Three Pinocchios for recent campaign ads

This Washington Post Fact Checker article is one of their better efforts. It shows a transcript of the interviews from which the excerpts in the advertisements in question are taken, with the portion that actually appears in the ad in bold. It’s a great illustration of how you can twist someone’s words by creative snipping of what they say.

It saddens me that our political process has sunk this low. I used to refuse to vote for any candidate who preferred to smear their opponent rather than running on their own merits, but recently it has become obvious that this principle would leave me no one to vote for. The real pity is that the vast majority of American voters will use campaign ads like this to make up their mind. “Don’t confuse me with facts.”