"A lot has changed in just four years" is the headline of a piece written by Carol Marin, political columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. In it, she writes:
Unemployment in 2008 was 6.7 percent. Today it’s 7.9 percent
The federal deficit was $1 trillion. It still is.
And later:
Sarah Palin was running for vice president and she could see Russia from her house. Presumably she still can.
The award-winning journalist has her facts wrong. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in 2008 was 5.8 percent. The Congressional Budget Office reported the Fiscal Year 2008 budget deficit was $455 billion. Oh, and it was comedian Tina Fey, not the real Sarah Palin, who said she could see Russia from her house. Even Snopes.com got that right.
Funny, isn't it, how often mainstream media types make mistakes that just coincidentally damage Republican credibility? Voters relying on Marin may conclude that economic conditions under President Barack Obama aren't much worse than under his predecessor.
Marin's headline is right: A lot has changed in just four years. And much of it isn't good. When will the fact checkers start checking their own facts?
