Media Matters Daily Summary 05-07-10

Right-wing media use Greek crisis to attack social programs at home
Media conservatives have seized on the financial crisis in Greece to recycle attacks on progressive initiatives in the United States. For example, Stephen Hayes and Charles Gasparino referenced the crisis in order to criticize health care reform. Read More

Varney falsely claims Obama "gave" $100B in "taxpayer dollars" to IMF
Fox business analyst Stuart Varney claimed that "our taxpayer money ... is bailing out the Greeks right now" because President Obama "gave" $100 billion in "American taxpayer dollars" to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In fact, Obama did not "give" the IMF money; rather, he requested -- and Congress approved -- a line of credit that involves "an exchange of assets" and not "an expenditure." Read More

Klein's Obama attack book hurls kitchen sink of falsehoods, conspiracy theories, birtherism
WorldNetDaily reporter Aaron Klein's book The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists uses false claims, discredited conspiracy theories, birther arguments, deceptive editing, and guilt by association to further its stated goal of tying Obama to "an Anti-American fringe nexus."
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Limbaugh falsely claims only 66,000 private sector jobs were created in April
Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that an Associated Press story reported that the "real number" of private sector jobs created in April "is 66,000." In fact, the story noted that private employers added 231,000 positions in April, while the government hired 66,000 temporary census workers.
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Beck co-host rehashes long-debunked claim that HHS "sat on" health care report
On Glenn Beck's radio show, co-host Pat Gray falsely claimed that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "sat on" a report on health care reform until after Congress approved the legislation. In fact, the claim -- based on an anonymously sourced American Spectator report -- has been debunked. Read More

Right-wing media attack Obama over "unambiguously ... strong" jobs report
Right-wing media have highlighted April's increase in unemployment to attack President Obama's economic policies. But the monthly increase in payrolls was the largest in four years, and the unemployment uptick reportedly occurred "mainly because 805,000 jobseekers -- perhaps feeling better about their prospects -- resumed their searches for work." Read More

Huckabee falsely claims national debt is "eight times" what it was under Bush
Mike Huckabee falsely claimed that under President Obama, the national debt is "eight times" what it was under President Bush. In fact, the total public federal debt on May 6 was 1.2 times larger than it was when Obama entered office. Read More