Al Hunt writes at Bloomberg News:
A Bloomberg Politics poll shows that on two controversial issues, the budget deficit and deporting illegal immigrants, the public believes Obama's critics–even though reality favors the president.
By 73 percent to 21 percent, the public says the federal budget deficit has gotten bigger during the Obama presidency.Not true, of course. It's actually been cut by two-thirds, from $1.4 trillion when he took office, to $469 billion in the current budget.
By 53 percent to 29 percent, Americans believe that Obama has sent fewer undocumented immigrants home than were deported a decade earlier. That's a constant refrain of Obama's immigration critics.
It also isn't true.So, who's to blame for this striking lack of broad public knowledge, Mr. Hunt?
President Barack Obama is a renowned orator, capable of lofty and often moving rhetoric. When it comes to informing Americans about the accomplishments of his own administration, however, he's not exactly the persuader-in-chief.It's all Obama's fault!
Not that Obama's getting any help from the Al Hunts of the media, because as we all know it's not their job to inform (a.k.a., "the Chuck Todd maxim"), but rather merely to observe and jot down the "he said, she said" narratives.
"... [R]eality favors the president." Thanks for the news.
BONUS: Chuck Todd Maxim Corollary: "It's not my job to ask tough questions, either!" Otherwise, his lying guests might not come back. Really.
