From FactCheck.ORG

Truth took a punch or two at the first of two GOP debates before New Hampshire’s critical presidential primary.

•   Romney, talking about taxes, said federal, state and local government consume 37 percent of the economy today compared with only 27 percent when John F. Kennedy was president. In fact, taxes now consume only 27.4 percent of GDP.

•   Paul blasted Gingrich for avoiding the draft during Vietnam, and Gingrich said Paul had a “long history” of inaccuracies. The truth is Gingrich was both a student and a father at the time, and probably would have failed the physical anyway, according to his stepfather, an Army man.

•   Santorum said the term “middle class” implies class warfare and is one “I don’t think we should be using as Republicans.” The fact is his own campaign used it in an Iowa flyer, and he has used it in the past himself.

•   Paul attacked Santorum as a “high-powered lobbyist.” Santorum was never registered as a lobbyist, though he earned more than $200,000 working as a consultant for a lobbying firm and an energy company.

Candidates also recycled some false or doubtful claims we’ve gone over before. Romney repeated his misleading claim that his firm Bain Capital invested in businesses that “have now added over 100,000 jobs.” Huntsman again claimed Utah was “No. 1″ in job creation while he was governor, which isn’t true according to the standard statistical measure for employment. And Santorum again put words in President Obama’s mouth by claiming that the president “supported” the results of a disputed election in Iran.

And finally, Gingrich, Santorum and Romney were all a bit confused about which sports teams were playing an important game on another network. Perhaps they had more important matters on their minds.

Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis, images and citations may be viewed on our Web site: | Desktop Users | Mobile Users |

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…In Other GOP, Fox — Lies & Nonsense News
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Fox Nation Fabrication: Obama Did Not Call 8.5 Percent Unemployment Rate “A Success”
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Picture of The Week    Newt Gingrich’s ‘Pretty‘ Wife — Callista Gingrich [ Source: FaceBook.com ]

Fox Business Host Eric Bolling Dubs New Jobs Report The “Kardashian Jobs Report” Because There’s “A Really Big ‘But’”

Keeping With Fox Tradition, Hannity Gives Santorum A Platform To Plug Website, Urge Viewers To “Help Us Out”

On MSNBC’s The Ed Show, Schultz Uses 2007 Audio To Highlight Limbaugh’s Enthusiasm For Recess Appointment By Bush

Fox’s Brenda Buttner Says Public Sector Job Loss Is “A Positive” — “We Want Government To Lose Jobs” [ Fox Still Doesn't Know Public Sector Jobs Hit Harder In Recession ]

O’Reilly Adopts Mitt Romney’s “Entitlement Society” Language To Defend Him From MoveOn Ad [ READ MORE ]

Cavuto: Can Obama Be Impeached For Recess Appointments? Fox News Legal Analyst: No

Limbaugh: Obama Has “Visceral Hate For The Military” And “Loves Securing Military Defeat And Humiliation”

Time For Sensitivity Training? Kilmeade Yet Again Calls Women “The Babes, The Skirts”

From Democrats.ORG

Ladies and gentlemen,

Step right up and behold the top 10 most ridiculous GOP moments of 2011.

Some may be fresh in your memory, like Mitt’s now infamous $10k bet at a debate, while others, like when Ron Paul claimed that the government wrongly infringes on liberty by making heroin illegal, may have slipped your mind.

Take a look at our top 10, and then chip in $3 or more by our end-of-year deadline to make sure we beat these guys next year.

Top 10 GOP moments: http://youtu.be/PMLlNySviZI

Ed Shultz Unveils The Top Republican Psycho-Talkers of The Year 2011

Gov. Christ ‘Fats’ Christie Promises To ‘Knee-Cap‘ Iowans ‘Jersey Style‘ If They Don’t Vote Romney

Road To 2012 U.S. Presidential Elections (Part 2)

[ CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 ]

While these moments are definitely funny, the truth is, they reveal a little something about the GOP candidates for president.

Some of them need to brush up on foreign policy and the federal government. Some think that under-privileged kids should work as janitors to one day make it to the middle class. And others truly believe, in their heart of hearts, that corporations really are people.

No matter which one ultimately gets the nomination, they’re going to be hawking an extreme agenda. And they’re going to have a ton of money from corporate lobbyists and outside super PACs to back them — and their ideas.

Unless we do our jobs, one of these people could actually become president.

That’s why we need to be ready right now to fight back. The funds we have on hand January 1st — just two days away — will determine how hard we can fight from now until next November.

So watch the top 10, then chip in $3 or more right now to make sure we keep these guys on the blooper reel — and out of the White House: http://my.democrats.org/GOP-Top-10

Thanks,
Brad

Brad Woodhouse
Communications Director
Democratic National Committee

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Worst of GOP Propaganda Machine Fox ‘News’ & Republican Hate Radio in 2011
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Fox’s Eric Bolling: Obama Is Hosting “Hoodlum[s]” In “The Hizzouse” [ READ MORE ]

Rush Limbaugh Amused That an Earthquake Hit Environmentally Conscious Country

Media Matters: 2011 Highlight Reel

Media Research Center’s Brent Bozell Likens Obama To “A Skinny, Ghetto Crackhead“

Special Report’s Bret Baier Continues Fox’s Practice Of Using Slurs To Refer To Immigrants

Lou ‘Birther‘ Dobbs Panel’s Conspiracy Theory: Schools Using Media Matters “Propaganda” At The Request Of Union Leaders

References:

1. Right-Wing Media Machine Closes Out 2011 With Attacks On Girl Scouts Of America
2. 2011: The Year The Right-Wing Media’s Foreign Policy Argument Fell Apart
3. Fox News Discovers Nuclear Reactor In Japanese Disco

MSNBC: Slate’s Dave Weigel reminds us that Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are the only candidates to have been pranked by the venerable comedian-actor Sacha Baron Cohen. The video below shows Gingrich’s awkwardly hilarious 2006 interview with “Ali G.” But Ron Paul had an even worse awkward encounter with Cohen in his incarnation of “Bruno” in the 2009 film.

The scene with Paul, filmed in early 2008, occurs about halfway through the movie, after Bruno gets the idea that you have to make a sex tape to become famous.

Cut to a nondescript hotel suite where Bruno sits across from Ron Paul. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, a light blows out on the set. Bruno apologizes for the technical difficulties and suggests that he and Paul wait in the other room while the crew fixes the light.

The other room, it turns out, is a bedroom. The lighting is low, and the film is now grainy?not unlike a sex tape?as it cuts to a hidden spy camera. There’s a spread of Champagne and strawberries and caviar on a table.

Bruno tells Paul to make himself comfortable. Paul sits down on the bed. Bruno turns on some music and starts dancing. Paul is visibly uneasy but doesn’t say anything at first. He picks up a newspaper and pretends to read it. “You can tell at each weird gay detail, he [chalks] it up to, This guy is European,” says one of the attendees.

Finally, Paul asks what’s going on. “Don’t worry about it, Dr. Paul,” says Bruno, who then unbuckles his belt and drops his pants. At that point, Paul snaps up and storms out of the room. [ READ MORE ]

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In Other Republican Nonsense, Racism and Attacks on Obama…..
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“Skinny, Ghetto Crackhead“: Fox Celebrates Holidays With Outrageous Race-Based Attack On Obama [ READ MORE ]

Special Report’s Bret Baier Continues Fox’s Practice Of Using Slurs To Refer To Immigrants

Fox’s Five Agree With Limbaugh That “Comrade Obama” Is Indeed A Socialist

Fox’s “Brain Room” Seizes On “Low Quality” Research To Further Attack On Electric Vehicles

On Fox, Lars Larson Labels Obama “A Joke” And Calls Him The “Marxist-” And “Narcissist-In-Chief“

Kilmeade: “Do You Think [Obama] Does Not Care How [The Iraq] War Turns Out Because He Never Wanted It To Begin With?”

Doocy: Despite Rising Approval, Obama’s Numbers Are Down With Some Groups Because “They Don’t Buy His Blame Game Mantra“

Media Matters: 2011 Highlight Reel

Huffington Post: ESPN decided to pull its Monday Night Football introduction after singer Hank Williams, Jr. made comments comparing President Obama to Hitler.

The country singing star and voice of the Monday Night Football theme song, Williams appeared on “Fox and Friends” this morning to talk politics via satellite hookup. He got right into it, telling the hosts that he didn’t like any of the candidates in the GOP primary for President, and that John Boehner’s golf game with Barack Obama was a major mistake.

   Racist Tea-Bagger, Country Singer Hank Williams JR.

“That would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu. Not hardly. In the shape this country is in?”

When Brian Kilmeade said that he didn’t understand the analogy, Williams was non-plussed. “I’m glad you don’t brother, because a lot of people do. They’re the enemy… Obama! And Biden! Are you kidding? The Three Stooges.”

And while it was suggested that the President and Vice President were only two people, falling short of the trio he described, Williams just moved on to talking about the current race.

“The one that makes the most sense is Herman Cain,” he said, finally revealed which candidate he supported. Back in 2008, Williams ignited a controversy when, campaigning for John McCain, he said to an audience in Colorado, “Join me now in our national–you know, that song that, uh, Mr. Obama’s not real crazy about, we’re singing it right now.” [ READ MORE ]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rick Perry’s ‘Niggerhead’: Racism is Still The Dirty Little Secret of The Republican Party

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama & Reagan Side By Side

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The NUT-Job Round-Up

Sean Hannity Farms Out Content To Andrew Breitbart: Sean Hannity is turning to Andrew Breitbart for race-baiting smears. Hannity on Monday promised to “show a tape” of Obama “hanging out during the campaign” with a member of the extremist New Black Panther Party (NBPP. [ READ MORE ]

Limbaugh: At Public Schools, “Children Of Illegals” Are “Brainwashed And Programmed To Become Democrats“

Fox’s Karl Rove: Obama Doesn’t Have “The Right” To “Insult Our Country” By Proposing To Improve It

Art Laffer Forecasts “Much More Than A Doubling Of The Stock Market” Under A New Administration

Bob Beckel Calls Out Fox News For Not Covering Koch Brothers Scandals

MediaMatters: The right-wing media have continuously attacked President Obama for proceeding with his long-planned trip to Latin America in the wake of the crises in Japan and Libya, often mocking his trip as a “vacation.” In fact, the President’s trip will be “focused on economic opportunities for the United States and the trade relationship” with Latin American nations. [ READ MORE ]

Bolling Still Falsely Labeling Obama Economic Growth Trip To Latin America A “Vacation“

Fox Attacks Obama’s Brazil Trip As A “Vacation” Then Refuses To Air His Speech: President Obama spoke in Brazil, highlighting that country’s rising economic power, growing middle class, and transition from military dictatorship to thriving democracy. The speech capped off a visit meant to promote the United States’ economic relationship with Brazil and the entire South American region, with the stated purpose of encouraging job growth. The speech drove home the very points Obama made in his March 18 USA Today op-ed in which he said: “That’s one of the reasons I will travel to Latin America this week — to strengthen our economic relationship with neighbors who are playing a growing role in our economic future.” [ READ MORE ]

Brit Hume: “To This President, The Presence And The Sight Of American Leadership…Is A Stigma”

Meet the Press Panelists Dismiss Criticism Over Obama’s Latin American Economic Growth Trip

Reference: Juggling With Skill; Obama’s Smart Crisis Management.

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Other Fox Thuggery on Obama
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Beck Upset Obama Didn’t Act On Libya — Then, 20 Seconds Later, Upset That He Did [ MORE ]

Ralph Peters: Obama’s Response To Libya Has Gadhafi Believing He Can “Wait The Gringos Out“

Was It Something Out Of “Red China” When Fox Celebrated Kids At A Tea Party? [ READ MORE ]

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The Big Picture: March 18, 2011 — Fox, Beck, Limbaugh Engaged in The Usual Garbage Spewing + A Dose of Childish Obama Bashing
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