Ms. Information - Democrats cover up their relationship with Fannie Mae, the media plays along.

wsj.com ^ | October 19, 2008 | STEPHEN MOORE

[Free ThinkerNY]

Why are Democrats trying to cover up their sweetheart relationships with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? And why does the media allow it?

This past week I appeared on Bill Maher's HBO show Real Time with Representative Maxine Waters of California. Ms. Waters fibbed on the air about her connections to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

It all began when Mr. Maher tried to the lay blame for the credit meltdown on inadequate regulation of Wall Street. I pointed out that among the biggest failures this year were Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and that Democrats had protected them against tougher regulation. I said to Ms. Waters: "You said [the system for regulating the mortgage giants] wasn't broke five years ago at a Congressional hearing, and you took $15,000 of campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie."

Responded Ms. Waters: "That is a lie and I challenge you to find $15,000 that I took from Fannie PAC."

Naturally, on hearing such a categorical insistence from Ms. Waters that my facts were wrong, I double-checked the numbers on the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org Web site. CRP had listed all the political contributions from the Fannie Mae Pac after the federal bailout of Fannie and Freddie late in the summer. Sure enough, the report confirms that Maxine Waters was recipient of $15,000 in Fannie Mae Pac dollars since 1989.

[claymax]

I saw this very clip live, it was truly disgusting. There is video eveidence of what she said, and she is still willig to lie about it. Just shameful!

[timestax]

There may be a huge backlash against the MSM before it’s all over !

[Free ThinkerNY]

DemonRats lie every chance they get. If they spoke the truth it would probably kill them.

[nomad]

They`re still offering CRA loans,call the following number for info in the Cleveland area, (216) 289-6615.Maybe they have numbers for your area?

[Pilated]

It's so sad that my parents believe every word ANY democrat says............. They are so blind they think President Bush caused the collapse.........Ugh how they voted over the years has made my retirement very dicey! I love them but they are stupid.

[afortiori]

No matter how much I agree with Stephen Moore, I think he's lazy writer and ineffectual debater. On Maher, his argumentation skills are weak at best. And this column is a half-assed rejoinder to a personal pique he felt on the Maher show. What he hasn't done is describe the incontrovertible way Waters attacked regulators of Gin/Fred, and covered for Raines et al.

[HwyChile]

If the republicans don't hang this financial meltdown around the democrats neck, with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Community Reinvestment Act, and ACORN, then I hope that the do in fact lose because they will deserve it. When you let the other side lie and let the winning opportunity of the decade pass you by, you deserve to lose. That is about as inept as it gets.

[HwyChile]

I agree about Stephen Moore not being very good at winning an argument or putting forth winning facts and positions. The left beats him every time I have ever seen him debate.

[Sherman Logan]

Sure enough, the report confirms that Maxine Waters was recipient of $15,000 in Fannie Mae Pac dollars since 1989.

$15,000 in contributions over a 20 year period is just not particularly shocking.

[timestax]

B A C K L A S H

[PapaBear3625]

There is video evidence of what she said, and she is still willing to lie about it.

Standard Dem tactic. They lie. they know they lie. They know there is evidence that they lied.

But they count on the evidence never reaching their audience, because the MSM won't publicize that a Dem lied. Therefore they can lie with impunity. This is why they get so upset when their having lied gets broadcast to a national audience, like in the Joe the Plumber incident.

[PapaBear3625]

No matter how much I agree with Stephen Moore, I think he's lazy writer and ineffectual debater. On Maher, his argumentation skills are weak at best.

If he had been a more effective debater, if at the instant that Maxine had said his charge was a lie he whipped out a screen shot from his pocket which proved she lied on national TV, do you think that he would ever be seen again on Maher's show?. There's a reason why Leftist-run shows like Maher and The View have ineffective debaters on them to represent the conservative side.

Can you imagine Maher or The View having Ann Coulter on?