? obama favors tax cuts for companies? Who believes this horsesnit?
Report Post »Taxpayer550
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:03pmThe only problem with the message behind this article is that the WaPo and The Blaze are the only outlets that will put it out! Whoever doesn’t read these sources will believe the lies.
Report Post »JustPeachy
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:57pmBetter translated: “It caught him yet again twisting the truth (lying).”
Report Post »marcus_arealius
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:56pmThe only way a Demorat wins an election is to Lie, Cheat, and Steal.
Report Post »TheBurningTruth
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:49pmWell, no, those are the PRIMARY ways Demoncrats win. They also spend big-time on those groups that don’t earn and indirectly BUY those votes with taxpayer money. Then there’s the statist or crony capitalism projects like Solyndra where their supporters get juicy loans and other monetary benefits.
Report Post »DennisHabern1
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:17pmSounds like all the Blacks that I have come in contact with over the years. The Blacks, including
the Moron that currently resides in the White House, but not for long, cannot rise to the occasion
to better themselves, including the Moron that resides in the White House. They all seem to
maintain a tribal mentality, similar to the Muslim agitators, if you follow. Matter of fact, I am tired
of being held hostage to a group of uneducted stinky Muslim camel herders, with the Moron leading
the way back Kenya, if you follow. My old friend Daffy Duck has maintained that the Moron that
resides in the White House, is despicable. I do not prefer a despicable president to run the country
that I had to fight for, if you follow.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:55pmIt must really be hell trying to run for president with a record like that. Even his handlers have an impossible job at hand. Their only prayer is lie, lie, lie, lie and hope no one notices.
Report Post »OniKaze
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:52pmObama and his Corrupt cronies LIED??? NOO WAYYY!!!
Anyone Surprised?
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:51pmHe was a major out sourceer, just because they hired third party middle men to do the dirty work, doesn’t get the blood off their hands. This is one of the reasons that the liberals picked Romeny as the one to run against Obama.
Report Post »devallsbluff
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:40pmOutsourcing does not necessarly mean shipping jobs overseas. It means hiring subcontractors. And the subcontractor could be the mon and pop machine shop located down the street from the domestic outsourcing contractor.
Report Post »IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:46pmOh by the way…How much money has been returned by General Motors to the taxpayers and how much was wrote off?
Report Post »GrumpyCat
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 4:20pmWhat about the pension plans that owned GM stock, bonds, and securities who where shorted their rightful priority in favor of UAW pensions?
Obama swept aside bankruptcy, contract and financial law to fund UAW pension plans in the GM bankruptcy. The losers were non-UAW pension plans who had invested in GM.
The sad news is that those who were part of the problem where protected from learning the lesson that if a parasite kills its host, the parasite also dies. This is how nature intends stupid parasites to die off.
Report Post »rickc34
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:45pmAnother lie from the left, God hates a liar. What about General Motors we bailed them out and now they are opening plants in other countries due to cost and General Electric and all the jobs they have sent to China. Obama’s team thinks the public is uninformed but he is wrong again.
Report Post »caladesi
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:41pmI don’t see Obamulus complaining that AirBus is outsourcing jobs to Alabama, or Toyota, or Mercedes….why doesn‘t he say it’s not right for them to outsource overseas??????
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:40pmSo the Obama admin has been caught up in one more lie among the hoard of them they constantly send out into battle? The desperation of the left is shown to grow again and again as is their utter hypocrisy; which is based here on the charge Romney outsourced jobs, EVEN WHEN HE WAS NO LONGER THERE!
So somehow, according to Obama and others, Romney is responsible for this occuring even when he could not have been responsible for it occuring. Typical revisionist history and hysterics of the leftist propaganda from Obama and friends who are desperate.
Report Post »ZBP
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:39pmCan’t run on his record so he lies about the other guy.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:55pmHe was an outsourcer, he bought companies, sold their assets, hired third party companies to build the stuff in low wage, low environmental standards countries like China. He did this, they Republicans don’t need to try to lie and hide this by spinning it with crap like leading edge of new business trend. Own up, admit your mistakes.
Report Post »mercenary4freedom
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:51pmBarry depends on uninformed, dumbed down, ignorant lowlifes for votes. This doesn’t surprise me. Its like follow me and you don’t have to think, we’ll do your thinking for you.
Some may say, well theres the press/media & the intellects, yea, & they have something to gain by this guy….$$ & more power to usurp. Their day is coming!
Report Post »HKS
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:33pmMaybe their catching on that when a liberals mouth moves there has to be a lie involved. Smart, very smart.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:49pm“Simply put, the “outsourcing” campaign is total bunko.” Since when does bunk refute the Washington Post. As noted Bain Capital did catch the wave, invest and benefit from the outsourcing of jobs. Romney received $20 million last year from his Bain investments. So while not managing the company he still is knee deep involved in what it does. Second, how’s about the author here do some real work and investigate what outsourcing of jobs occurred while Romney was managing Bain. The Obama ad is on the mark in terms of where Romney stands relative to outsourcing and how his outlook will translate into policy that will further damage the middle class for the sake of profits and ROI for wealthy investors. Of course it is, as we have witnessed in the current recession a very short term view. Because as real incomes of Americans continues to drop, consumption will drop with it and thus demand for even the cheap products made in China.
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:00pmJROOK..and Obama has squandered nearly $1billion taxppayer dollars on his green fantasies masquerading as investments.
Report Post »And what about everyone else invested in Bain Capital..are they complicit in this “heinous” outsourcing orgy you lefties have adopted as a talking point? Idiot…
LIBSALWAYSLIE
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:26pmJROOK, really? Still clinging to that failure of a president obama? Its laughable that idiots like you still defend obama even though its crystal clear he is a complete failure in every way possible. Liberals like you are amazing in your denial of the truth.
Report Post »VTPatriot44
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 5:08pm@JROOK – but this period of time was when the infallible President Clinton was in office and everything was wonderful. How is this possible? LOL! So let’s see, it was a liberal President that introduced the environment that gave incentive to move jobs overseas. Gosh J, wasn’t that the same period of time we had a bunch of minimum wage increases? Ouch! I’d hate to say I told you so, but it does seem appropriate. Facts like that gotta sting. And let’s hit home even further and point out that its limousine liberal CEO types were heavily involved with the practice as well. Wow, can you say hypocrisy J?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:32pmI still can’t get over the fact that it is the Washington Post that is now telling the truth.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:51pmSomebody better check out the gates of hell, it just could be getting a little cooler down there.
Report Post »contkmi
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:31pmAnother fine example of the Dems and Dem media controlling the narrative. It’s something Republicans have never been good at doing.
Please, Romney, for the love of the country, START CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE! DON’T RESPOND! ATTACK AND ATTACK HARD! It’s not all the difficult to conceive, is it? There is so much wrong with Obama and his presidency that it’s like a gift.
Report Post »beckwill
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:20pmBegin by highlighting that members of pres’ OWN party do not want to be associated with him! BO has bad MOJO!
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on July 3, 2012 at 2:30pmSeriously…what‘s Obama got to run on if he can’t make it up stories about Romney out of whole cloth? Obama has no choice…with an abysmal record like Obama’s all he can do is lie and bend the truth.
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