VIDEO: MSNBC Contributor WILDLY Exaggerates Rates of Violence in Central America
In a segment on this morning’s Morning Joe, former Obama advisor Steve Rattner provided some shocking and surprising statistics on the incredible explosion of murder and violence and mayhem in Central America. There’s one problem – they’re completely wrong.
Steve posted this chart of murders per 100,000, a standard measure of homicides used by government officials, both on his Twitter account, and had it on the air:
Luckily, I caught a screencap of it before he deleted it. The actual statistics are below:
In the video above, Rattner gravely reported, “the murder rate in some of these countries that’s literally one in seven, in New York City it’s one in 25,000!” Well, actually it’s one in 1,162 – still much greater than in New York City, but not anything near the insane statistic that Steve-o was quoting.
And that’s a good thing, because it’s not as if Steve Rattner was ever in charge of understanding numbers and reading charts, like for instance when he was Obama’s Lead Adviser for some Taskforce on the Auto Industry in 2009, or as the managing principle of an equity firm, or as chairman of the group that handles Mike Bloomberg’s personal assets.
Oh wait.
UPDATE!
The rattman admits his humiliating defeat to el Sooper!!
Mea culpa. My chart on Cent Am murder rates was incorrect. Corrected version here. Basic point remains. pic.twitter.com/PWWMkSJhaR
— Steven Rattner (@SteveRattner) July 10, 2014
But will he correct on air? I doubt it, my gringos!
