by Paul West, the Baltimore Sun
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York is taking a populist line in her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"We had more people going bankrupt last year than graduating from college. Yet, these are all invisible to the president and his administration," Clinton told a gathering of liberal activists in Washington last week.
The "Issues" section of her campaign website, under the heading "Strengthening The Middle Class," repeats the claim. "Last year, more people went bankrupt in our country than graduated from college."
Actually, fewer than half as many people went bankrupt last year than graduated from college. A total of 597,965 individuals filed for personal bankruptcy in 2006, according to official statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 1,456,000 students received bachelor’s degrees from four-year colleges in 2006.
Clinton’s flawed statistic is an outdated comparison. There was a period, from 2001 through 2005, in which personal bankruptcies skyrocketed, exceeding the number of graduates of four-year colleges. That trend peaked—and ended--in 2005, when more than two million people rushed to file bankruptcy before new, tighter rules, sought by the consumer-credit industry, went into effect.
The initial explanation about her claim from the Clinton campaign: It depends on what your definition of the word "year" is. The campaign cited statistics for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2006, in which 1,453,008 personal bankruptcies were filed (most came in 2005, during the final push before the law changed). A spokesman, noting that this period overlapped with the Class of ‘06’s senior year, promised a more thorough response later.
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Comments
"Fact-checking Clinton: She's wrong on bankruptcies"
Evidence of continuing bias by the MSM against conserva...oh wait, nevermind.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | June 25, 2007 1:03 PM
Welcome to the vast right-wing media conspiracy against Hillary.
Posted by: JJ | June 25, 2007 1:49 PM
Weinerbrain, this is a rare commodity here, a far left newspaper (Baltimore Sun) actually reporting truths and taking the Queen B to task.
Once in awhile the LIBune and its "news"papers actually have to do this - -course it's only about 10 percent of the time they actually do something like this.
Posted by: John D | June 25, 2007 2:20 PM
Come on people, we can't start fact checking Clintons! She is wrong about so many things we will never do anything but fact check her.
Anyone but Clinton (or Romney)
Posted by: nisleib | June 25, 2007 2:39 PM
Once in awhile the LIBune and its "news"papers actually have to do this - -course it's only about 10 percent of the time they actually do something like this.
Posted by: John D | June 25, 2007 2:20 PM
This comment begs the obvious question. Why do you continue to read the Trib and continue to spew insults. Could it be that you are repressing your true liberal leanings. could it be that your post is a cry for help. I think you need to finally shed the vacant right wing propaganda you post and vote Democrat. You'll feel better about yourself and the positive impact you'll have supporting Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election. Take back America. Vote Democrat.
Posted by: Dinosaur Hunter | June 25, 2007 3:15 PM
I'm going to break my own rule for engaging trolls, but I have to ask:
John D, do you even live here in Chicagoland?
Posted by: weinerdog43 | June 25, 2007 3:47 PM
yet another example supporting my claim that it is the "Clinton" on the end of Hillary's name that has made her a contender. Between her last name, and the still prevelent "sympathy" for her pain and suffering from her husbands affair that keep her afloat. I guarantee all of you, if she is elected president, everything you gripe about Bush for will look like nothing compared to the mess she will make. Her agenda is so obviously intended to seperate her from her last name. The American poeple are way down on her list of reasons to be president.
Posted by: Rob S | June 25, 2007 3:47 PM
I've taken a wait and see attitude with Hillary but after watching her performance in the debates I have to say that I'm impreesed with Hill's grasp of the issues and her abilty to come across as a strong leader.
"You Go Girl"!
Posted by: John E | June 25, 2007 3:53 PM
Where was all of this fact-checking when the Republicans were spewing their lies to start the Iraq war?
Posted by: Paul | June 25, 2007 4:19 PM
Now if only the "liberal" media (I WISH!) would have fact checked chimpyy mcflighsuit prior to the run up to the occupation, maybe we'd have few less dead and wounded. Love how reich-wingers make a big deal over a few bad statistics, but gloss over dead and wounded Americans. Of course, they also think the dead and wounded soldiers are merely statistics too!
Posted by: snitramc | June 25, 2007 5:47 PM
Oh Weinerdog, as a matter of fact I do live in Chicagoland. Do you live in Freakyworld? Perhaps you live in the now-shuddered Santa's Village? Or perhaps in the basement with John E.?
Posted by: John D | June 25, 2007 7:40 PM
Perhaps you live in the now-shuddered Santa's Village? Or perhaps in the basement with John E.?
Posted by: John D | June 25, 2007 7:40 PM
Pay no attention to John D. He is clearly unstable.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | June 25, 2007 8:11 PM
Logic, I know I know. Stupid of me to think that I could engage it using reason.
"Shuddered"?!?!?! Oh brother.
Posted by: weinerdog43 | June 25, 2007 10:31 PM
Oh my, I made a spelling typo!!! Arrest me, arrest me! Shuttered, is that better, weinerbrain?
And again, having the worst mankind offers, members of the Loony Left, tell me I am "unstable" is a badge of honor.
Posted by: John D | June 25, 2007 11:58 PM
weinerdog,
John E. knows where Dyslin lives but won't disclose the location. Why? Because John D.,on a recent post, threatened to sick his CIA friend, Col. Flagg on him.
There is a story on Fox News about John D, however:
http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,1948,00.html
Posted by: dt | June 26, 2007 12:20 AM
Very cute, dt (demented twin). Sorry, but that bozo is one of your ilk, not me.
And, he is a Secret Service agent, not a CIA agent, though the brother of another friend of mine does work for the CIA. Oh and I have a cousin that also works for the CIA. I do have lots of connections. I should use them more!
Posted by: John D | June 26, 2007 9:36 AM