Truth meets the gaffe factory

August 15, 2012

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Chicago Tribune:

Does President Barack Obama really believe entrepreneurs “didn’t build” their businesses? Does his rival Mitt Romney really “like being able to fire people?” Welcome to summertime, when the fate of political campaigns hangs on silly sound bites.

Political gaffes, catnip for heat-seeking media, are showing up increasingly in the form of what I call pseudo gaffes. That’s a truthful and seemingly inoffensive statement that, taken out of context, reinforces the worst impressions voters may have about the candidate.

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