Outsourcing fact-checking

Posted by: Stephen Baker on January 04

Joel Achenbach is blogging for the Washington Post in New Hampshire. I like the way he looks to his legions of commenters to chase down his facts:

Mitt Romney may yet win the Phil Gramm Most Expensive Delegate Award, given in honor of the well-funding Republican who, as I dimly recall, spent millions for a single delegate to the 1996 Republican convention (I could check but surely someone in the Comments section can set me right).

Sure enough, after a few dozen comments we learn:

NYT, July 4, 1999:
FINALLY there was Senator Phil Gramm in 1996. He raised $13 million by May 1995 and was eagerly advertising his money-raising skills. They didn’t do him much good, partly because he was spending money almost as fast as it came in, partly because his message of Republican populism conflicted with his opulent fund-raising and partly because Pat Buchanan had a better pitchfork. Mr. Gramm ultimately spent $25 million and won 10 delegates, proving minimally more effective than Mr. Connally.

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