It really amazes me the kind of BS people will believe simply because they want to believe it. Case and point - a political chain email. If you've received one concerning President Obama, there's approximately a 90% chance that it's at least partially false (around a 70% chance that it's completely false). That trend continued with the latest such email I came across. It's been updated over the years, but I was fortunately able to come across a detailed analysis of all the email's claims so I didn't have to do the job myself. The fact-checker is Matthew at Barnson.org, who I will be using as my reference to keep a running tally of the accurate and inaccurate claims (his full analysis can be found at this link - http://barnson.org/node/1880).
Without further ado, here's the chain email:
"QUIT BASHING OBAMA - by COL. ROBERT F. CUNNINGHAM and PATRICK RISHOR, The Gilmer Mirror
Quit trashing Obama's accomplishments. He has done more than any other President before him. Here is a list of his impressive accomplishments:
1. First President to be photographed smoking a joint. (No grade) (0 True/0 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
2. First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner. (False) (0 True/1 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
3. First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in. (False) (0 True/2 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
4. First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States. (True, but doesn't tell the whole story) (1 True/2 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
5. First President to violate the War Powers Act. (False) (1 True/3 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
6. First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. (False) (1 True/4 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
7. First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party. (True, but doesn't tell the whole story) (2 True/4 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
8. First President to spend a trillion dollars on 'shovel-ready' jobs when there was no such thing as 'shovel-ready' jobs. (No grade) (2 True/4 False/0 Mixed/2 No grade)
9. First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters. (Mixed) (2 True/4 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
10. First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat. (False) (2 True/5 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
11. First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions. (False) (2 True/6 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
12. First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees. (False) (2 True/7 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
13. First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign. (False) (2 True/8 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
14. First President to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space. (False) (2 True/9 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
15. First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation. (False) (2 True/10 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
16. First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present. (Truth, but the author's intent isn't) (3 True/10 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
17. First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it. (False) (3 True/11 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
18. First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke out on the reasons for their rate increases. (False) (3 True/12 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
19. First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory. (Mixed) (3 True/12 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
20. First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN). (False) (3 True/13 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
21. First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago. (Misleading) (3 True/14 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
22. First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal). (False) (3 True/15 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
23. First President to fire an inspector general of AmeriCorps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case. (False) (3 True/16 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade
24. First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office. (False) (3 True/17 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
25. First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists. (Unknown, but presumed false, since the claim is purely subjective) (3 True/18 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
26. First President to golf more than 150 separate times in his five years in office. (True, but misleading) (3 True/18 False/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
27. First President to hide his birth, medical, educational and travel records. (False on all three counts) (3 True/19 False (21 False if we include all three)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
28. First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it. (False) (3 True/20 False (22 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
29. First President to go on multiple 'global apology tours' and concurrent 'insult our friends' tours. (False) (3 True/21 False (23 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
30. First President to go on over 17 lavish vacations, in addition to date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayers. (False) (3 True/22 False (24 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
31. First President to have personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife. (False) (3 True/23 False (25 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
32. First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense. (False) (3 True/24 False (26 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
33. First President to fly in a personal trainer from Chicago at least once a week at taxpayer expense. (No grade) (3 True/24 False (26 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
34. First President to repeat the Quran and tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth. (True) (4 True/24 False (26 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
35. First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states (Mexico vs Arizona). (False) (4 True/25 False (27 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
36. First President to tell the military men and women that they should pay for their own private insurance because they 'volunteered to go to war and knew the consequences.' (False) (4 True/26 False (28 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
37. Then he was the First President to tell the members of the military that THEY were UNPATRIOTIC for balking at the last suggestion. (False) (4 True/27 False (29 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
I feel much better now. I had been under the impression he hadn't been doing ANYTHING... Such an accomplished individual... in the eyes of the ignorant maybe.!."
Final breakdown:
Total claims: 37 (the three from #27 being seen as one)
True: 4 (10.8%)
False: 27 (73.0%)
Mixed: 3 (8.1%)
No grade: 3 (8.1%)
So, there we have it; at least 81.1% of all 37 of these claims are at least somewhat false, with 73.0% of them being completely false. Thanks to fact-checker Matthew for all of his research and effort. Hopefully such fact-checking will finally smack people in the face one of these days, to where they think to themselves, "Golly gee, you know, now that I think about it, I guess that email was pretty ridiculous. Maybe I should actually use 2% of my brain to figure that out next time, or even take a couple minutes out of my day to look it up and see if it's true for myself. La-di-da-la-di-da. Dur dur dur dur dur dur."
http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3e2p5f/quit_trashing_obamas_accomplishments_he_has_done/
Without further ado, here's the chain email:
"QUIT BASHING OBAMA - by COL. ROBERT F. CUNNINGHAM and PATRICK RISHOR, The Gilmer Mirror
Quit trashing Obama's accomplishments. He has done more than any other President before him. Here is a list of his impressive accomplishments:
1. First President to be photographed smoking a joint. (No grade) (0 True/0 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
2. First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner. (False) (0 True/1 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
3. First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in. (False) (0 True/2 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
4. First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States. (True, but doesn't tell the whole story) (1 True/2 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
5. First President to violate the War Powers Act. (False) (1 True/3 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
6. First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. (False) (1 True/4 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
7. First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party. (True, but doesn't tell the whole story) (2 True/4 False/0 Mixed/1 No grade)
8. First President to spend a trillion dollars on 'shovel-ready' jobs when there was no such thing as 'shovel-ready' jobs. (No grade) (2 True/4 False/0 Mixed/2 No grade)
9. First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters. (Mixed) (2 True/4 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
10. First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat. (False) (2 True/5 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
11. First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions. (False) (2 True/6 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
12. First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees. (False) (2 True/7 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
13. First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign. (False) (2 True/8 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
14. First President to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space. (False) (2 True/9 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
15. First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation. (False) (2 True/10 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
16. First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present. (Truth, but the author's intent isn't) (3 True/10 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
17. First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it. (False) (3 True/11 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
18. First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke out on the reasons for their rate increases. (False) (3 True/12 False/1 Mixed/2 No grade)
19. First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory. (Mixed) (3 True/12 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
20. First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN). (False) (3 True/13 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
21. First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago. (Misleading) (3 True/14 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
22. First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal). (False) (3 True/15 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
23. First President to fire an inspector general of AmeriCorps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case. (False) (3 True/16 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade
24. First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office. (False) (3 True/17 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
25. First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists. (Unknown, but presumed false, since the claim is purely subjective) (3 True/18 False/2 Mixed/2 No grade)
26. First President to golf more than 150 separate times in his five years in office. (True, but misleading) (3 True/18 False/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
27. First President to hide his birth, medical, educational and travel records. (False on all three counts) (3 True/19 False (21 False if we include all three)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
28. First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it. (False) (3 True/20 False (22 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
29. First President to go on multiple 'global apology tours' and concurrent 'insult our friends' tours. (False) (3 True/21 False (23 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
30. First President to go on over 17 lavish vacations, in addition to date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayers. (False) (3 True/22 False (24 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
31. First President to have personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife. (False) (3 True/23 False (25 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
32. First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense. (False) (3 True/24 False (26 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/2 No grade)
33. First President to fly in a personal trainer from Chicago at least once a week at taxpayer expense. (No grade) (3 True/24 False (26 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
34. First President to repeat the Quran and tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth. (True) (4 True/24 False (26 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
35. First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states (Mexico vs Arizona). (False) (4 True/25 False (27 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
36. First President to tell the military men and women that they should pay for their own private insurance because they 'volunteered to go to war and knew the consequences.' (False) (4 True/26 False (28 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
37. Then he was the First President to tell the members of the military that THEY were UNPATRIOTIC for balking at the last suggestion. (False) (4 True/27 False (29 False if we include all three from #27)/3 Mixed/3 No grade)
I feel much better now. I had been under the impression he hadn't been doing ANYTHING... Such an accomplished individual... in the eyes of the ignorant maybe.!."
Final breakdown:
Total claims: 37 (the three from #27 being seen as one)
True: 4 (10.8%)
False: 27 (73.0%)
Mixed: 3 (8.1%)
No grade: 3 (8.1%)
So, there we have it; at least 81.1% of all 37 of these claims are at least somewhat false, with 73.0% of them being completely false. Thanks to fact-checker Matthew for all of his research and effort. Hopefully such fact-checking will finally smack people in the face one of these days, to where they think to themselves, "Golly gee, you know, now that I think about it, I guess that email was pretty ridiculous. Maybe I should actually use 2% of my brain to figure that out next time, or even take a couple minutes out of my day to look it up and see if it's true for myself. La-di-da-la-di-da. Dur dur dur dur dur dur."
http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3e2p5f/quit_trashing_obamas_accomplishments_he_has_done/
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