The Art of the Factual Lie

Update: Odd, but now when I try to click the first link below I get a 404 error. If I cut and paste the url...: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/23/bachmann-armed-and-dangerous/

...I can still get there. Same browser and IP. I'm sure it's nothing. Anyway, fyi.

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In some circle of Hell the old Soviet masters of propaganda must at least have the satisfaction of knowing that they may be gone, but they have the likes of Ali Frick carrying on their work:

Bachmann: ‘I Want People…Armed And Dangerous On This Issue’ Of Cap And Trade

After a nifty bit of selective quoting(emphasis hers):

Instead of merely opposing the legislation, however, Bachmann compared Washington, D.C. to “enemy lines” and urged her supporters to become “armed and dangerous” and fight a “revolution” against cap and trade legislation:

BACHMANN: And really now in Washington, I’m a foreign correspondent in enemy lines. And I try to keep everyone back here in Minnesota know exactly the nefarious activities that are taking place in Washington. […]

I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing, and the people — we the people — are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States.

She comes up with this conclusion:

Apparently “traditional American values,” which Bachmann insists she represents, include endorsing the armed overthrow of our own “enemy” government.

Yeah, right. Since Frick posts the audio of the conversation she is most likely well aware that her excerpt snips out this little bit of context that fits right between her two paragraphs:

But you can get all the latest information on this event, this ...a must go to event  with this Chris Horner. People will learn...it will be fascinating. We met with Chris Horner last week, 20 members of Congress. It takes a lot to wow members of Congress after a while. This wowed them.  And I am going to have materials for people when they leave.

And instead of that last paragraph ending with United States, it actually ends with this:

...and that's why I want everyone to come out and hear. So go to bachmann.house.gov and you can get all the information.

So lets put that second paragraph back to what Bachmann really said and see how it reads(emphasis mine on what Frick cut):

But you can get all the latest information on this event, this ...a must go to event  with this Chris Horner. People will learn...it will be fascinating. We met with Chris Horner last week, 20 members of Congress. It takes a lot to wow members of Congress after a while. This wowed them.  And I am going to have materials for people when they leave. I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing, and the people — we the people — are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States and that's why I want everyone to come out and hear. So go to bachmann.house.gov and you can get all the information.

Listen to it yourself from the source if you like. The first paragraph starts at about 11:10 in the audio.

So the upshot is, horror of horrors, that Bachmann wants to arm her constituents with information. Well crap, if we start doing stuff like that then people might actually start reasoning their way into political stands. And that friends, is as deadly to Think Progress and ilk as sunshine is to vampires. I actually don't like Bachmann's rhetoric very much, or some of her positions, but at least I could argue about that without twisting her words. I think I fully agree with Bachmann on climate change and energy taxes and I would be happy to defend her against Frick here, but there are no arguments to defend against on those points here, just vapor that seems to say that the problem with Bachmann's positions are that they simply exist.The powerful argument of the junior high school student.

Is Frick a liar manipulating the fools who lap up this bullshit, or is she just incompetent? I can't say for sure, but the fact that she also made the full audio available seems to point to the former. In any case, it's a classic case of how a website can turn average but gullible people into useful idiots. Look at some of the comments there, they actually believe from that post that Bachmann is encouraging armed insurrection. Treason! It would be freakin' hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic.

Those long dead Soviet hands must be so proud.