Facts Matter

Here's an e-mail exchange I had with a dear friend of mine today. He lives up North, but he can tie a bow tie.

Friend: Oh, Mitt,why are you sinking yourself with your stupid comments?

Me: It’s the facts – not the daily news cycles that determine elections.

Friend: HAHA, do you really believe that?

I thought about that. Do I really believe that? Am I being naive? There has been so much about "fact-checking" in this election. I really hadn't even heard of a "fact check" style of article until this election season. Now, fact-checkers are ubiquitous. After every major debate, speech, or campaign commercial, there are legions of fact checkers out there to tell us what is a fact and what is not. There are even fact-checkers for the fact checkers. But, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes, right?

So...do facts even matter? Is all this fact-checking an exercise in futility? Do I really believe that people will look at "Facts" when they vote this year? I guess the answer is: I hope so.

Here's what I think...

Do facts matter? Kind of. Example: How many “Fatal Romney gaffes!!!” has the news media talked about since the primary? Every one of them was supposed to be the final nail in his coffin, politically speaking. I can't even list them all: The bet with Rick Perry, the Olympics comments, the NASCAR comment, him liking firing people, him not concerned about poor people, the too-early statement about the dead ambassador in Libya…you get the idea.

Now we have the 47% story, which is being fact-checked! I think this election must have created about 5,000 jobs for fact-checkers. So, cue the shock and hand-wringing! Actual headline from the New Yorker: Is This the End of Mitt Romney?" 

Seriously?

Here's the thing about these stories. They’re all “process” stories. They’re really easy to write, and they give the reporter a way to say how it will affect the horse-race between the candidates. But none of these stories (even accepting they are true for argument’s sake) don’t really have any substance to them. Each one was going to be the death of Mitt Romney!

Romney couldn’t possibly continue to run against Mr. Cool President when he's so gaffe-prone. But to everyone's surprise, Romney continued his campaign. And you know what? The numbers are still exactly where they started. The President is slightly ahead, with a little noise up and down. It’s going to be a close election. All this fluff stuff “process” story nonsense isn’t going to drive people to the polls, and it isn’t going to keep them away. It sure as heck isn’t going to be the deciding factor in whom they pull the lever for.

Facts drive decisions (mostly). Facts like the overall unemployment rate, taxes, how the country is dealing with security issues, stuff like that. Maybe a policy difference here or there. If you’re emotionally invested in a candidate, then you’re not really reachable by facts, and I would say that eliminates you from the “undecided swing-voter category”.

I just really don't think any of these silly little stories are going to matter on Election Day. Who remembers these stories now except for hard-core politicos?

Facts matter. Or at least I like to believe they do.