Beware of Absolutes

  Touting something as "the most ever" when comparative totals are easily found is an automatic challenge to any reporter worth his or her pencil. Whenever a politician claims an absolute of any kind, especial something that can be counted such as pieces of legislation, the first question is, "How many is that, and how many did others do?"
   When POTUS praised his record of accomplishments during his first six months in office as having passed "the most legislation of any president, ever," fact-checkers immediately went to work.
   It turns out that not only did he sign fewer pieces of legislation -- 42 in total -- than other recent presidents, but most were routine or had little significance, and some had been in the Congressional work bin since before he took office. None dealt with major issues such as health care or tax reform.
   For example, Jimmy Carter signed 79 pieces of legislation in his first six months, and Bill Clinton signed 50. Of the 42 bills signed by Donald Trump, 15 reversed government regulations set by Barack Obama, 14 were ceremonial and routine, five dealt with minor changes in the bureaucracy, four dealt with space and science issues and four covered veterans' affairs, according to a list gathered by the New York Times.
   This is not the first time Trump has used superlatives to describe his own actions and behaviors easily refuted and disproven by independent observers.
   He claimed an "overwhelming" victory in the presidential election, with 74 electoral votes more than his opponent. Last December, he called that "one of the largest electoral vote margins in history." A quick look in an old copy of the World Almanac and Book of Facts showed that Ronald Reagan defeated Walter Mondale by a margin of 512 electoral votes.
   Other winners with larger margins were George H.W. Bush over Michael Dukakis, by 315 votes; Bill Clinton over Bush by 212 electoral votes; Clinton over Bob Dole by 220 votes; Barack Obama over John McCain by 192 electoral votes; and Obama over Mitt Romney by 126 electoral votes.
   The biggest ever margin was in 1936, when Franklin Roosevelt garnered 523 electoral votes and his opponent Alf Landon collected just eight.
   Trump has a habit of using absolutes to describe what he says and does, typically terms like biggest, most, largest, and to denigrate those who disagree with him by using terms equivalent to small and loser.
   He claimed the crowd on the National Mall during his inauguration was enormous, the most ever, despite photographic evidence otherwise. And he alleged that he would have won the popular vote for the presidency if not for some 3 million to 5 million votes cast fraudulently by illegal immigrants. Numerous studies over the years have shown that voter fraud is virtually nonexistent.
   Nevertheless, he persists in promoting himself and his accomplishments as "the greatest," despite overwhelming evidence otherwise. Perhaps in the hope that if he says something loud enough, long enough, to enough people, some will believe him.
   However, it's up to equally persistent journalists and independent fact-checkers to continue to ask three of the more important of the basic Five W questions basic to reporters: How many is that, and what is the evidence, as well as why is that important and why should we believe you?
   Simply on your say-so is not enough.