To the editor:
When Mr. Dave Duvernay refers to Hillary Clinton as a “pathological liar,” [Letter to the Editor, July 19] he repeats a lie that Republicans have been promulgating for over two decades. According to Politifact, a news organization that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for its fact-checking coverage of the 2008 general election, Ms. Clinton has told the smallest percentage of falsehoods among the major 2016 presidential candidates. Politifact rates statements in six categories ranging from “True” to “Pants on Fire.” On this scale, 27 percent of Ms. Clinton’s statements were rated “Mostly False,” “False,” or “Pants on Fire.” This rating is comparable to but slightly lower than those of Bernie Sanders (28 percent), John Kasich (31 percent), and Jeb Bush (30 percent). In contrast, 70 percent of Donald Trump’s statements and 65 percent of Ted Cruz’s statements fell into one of these three categories. While both left and right have accused Politifact of bias, the difference between the two major-party presidential nominees is so stark that it cannot be solely the product of bias.
Not all false statements are lies, but this does not relieve speakers of the duty of careful fact-checking before making statements of great import. President George W. Bush’s false statement regarding Iraq’s alleged purchase of yellow-cake uranium is an example. There can be little doubt that “Pants on Fire” statements are deliberate lies or distortions. Two percent of Ms. Clinton ‘s statements were rated “Pants on Fire”, while fully 17 percent of Mr.Trump’s statements were so rated.
Mr. Trump has promised to preserve Social Security, while most Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, want to privatize it, thus turning over Americans’ retirements to Wall Street. The recently adopted Republican platform puts all options with regard to Social Security, except tax increases, on the table. Who are you going to trust to keep Social Security secure?
David McKenzie
Bennington