The Obama campaign established its “Truth Team” in February to “help debunk attacks on the president’s record and hit back at his Republican rivals.” This was to be accomplished primarily by encouraging people to report anything they may have seen or heard – including rumors – that may be unfavorable to the president.
However, the organization’s relationship with actual truth has been predictably rocky since its inception. Today proved to be no different, as the “Truth Team” approvingly tweeted a false ThinkProgress report about a Mitt Romney statement on health care.
Why Romney would deny health insurance to millions of people with pre-existing conditions http://t.co/wlEploLS
— ThinkProgress (@thinkprogress) June 12, 2012
Of course, as the video shows, Romney said nothing of the sort; instead, his entire quote was about the importance of ensuring that people with pre-existing conditions remain covered by health insurance.
Folks were clearly paying more attention than the “Truth Team” was expecting, and were quick to call out the Obama campaign on its blatant falsehood:
@truthteam2012 did you miss this part "I don’t want them to be denied insurance because they have some pre-existing conditions"?
— Self-isolated Chris ? (@cdw) June 12, 2012
@truthteam2012 And lift mandate off backs of countless millions , free us all from rationing of IPAB, and give certainty. Yay, Mitt!!
— Tully Chickpea (@Schwabcycler) June 12, 2012
@truthteam2012 keep RT those lies
— hsh316 #NFB #tcot ✝️???? (@hsh316) June 12, 2012
There was also a reminder about the alternative to Romney’s actual health care proposals:
.@truthteam2012 No different than Obama who is causing docs to quit, youth and elderly to be denied procedures and care they had otherwise.
— REAL TEAPARTY™ 2007 (@NHTeaParties) June 12, 2012
Yes, it’s true: when Obamacare is the alternative, almost anything can look good.
When it comes to the “Truth Team’s” relationship with its namesake, though, things look particularly ugly, as the pushback against the Obama campaign’s latest dishonest claim demonstrated.
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