We’ll have to wait a little bit to see how the predictions that thousands or even millions will die because the House passed the AHCA play out, but while the nation is on death watch, it’s amusing to see how little time it took for some other outrageous claims about the bill to be debunked.
Both BuzzFeed and the Washington Post have run articles since the House vote challenging the viral online claim that the GOP bill classifies rape and sexual assault as preexisting conditions.
Analysis: Despite critics’ claims, GOP bill doesn’t classify rape or sexual assault as a preexisting condition https://t.co/BHsASVKs0c
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 6, 2017
There's a lot of confusion after House Republicans passed their health care plan. We sorted fact from fiction https://t.co/fclnGSEari
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) May 5, 2017
Where would people on social media get an idea like that? Well, a couple of handy source were Mic and New York Magazine, which Reason associate editor Elizabeth N. Brown took to school; specifically, to remedial reading comprehension class.
no one tweeting "rape is now a preexisting conditions" seems able to explain what they mean by that at all
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) May 5, 2017
Good research by @ENBrown — the ACHA (which is not good) does not treat sexual assault as a pre-existing condition. https://t.co/tavXW2vnDI
— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) May 5, 2017
New York Magazine appended a correction to its original piece, but BizzyBlog went a step further and compared the revision to the version stored in Google’s cache, and the result looks a lot like a repeal and replace of the initial thesis.
Recommended
Here's how thoroughly @NYMag had to correct its 'rape as preexisting condition' post. Now looks a lot more like mine https://t.co/ldpHRIBHb4 pic.twitter.com/BpxLTWwT3w
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) May 6, 2017
This is just to officially say fuck off to everyone asking yesterday why ppl would trust "some libertarian blog" on the ACHA over @NYMag pic.twitter.com/ERBKOYwmuf
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) May 6, 2017
CNN ran with that shit plastered on their chyron all night last night.
— Franklin Harris? (@FranklinH3000) May 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/ericcarmi/status/860869735042342913
… and “The Handmaid’s Tale” read like hysterical feminist dystopian pulp back in the ’80s, but now protesters are wearing Handmaid cosplay to state capitols rather than pussy hats or vagina costumes.
We were right. @NYMag was wrong. It happens way way way way way more often than most people realize https://t.co/7WIojSGrhV
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) May 6, 2017
Oh look, & here's @washingtonpost now saying the same thing everyone accused me of being a lying libertarian harpee for reporting yesterday https://t.co/UCajMXTgxd
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) May 6, 2017
Why can't people every stop spreading false and damaging shit https://t.co/kcii3THLRq
— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) May 6, 2017
That was kind of the battle cry of the resistance from the very beginning; reflexively oppose everything proposed by the Trump administration and let the fact-checking follow if necessary.
Of course @mic is still doubling down though pic.twitter.com/Pe7ErkFhmm
— Elizabeth Nolan Brown (@ENBrown) May 6, 2017
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Related:
‘Chance of DEATH now 100%’: Jon Gabriel mocks Daily Kos over melo-freaking-dramatic #AHCA headlinehttps://t.co/wiYKJwYTHM
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) May 4, 2017
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