Could the media "fact checks" be the reason voters are still undecided?

[wildflower]

Or one of the main reasons, anyway.

"Cheney did, in fact, make numerous connections between Iraq and 9/11."

"Edwards repeated - again - the completely erroneous statment that 200 billion has been spent on Iraq. In fact, that much has not been spent yet. The figure is actually 120 billion."

By trying to be "balanced," it just makes undecideds think "Politicians are all liars, so why bother voting for any of them?" Doesn't it?

-wildflower

[pelagius]

1. At this point...

...I think all the "undecideds" should just flip a freakin' coin and be done with it. I'm sick of 'em and all the media attention they get.

[HawkerHurricane]

2. At this point...

The undecideds are Republicans who aren't voting for Bush, but can't make themselves say in public that they're voting for Kerry.

Believe it.

[MidwestMomma]

5. I think some of the 'undecided' are Republicans who feel guilty voting

for Bush and they are waiting for Kerry to make some big mistake or some big Kerry scandal to break so they can vote for Bush without a guilty conscience.

But I think most are like you describe.

As my daughter told her Republican 'undecided' friend..."If you're still undecided, you have not been paying attention."

[PretzelWarrior]

3. yes it does. dragging the politics of this thing down favors republicans

they want to discourage people and make them not believe in the system of free elections.

DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! Notice, Kerry's and Edwards' "gotchas" on fact check are mostly a bit of an overstatement of a point.

Most of Cheney's and Bush's are outright lies intended to mask what is really going on. To treat both sets of statements as equal in these fact checking sessions is to themselves feed a dishonesty cycle.

Media pundits are actually lower on my prestige and honesty meter than politicians, prostitutes, and drug dealers.

[sandnsea]

4. That Iowa farmer

On Hardball. Hmmmm, my guns or the rest of the world, what to do, what to do.

Let me at 'em!!

On edit:

And... did he watch the debates last night... no. It's like a soap opera, you know everything that happens in the last 10 minutes. Bandwagon voters. The momentum and perception is everything. Get those Kerry signs up and talk, talk, talk.

[MidwestMomma]

6. Bandwagon voters...That so describes the state of Missouri

That's why I wish Kerry would make a BIG PUSH in Missouri these last 2 weeks. I'm telling you, if the voters in Missouri THINK Kerry is going to win, they will vote for him

I saw it happen in the primaries.

[shockingelk]

7. the fact checks disagree

Kerry claimed the Bush administration cut Pell grants. The Bush administration has actually increased them. (FC) NOTE: The NYT adds that "with tuition vastly outpacing inflation, the shortfall between financial aid and the cost of tuition has widened." The Washington Post also views Kerry's charge as accurate.

Kerry claimed the Bush administration cut after school programs. The Bush administration proposed cutting after school programs, but Congress wouldn't let them. (FC) NOTE: The Washington posts outright says Kerry's claim was accurate.

Kerry claimed Bush had never met with the Congressional Black Caucus. Bush has actually met with the Caucus twice. (FC, NYT, WP, FOX) NOTE: Washington Post says the charge is correct in substance - Bush has not met much with minority groups.

Kerry claimed Bush inherited a $5.6 trillion surplus. Bush actually inherited a $236 billion dollar surplus - the $5.6 trillion was the projected surplus over 10 years. (FC) NOTE: The NYT and WP viewed this claim as accurate ("Mr. Kerry was correct when he said the budget picture had declined from a projected $5.6 trillion surplus over 10 years when Mr. Bush took office to large deficits for the foreseeable future.")