PolitiFact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning project of the St. Petersburg Times to find the truth in American politics, has announced its “Lie of the Year” contest to find the most significant political falsehood of 2009, with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann among the eight nominees.

Similarly, Talking Points Memo has announced the 3rd Annual Golden Duke Awards (named in honor of disgraced Congressmann Randy “Duke” Cunningham) recognizing excellence in public corruption, betrayals of the public trust, and generally shameless behavior, with Rep. Michele Bachmann reportedly a serious contender in the “Meritorious Achievement in The Crazy” and “Best Public Policy-based Fib” categories.

Vote Now for ‘Lie of the Year’!

By Angie Drobnic Holan
December 9, 2009

You’ve heard of the Person of the Year and the Sportsman of the Year — get ready for PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year.

For our year-in-review coverage, PolitiFact soon will be announcing our Lie of the Year — the most significant falsehood of 2009. Our staff is examining the claims we’ve rated False or Pants on Fire and will be choosing the one that reached all-star status and played an important role in the nation’s political discourse.

We’re also inviting PolitiFact readers to vote on the most important lie. Here are our eight nominees:

“When one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft.”
— Joe Biden on Thursday, April 30, 2009, in an interview on The Today Show

Preventive care “saves money.”
— Barack Obama on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, in a speech to Congress

“You lie!” (in response to President Obama saying health reform would not insure illegal immigrants)
— Joe Wilson on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009, in the audience at a joint session of Congress

Seniors and the disabled “will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care.”
— Sarah Palin on Friday, Aug. 7, 2009, in a message posted on Facebook

John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, “has proposed forcing abortions and putting sterilants in the drinking water to control population.”
— Glenn Beck on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, in his TV program

An amendment to the House health reform bill “puts new restrictions on women’s access to abortion coverage in the private health insurance market even when they would pay premiums with their own money.”
— Nita Lowey on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in a speech on the House floor

A birth certificate shows Barack Obama was born in Kenya.
— Orly Taitz on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, in an attachment to a lawsuit

Page 92 of the House health care bill “says specifically that people can’t purchase private health insurance after a date certain.”
— Michele Bachmann on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, in an interview on the Fox News Channel.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

Don’t delay! CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE.

PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times to help you find the truth in American politics. Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter. Were also tracking more than 500 of Barack Obamas campaign promises and are rating their progress on our new Obameter. » More

——————

2009 Golden Dukes Announced!

By Josh Marshall
Talking Points Memo Editors Blog
December 11, 2009

Who would have thought back in 2007 that the Golden Duke Awards would become such an institution? But there you go! Today we’re announcing the 3rd Annual Golden Duke Awards. For those of you new to the Golden Dukes, the Dukes honor excellence in public corruption, betrayals of the public trust and generally shameless behavior. (See last year’s winners here.) Get your nominations in now — here are the details …

Today we’re announcing the categories in which we’ll award prizes.

They are:

• Meritorious Achievement in The Crazy
• Best Public Policy-based Fib
• Outstanding Achievement in Corruption-based Chutzpah
• Best Scandal — Sex and Generalized Carnality
• Best Scandal — Local Venue
• Best Scandal — General Interest

The deadline for nominations is December 18th. And we’ll be handing out exciting prizes both for the winners and also to the readers whose nominations we choose as finalists.

So here’s how it works. If you want to nominate some evil-doer for one of our awards, send us a nomination identifying the person you’re nominating and a description/argument of no more than 250 words explaining their achievements, bad acts or generally scandalous behavior that you believe entitles them to the award. All awards are to individual mucksters and evil-doers — parties, concepts, groups, etc. are not eligible.

On December 21st we’ll announce the nominees, which then then go to our panel of distinguished judges. The awards will be announced on the last day of the year, December 31st.

Stay tuned. In coming days we’ll be announcing the judges, prize, how you can participate on Twitter and more.

———————————————————————————————

Nominate Michele Bachmann for a Golden Duke Award

By The Big E
Minnesota Progressive Project
December 14, 2009

Talking Points Memo announced they are accepting nominations for their 3rd Annual Golden Duke Awards. The award is named after convicted Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

I think that Michele Bachmann is a serious contender in the “Meritorious Achievement in The Crazy” and “Best Public Policy-based Fib” categories. She’s said and done so much in 2009. You have to send in your nominations by December 18th. Winners will be announced on December 31st.

Please send your nomination to talk at talkingpointsmemo dot com by this Friday.

I compiled my submission entirely from the Michele Bachmann Bizarro World’s page devoted to her insanity.

Here’s my submission:

Michele Bachmann deserves your award for suggesting her supporters slit their wrists in a convenant to prevent healthcare reform, her calls for conservatives to rise up and take back their government from the Marxists, she believes that Geithner and Bernanke are plotting to start a one world currency. She fears that Ted Kennedy’s bill to expand AmericCorps will create re-education camps and send young people to them to be indoctrinated. She encouraged people to not participate in the census when they come to your door because it’s a part of an ACORN conspiracy theory. She stated that “We have seen an orgy… The government spent its wad” at an anti-tax rally. She called for conservatives to become armed and dangerous in opposing cap-and-trade legislation. She claimed that in Washington, DC she feels like a foreign correspondent behind enemy lines. She claimed  that the stimulus bill passed at the beginning of the Obama Administration included a rationing board for health care. She believes that we’re running out of rich people in this country because Democrats want to tax the rich — No tax increases had been passed when she made this remark. She accused Obama of attempting to redraw congressional districts. She believes that many member of Congress have a real aversion to capitalism. She told radio listeners to KTLK that the stimulus bill money would not go to Republican districts.

• Slit wrists in convenant to stop HCR
• Take back govt from Marxists
• Bernanke and Geithner plotting a one world currency
• She fears that Ted Kennedy’s bill to expand AmericCorps will create re-education camps and send young people to them to be indoctrinated.
• She encouraged people to not participate in the census when they come to your door because it’s a part of an ACORN conspiracy theory.
• She stated that “We have seen an orgy… The government spent its wad” at an anti-tax rally.
• She called for conservatives to become armed and dangerous in opposing cap-and-trade legislation.
• She claimed that in Washington, DC she feels like a foreign correspondent behind enemy lines.
• The claimed that the stimulus bill passed at the beginning of the Obama Administration included a rationing board for health care.
• She believes that we’re running out of rich people in this country because Democrats want to tax the rich — No tax increases had been passed when she made this remark.
• She accused Obama of attempting to redraw congressional districts (only states do this).
• She believes that many member of Congress have a real aversion to capitalism.
• She told radio listeners to KTLK that the stimulus bill money would not go to Republican districts. Actually, MN-06 got the most of any district in MN.
• She told radio listeners to KTLK that the stimulus bill money would not go to Republican districts — Actually, MN-06 got the most of any district in MN.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — December 15, 2008

An Iraqi man throws a shoe at President George W. Bush during a news conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008 in Baghdad. (Photo credit: Evan Vucci / AP)

Iraqi Hurls Shoes at Bush

One-year retrospective: One year ago today, I reported that an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush on a farewell visit to Baghdad, shouting in Arabic, “This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog.”