memeorandum: The Pinocchio Press — The bizarre rise of “fact checking” propagandists. (James Taranto/Wall Street Journal)

10:35 AM ET, September 5, 2012

Top Items:

Transcript: Michelle Obama's Democratic Convention Speech — Below is the full transcript, as prepared for delivery, of First Lady Michelle Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night. — Thank you so much, Elaine...we are so grateful for your family's service and sacrifice …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Politico, Slate, New York Times, ABCNEWS, nation.foxnews.com, Feministing, Right Wing News, Washington Post, The Democratic Daily, The Hinterland Gazette, New Orleans Times-Picayune, blogs.telegraph.co.uk, The Reaction, CNN and Weasel Zippers

CNN:

CNN Fact Check: About those 4.5 million jobs ... San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro touted 4.5 million new jobs created during the Obama administration. Was he right? — (CNN) — Anyone watching the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night heard the number 4.5 million several times.

Discussion: Riehl World News and Jammie Wearing Fools

Associated Press:

Some Obama Programs Embellished by Democrats — Speakers at the Democratic National Convention portrayed President Barack Obama's presidency in glowing terms Tuesday evening, but sometimes left out important details or embellished his record. — Others mischaracterized programs backed …

Discussion: ABC15 Arizona, CNN and Politico

Ann Althouse / Althouse:
Live-blogging Day 1 of the Democratic Convention.

Discussion: PoliPundit.com

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:
Democratic Convention Opens With Pitch to Middle Class

Discussion: ThinkProgress, CNN, Boston Globe, Queerty, USA Today, Washington Post and Newsy

Associated Press:
First Lady says husband ‘a man we can trust’

Discussion: Politico and The Huffington Post

Alicia M. Cohn / Twitter Room:
Obama, with daughters, watches first lady speak to convention

Discussion: The Hill, The New Civil Rights Movement and Politico

Kevin Cirilli / Politico:

Bill Clinton's 8 digs at Obama — There's only one president who actually came from Hope. — Former President Bill Clinton — a native of Hope, Ark. — is expected to offer a rousing endorsement of President Barack Obama in his speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

Discussion: The PJ Tatler and Riehl World News

Tim Mak / Politico:
DNC 2012: Rainy forecast for Obama's speech

Discussion: CNN and The Caucus

Jay Cost / Weekly Standard:
Morning Jay: The Importance of Bill Clinton

Discussion: Washington Post

Paul West / Los Angeles Times:
Bill Clinton's convention appearance could influence two elections

Discussion: Salon and Online NewsHour

Russell Berman / The Hill: Ex-chief Emanuel calls Obama ‘once-in-a-generation’ president

Philip Klein / Washington Examiner:

DWS attacks Examiner for ‘deliberately’ misquoting her, but here's the audio … CHARLOTTE - Earlier this evening, in an appearance on Fox News, Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused the Washington Examiner of “deliberately” misquoting her comments claiming …

Discussion: Power Line, Mediaite, Hot Air, American Spectator, The Lonely Conservative, Election 2012, “The Lid”, The Gateway Pundit, National Review, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Israel Matzav and GayPatriot

Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard:

Will Debbie Be Dumped? — Are there no consequences for lying? Even on national television? — Earlier today, Philip Klein reported that DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said this: “We know, and I've heard no less than Ambassador Michael Oren say this, that what the Republicans are doing is dangerous for Israel.”

Discussion: Nice Deb, Washington Examiner, GayPatriot, Commentary Magazine and JOSHUAPUNDIT

CNN:

TRENDING: First on CNN: DNC secretly scheduled guests: Actresses Johansson, Portman, Washington — Charlotte (CNN) - Clint Eastwood meet Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Kerry Washington. — The three actresses, firmly anchored in Hollywood's royalty, have been secretly scheduled …

Discussion: Reuters, Politico, Riehl World News and Jammie Wearing Fools

CNN:
CNN Poll: Did Romney get a convention bounce?

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Politico, GOP 12, Talking Points Memo, Scared Monkeys, Gallup, Firedoglake, Weasel Zippers, Rumproast, Hot Air, iOwnTheWorld.com, GayPatriot and Election 2012

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Live-Blogging Charlotte, Day One

Discussion: Democracy in America, Washington Monthly, The Reality-Based Community, Gawker, Polling Matters and Joe. My. God.

Paul Ryan / CNN:
Ryan muddles origin of Reagan's ‘are you better off’ line

Discussion: Politico, NewsBusters.org blogs, Connecting.the.Dots, FiveThirtyEight and The Hill

David Brody / The Brody File:

Exclusive: Democrats Drop ‘God’ From Party Platform — Guess what? God's name has been removed from the Democratic National Committee platform. — This is the paragraph that was in the 2008 platform: — “We need a government that stands up for the hopes, values, and interests of working people …

Joshua Hersh / The Huffington Post:
DNC Israel Platform Reviewed, ‘Loved’ By AIPAC, Sources Say (UPDATE)

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Israel Matzav, Washington Free Beacon, Mondoweiss and The Right Scoop

Adam Serwer / Mother Jones:
Democrats Retreat on Civil Liberties in 2012 Platform

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Reaction, The Atlantic Online, Corrente, The Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, Taylor Marsh, Suburban Guerrilla and The Agonist

Andrew Restuccia / Politico:

Where's Al Gore? — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In 2008, Al Gore strode onto the stage at Denver's Invesco Field to a hero's welcome, throwing his support behind Barack Obama to take on the “global climate crisis.” — When Obama takes the stage this week, Gore will be nowhere in sight.

Discussion: Pirate's Cove

Ken Thomas / Associated Press: Democrats Creating 2016 White House Buzz

Holly Bailey / Yahoo! News:
Cory Booker: Raising taxes on the rich is about ‘patriotism,’ not ‘class warfare’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and The Gateway Pundit

BuzzFeed:

“Government Is The Only Thing We All Belong To” — A provocative line in a DNC video. UPDATE: Obama campaign disclaims. — Source: youtube.com — The Democratic National Convention has signaled from the start an unapologetic, and at times, confrontational, liberalism …

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Repealing Obamacare would take health care away from people — Stacey Lihn, the very nervous and emotional mother of a child with a heart defect, at the Dem convention just now: … There's been a good deal of punditry to the effect that Obama and Dems will have to run from the health law this cycle …

Discussion: The Maddow Blog

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:
The night Democrats reclaimed “Obamacare”

Discussion: Washington Monthly, AEIdeas, Washington Examiner and The Daily Dish

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:

The Pinocchio Press — The bizarre rise of “fact checking” propagandists. — In the 19th-century fairy tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” the eponymous protagonist is a wooden puppet who dreams of becoming an actual boy. We suppose people who work as fact checkers have long dreamed …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, americanthinker.com, Sky Dancing, GayPatriot, Hot Air and “The Lid”

Vanity Fair:

Barack Obama to Michael Lewis on a Presidential Loss of Freedom: “You Don't Get Used to It—At Least, I Don't” — Michael Lewis and Barack Obama. — “Don't be looking to the sidelines all sheepish,” Barack Obama yells at Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Lewis in “Obama's Way,” …

Discussion: USA Today

Washington Post:

Rahm Emanuel to raise funds for Democratic campaigns — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a legendary fundraiser and political strategist before he won elected office, has dropped his honorary chairmanship of the Obama campaign to help raise big-dollar contributions so that Democrats can compete …

Talking Points Memo:

Barney Frank: In Crisis Time, Dems Worked With Bush - But GOP Shunned Obama — Appearing on CNN during the opening night of the Democratic convention, retiring longtime Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) argued that his party was willing to help President Bush weather the 2008 economic crisis …

Discussion: Booman Tribune and Balloon Juice

Julian Pecquet / The Hill:

Charlotte speech increases rumors Kerry is up for Hillary Clinton's job — CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will be defending President Obama's record on national security when he speaks to convention delegates on Thursday evening, but political observers will be watching …

Discussion: Taylor Marsh and Taegan Goddard's …