File under: you read it here first. "The Washington Post ignored
a few historical facts when it proclaimed in a front page article
Wednesday that President Obama is quote, 'a rare President who comes
from the middle class,'" FNC's Bret Baier pointed out during his Thursday "Grapevine" segment. Baier explained what escaped Post reporter Eli Saslow:
There have actually been many Presidents who hailed from the middle class. Lyndon Johnson was born in a small farmhouse and worked his way through college. Harry Truman worked for the railroad and lived in hobo camps. Richard Nixon's parents ran a grocery store. Ronald Reagan was born in a small apartment above a bank in Northern Illinois. His father was a salesman. And Bill Clinton was born to a widow in Hope, Arkansas.
Baier quipped: "So, maybe not so rare."
Wednesday BiasAlert: "Obama's a 'Rare' Middle-Class President, Claims Washington Post's Saslow [1]."
Baier's item in the "Grapevine" segment on the Thursday, February 4 Special Report with Bret Baier:
The Washington Post ignored a few historical facts when it proclaimed in a front page article [2] Wednesday that President Obama is quote, "a rare President who comes from the middle class."
Well, there have actually been many Presidents who hailed from the middle class. Lyndon Johnson was born in a small farmhouse and worked his way through college. Harry Truman worked for the railroad and lived in hobo camps. Richard Nixon's parents ran a grocery store. Ronald Reagan was born in a small apartment above a bank in Northern Illinois. His father was a salesman. And Bill Clinton was born to a widow in Hope, Arkansas.
So, maybe not so rare.
- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center