If the GOP and majority of talking heads in the media (especially of the cable-news variety) could have earned a degree in taking-quotes-out-of-context, they would have passed with flying colors.
Arguably the two worst such occasions over the past couple of years were the following:
1) GOP's version of a Barack Obama quote: "If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
The full quote: "There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me - because they want to give something back. They know they didn't - look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. Thee area a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something - there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.
So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That's how we funded the GI Bill. That's how we created the middle class. That's how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That's how we invented the Internet. That's how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that's the reason I'm running for President - because I still believe in that idea. You're not on your own, we're in this together."
2) GOP's version of a Hillary Clinton quote: "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?"
The full quote: "With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided that they'd go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator. Now, honestly, I will do my best to answer your questions about this, but the fact is that people were trying in real time to get to the best information. The IC has a process, I understand, going with the other committees to explain how these talking points came out. But you know, to be clear, it is, from my perspective, less important today looking backwards as to why these militants decided they did it than to find them and bring them to justice, and then maybe we'll figure out what was going on in the meantime."
That brings me to the latest such example of the GOP placing on their out-of-context gloves and attempting to work some magic.
Here's the GOP's version of a recent Hillary Clinton quote: "Don't let anybody tell you that it's corporations and businesses that create jobs."
Here's the full quote: "Don't let anybody tell you that raising the minimum wage will kill jobs. They always say that. I've been through this. My husband gave working families a raise in the 1990s. I voted to raised the minimum wage and guess what? Millions of jobs were created or paid better and more families were more secure. That's what we want to see here, and that's what we want to see across the country.
And don't let anybody tell you, that, you know, it's corporations and businesses that create jobs. You know, that old theory, trickle-down economics. That has been tried. That has failed. That has failed rather spectacularly.
One of the things my husband says, when people say, what did you bring to Washington? He says, well I brought arithmetic. And part of it was he demonstrated why trickle down should be consigned to the trash bin of history. More tax cuts for the top and for companies that ship jobs over seas while taxpayers and voters are stuck playing the freight just doesn't add up. Now that kind of thinking might win you an award for outsourcing excellence, but Massachusetts can do better than that. Martha understands it. She knows you have to create jobs from everyone working together and taking the advantages of this great state and putting them to work."
So, looking at the scorecard, here's how these taken-out-of-context quotes break down:
1) Barack Obama's full quote: 328 words
The GOP's version of it: 15 words
Percentage of the original quote the GOP used: 4.6%
2) Hillary Clinton's first full quote: 165 words
The GOP's version of it: 33 words
Percentage of the original quote the GOP used: 20.0%
3) Hillary Clinton's second full quote: 222 words
The GOP's version of it: 13 words
Percentage of the original quote the GOP used: 5.9%
Overall
The three full quotes: 715 words
The GOP's version of them: 61 words
Percentage of the original quotes the GOP used: 8.6%
Judging by these numbers (focusing on the 8.6%), here's what the GOP would also spout if they always stayed true to that philosophy:
- "We have been to all 4.3 states in the United States of America!"
- "Everyone should abide by all 0.86 commandments in the Bible!"
- "Of all the 3.79 presidents that have led this great nation, Barack Obama has been the worst!"
- "It's no wonder time seems to fly by with there being just 31.39 days every year!"
- "We work so hard for all 2.06 hours of the day!"
Okay, so that last statement may be fairly accurate. On second thought, even that may be an misleading.
http://www.factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/may/08/context-hillary-clintons-what-difference-does-it-m/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/rand-paul-hillary-clinton-jobs_n_6067732.html
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/10/26/media-forget-context-in-effort-to-scandalize-hi/201316
Arguably the two worst such occasions over the past couple of years were the following:
1) GOP's version of a Barack Obama quote: "If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
The full quote: "There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me - because they want to give something back. They know they didn't - look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. Thee area a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something - there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.
So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That's how we funded the GI Bill. That's how we created the middle class. That's how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That's how we invented the Internet. That's how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that's the reason I'm running for President - because I still believe in that idea. You're not on your own, we're in this together."
2) GOP's version of a Hillary Clinton quote: "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?"
The full quote: "With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided that they'd go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator. Now, honestly, I will do my best to answer your questions about this, but the fact is that people were trying in real time to get to the best information. The IC has a process, I understand, going with the other committees to explain how these talking points came out. But you know, to be clear, it is, from my perspective, less important today looking backwards as to why these militants decided they did it than to find them and bring them to justice, and then maybe we'll figure out what was going on in the meantime."
That brings me to the latest such example of the GOP placing on their out-of-context gloves and attempting to work some magic.
Here's the GOP's version of a recent Hillary Clinton quote: "Don't let anybody tell you that it's corporations and businesses that create jobs."
Here's the full quote: "Don't let anybody tell you that raising the minimum wage will kill jobs. They always say that. I've been through this. My husband gave working families a raise in the 1990s. I voted to raised the minimum wage and guess what? Millions of jobs were created or paid better and more families were more secure. That's what we want to see here, and that's what we want to see across the country.
And don't let anybody tell you, that, you know, it's corporations and businesses that create jobs. You know, that old theory, trickle-down economics. That has been tried. That has failed. That has failed rather spectacularly.
One of the things my husband says, when people say, what did you bring to Washington? He says, well I brought arithmetic. And part of it was he demonstrated why trickle down should be consigned to the trash bin of history. More tax cuts for the top and for companies that ship jobs over seas while taxpayers and voters are stuck playing the freight just doesn't add up. Now that kind of thinking might win you an award for outsourcing excellence, but Massachusetts can do better than that. Martha understands it. She knows you have to create jobs from everyone working together and taking the advantages of this great state and putting them to work."
So, looking at the scorecard, here's how these taken-out-of-context quotes break down:
1) Barack Obama's full quote: 328 words
The GOP's version of it: 15 words
Percentage of the original quote the GOP used: 4.6%
2) Hillary Clinton's first full quote: 165 words
The GOP's version of it: 33 words
Percentage of the original quote the GOP used: 20.0%
3) Hillary Clinton's second full quote: 222 words
The GOP's version of it: 13 words
Percentage of the original quote the GOP used: 5.9%
Overall
The three full quotes: 715 words
The GOP's version of them: 61 words
Percentage of the original quotes the GOP used: 8.6%
Judging by these numbers (focusing on the 8.6%), here's what the GOP would also spout if they always stayed true to that philosophy:
- "We have been to all 4.3 states in the United States of America!"
- "Everyone should abide by all 0.86 commandments in the Bible!"
- "Of all the 3.79 presidents that have led this great nation, Barack Obama has been the worst!"
- "It's no wonder time seems to fly by with there being just 31.39 days every year!"
- "We work so hard for all 2.06 hours of the day!"
Okay, so that last statement may be fairly accurate. On second thought, even that may be an misleading.
http://www.factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2013/may/08/context-hillary-clintons-what-difference-does-it-m/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/rand-paul-hillary-clinton-jobs_n_6067732.html
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/10/26/media-forget-context-in-effort-to-scandalize-hi/201316
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