Mitt and Ann Romney sat down with ABC's Diane Sawyer yesterday for a wide-ranging interview, but what stood out for me was the presumptive Republican nominee arguing, "92%, 93% of the jobs lost have been lost by women during this president's term."
As a simple matter of reality, Romney's lying. He knows he's lying. Everyone, including Fox News, realizes he's lying.
But Romney said it anyway, in part because he assumed Sawyer wouldn't call him on it (she didn't), and in part because he simply doesn't care -- Romney's running for office, for Pete's sake, and can't be bothered to worry about telling Americans the truth.
The problem comes when Romney develops a reputation as someone who simply cannot be trusted to be honest with the public. Consider, for example, Richard Cohen's new column, which says, "I admire a smooth liar, and Romney is among the best."
A marathon of debates and an eon of campaigning have toughened and honed Romney. He commands the heights of great assurance, and he knows, as some of us learn too late in life, that the truth is not always a moral obligation but sometimes merely what works.
He often cites his business background as commending him for the presidency. That's his forgivable absurdity. Instead, what his career has given him is the businessman's concept of self -- that what he does is not who he is. This is what enables the slumlord to be a charitable man. This is what enables the corporate raider to endow his university. Business is business. It's what you do. It is not who you are. Lying isn't a sin. It's a business plan.
That's a good line, but what matters more to me than Cohen's argument is the column's existence -- Romney's unnerving dishonesty is starting to get noticed in ways that had gone largely overlooked. Concerns are, in other words, going mainstream. Dana Milbank did a column on this recently, and now Cohen's on the case.
As I argued a week ago, this matters. This is about the point in a presidential campaign at which media "narratives" start to stick. Romney can live with mockery of his out-of-touch patrician elitism; he can tolerate talk of his role in orchestrating mass layoffs; he embraces his lack of leadership experience; and he's confident he can overcome talk of his flip-flopping.
But if political observers start to see Romney as a man who frequently lies to advance his ambitions, it's a character flaw that's awfully tough to live down.
As Rachel recently explained, "Some dishonesty in national American politics is frankly routine. It's too bad, but it's true. Romney-style dishonesty is a sight to behold. It's different. He's bending the curve."
Leave a Comment:
With Photoshop it is easy to exaggerate body parts-( no, not that one)-, noses, for example can be made to look longer than they are.
It is time for someone to have some before and after fun with Mitt "the truth is fungible" Romney.
I once again cannot understand why he's getting a pass with the media...or at least with the interviewers. When did they stop asking the tough questions? Someone needs to "Couric-Palin" him and soon!
It is considered "liberal" for a member of the media to ask a Republican an actual question. Besides, even if cornered, Romney will just say whatever he feels like saying and nevermind all those other times when he said completely different things.
@Mom, I'm also not understanding why the sheeple are following also. I mean if these people are so "full of faith" - what's the deal putting up with liars. My Mom taught me early in life you cannot trust either a liar or a thief - both of whom you can't trust, and they will cheat you! So again that whole "fungible" thing that because it's politics we shouldn't expect the truth - sorry so not buying that! Mittens & the GOP so not trustworthy for Americans.
We have had this discussion before! Supreme Court Justices, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Lawyers, Judges, Doctors, Priests, Politicains, Journalists, Scientists, ....... Perjury is alive and well in society!
MrKnowNotMuch
I am sure that some people in each of the categories you listed lie. It is also true that people in each of those employment categories tell the truth.
Your comment did nothing to add to the discussion. What is your point?
It is called rattling the tree to see how many nuts fall out! See how well it works!
Actually, no. You merely identify yourself as someone with nothing to say.
Diane Sawyer can suck a bag of dicks. So much for corporate investigative journalism. Diane is captain of the softball (interview) team!
Romney's little joke about telling Pres.Obama to start packing was about as funny as a chapped a$$ on a hike. Can this guy and his wife lie their way to the White House?The Obama's might not be as wealthy as the Romney's,but they have ten times the class. You do'nt hear them lying or taking untrue shot's at the opposition like Mitt and Ann do. If you watch and listen to her,she's another Sarah Palin,thin skinned and snarky(is that a word). I would hope that the President can overcome the fourthcoming lies by the Romney's and Rove's super pac,God know's there will be a ton of'em.
I so want to see a high-profile interviewer ask him, "Mr. Romney, what's your policy on <subject> this week?"
It would be a monumental task, but someone should go back through the archives of Mitt's 7-year campaign and count the number of times he has changed his position on an issue, told a lie about himself, told a lie about an opponent, and repeated any of the afore-mentioned lies. Then the DNC or some friendly Super PAC should make a commercial that gives us the grand total. Given the amount of public speaking Mitt has done over that time, I suspect the total would be in the tens of thousands. The commercial could end with a pair of pants on the stage of the Republican National Convention - on fire.
In the book "Under the Banner of Heaven" it explains that fundamentalist Mormons put a lot of stake in being able to spin a good lie to better themselves. Maybe Romney is proud of his ability to lie, but it's a shame someone in the media doesn't back him into a corner (i.e. Mike Wallace) and reveal the true Mitt.
Someone has done this--writes a blog called "Romney the Liar": http://romneytheliar.blogspot.com/
Given Richard Cohen's history as a world-class wanker, it's only fair to point out that Cohen called Romney out as a liar all the way back in December:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/obamas-luck-holds-with-gop-contenders/2011/12/05/gIQALx6qXO_story.html
Sometimes even Richard Cohen gets it right.
Liar, the Mitt is... "Smooth liar," I'll have to disagree with. I've always been under the impression that for one to be the smooth-operator sort, one would have to have the agility of tongue and charisma of presence to flatter the masses with finely crafted non-truths... Mitt has neither. Really, whatever collection of syllables that comes a-tumblin' out of his mouth is automatically flagged as a potential lie... And he doesn't even bother to embellish his lies with mildly interesting anecdotes or personal convictions, just another bland lie like a fart in the wind!!!
I think you're correct. Romney is a just chronic, compulsive liar. There's no art to what he does, just like there's no art to way a Republican lives or thinks. He's simply an unartful, bald-faced liar who isn't concerned about the ethics or morality of his actions or policies.
Totally agree. I've never seen such an awkward candidate.
And to think I've still heard people say "Obama lies too much, that's why I'm voting for Romney."
Also, I feel this is relevant (and awesome): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxch-yi14BE
A Quantum Theory of Mitt Romney - NYTimes.com
Good post, but notice that Sawyer didn't call him on his lie. She was an enabler. Until the TV media like Sawyer stop enabling him and start calling him on his lies to his face he will continue to lie. There simply isn't any reason for him to tell the truth.
My guess is nobody in the MSM is up to the task. The truth has nothing to do with good television.
I think the MSM wants to tacitly make the race as close as they can, and in order to do that, they know they can't do anything to make Romney look any worse than he already does. So for now they give him softball questions and don't press him on any answers. Plus the candidates know which reporters are "safe" to speak with and which ones to avoid. I doubt Katie Couric will be allowed in the same building as Mitt or his VP choice this year.
I disagree. I think it would be riveting to see a big name MSM journalist to call a Presidential candidate a liar to his face and ask him why he continues to make claims when they've been shown over and over to be false. That would shake things up. What they fear is loss of advertising dollars.
I completely agree with you. Only Rachel could do it with grace, but they wouldn't let her near him. Ironically she would be the completely honest person asking the notorious liar. Yet, allowable would be the right leaning David Gregory. Some one in politics had to have coined the phrase, "strange bedfellows".
Take a peek at the Book of Mormon sometime. Anyone who claims to believe this stuff can't be very strongly tethered to the truth.
You could say the same for anyone and any religious Holy Book. Mormonism has other planets and magic underpants but the Bible has talking snakes, two of every animal in the world on a boat for over a month and a man living inside a whale for 3 days, to name but a few ludicrous claims.
The Bible also has the sun being temporarily stopped from "Going around the earth" by a god who apparently knows everything except basic astronomy.
Not to mention (again) the illustrious
liarfounder was a convicted con-man before his pièce de résistance (LDS? LSD?).."...the truth is not always a moral obligation but sometimes merely what works."
Actually for those with a "moral compass" the truth is a "moral obligation"...
All it would take to stop this is for one "journalist" like Sawyer to say to Rmoney, "You're a liar. That has been exposed as a lie over and over so why do you persist in lying to the American public?"
I get the impression that the public is well ahead of the political observers when it comes to Mitt Romney's lying. There's a reason why numerous polls show that the public doesn't trust Romney. Still, it will be interesting to see in the weeks and months ahead which political observers have the courage to actually call a lie a lie, and which political observers lack that courage.
Oh, for the second coming of Tim Russert...
If Mitt was sh-t and lies were flies, he'd have been gone before Cain circled the drain.
The Romneys' historical revisionism is growing ever more ridiculous -- first he created millions of jobs via Bain (not), then claiming the recession was somehow Obama's fault (not) and Ann Romney jumping on the dog on roof story that the "dog loved it" and also 'had the runs" which is why he was on the roof and not in the car.
This last is so patently absurd and so pathetic an attempt to gloss over reality: if the dog had the runs, why wasn't he at the vet's instead of being dragged to a family vacation???
I'm wondering about Mrs Mitt and the stay at home mom thing. She is on the road campaigning. If she had small children at home what has happened to them? Nanny? What about cleaning house? Housekeeper? Okay so what was the big anti self reliant human being missing a body part arguement about? How come only poor mothers have to work? She could have been a CEO along side her husband. Oh she's looking after the car elevator construction and the Cadillacs. Nevermind. That is more important. She does NOT look like a stay at home mom. In fact her children are all grown up aren't they. If she has them. Okay so lets hear the truth about the kids mom. Liars. I'm tired of this mess.
Came across this article by chance and must admit I liked it...:-)
Cotton Bags