We see journos try and get away with a lot of horrible stuff, but this claim from Taegan Goddard of Political Wire is pretty damn awful. Sure, outlets need to get a reader’s attention to the article (hello, we do it too) but this was just gross.
Claiming Sen. Tom Cotton said slavery was a necessary evil?
Dude.
Cotton Says Slavery Was ‘Necessary Evil’ https://t.co/cZl4aZL5BC via @politicalwire
— Taegan Goddard (@politicalwire) July 26, 2020
From Political Wire:
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that slavery was a “necessary evil” for the United States.
Said Cotton: “We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact on the development of our country because otherwise we can’t understand our country. As the Founding Fathers said, it was the necessary evil upon which the union was built, but the union was built in a way, as Lincoln said, to put slavery on the course to its ultimate extinction.”
That’s like the whole story.
So Teagan KNOWS Tom didn’t say what’s in his headline …
This is the definition of fake news.
I said that *the Founders viewed slavery as a necessary evil* and described how they put the evil institution on the path to extinction, a point frequently made by Lincoln. https://t.co/SaWTTlMO7w
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) July 26, 2020
Seriously.
They should retract, correct, and apologize.
Instead, he doubled down:
You’re completely disingenuous about what you said. When you say “As so-and-so said,” you’re asserting the same thing and using “so-and-so” as your rhetorical wingman.
— Taegan Goddard (@politicalwire) July 26, 2020
Dude.
We can SEE IT.
This is a terrible take – its extremely common practice to use X said and build off of that – regardless of it being positive or negative to your points
— Cheesetrader (@cheesetrader1) July 26, 2020
he didn't say that. You know he did not say that.
But you have no problem with lying
— Tench Coxe (@CoxsTench) July 26, 2020
Not what he said, you idiot.
— Annie_Bannany (@Annie_Bannany) July 27, 2020
The lie gets repeated five times before you cough up the truth.
You are a disingenuous hack. pic.twitter.com/JNAOBgzOpY
— H.P. Loveshaft (@HLoveshaft) July 26, 2020
This is a lie.
— AR-14 totin ponysoldier (@C0nservatlve) July 27, 2020
He didn't, but hey, you keep telling yourself and your readers that. They'll buy anything.
— Titan (@BOOB_level) July 27, 2020
Ain’t that the truth?
That's not what he said. This is why people hate you.
— J.A. Sutherland SciFi Books (@JASutherlandBks) July 26, 2020
Why would you lie? #FakeNews
— Terry (@IrishTea1) July 27, 2020
Because the ‘Republicans are all evil racists’ narrative ain’t gonna spin itself.
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