Getty Images
Campaigning in Ohio yesterday, Mitt Romney told supporters, without smirking or sounding sarcastic, "If I'm president of the United States, with your help, I will tell the truth."
Ordinarily, those seeking national leadership positions don't vow to tell the truth if others help them, but since I am nothing if not helpful, I thought I might give the presumptive Republican presidential nominee a few examples of instances in which he fell short of honesty this week.
Indeed, if Romney intends to "tell the truth," he can start by reading the 14th installment of my weekly series, chronicling Mitt's mendacity.
1. Speaking to the NRA, Romney said, "The Obama administration has decided that it has the power to mandate what Catholic charities, schools, and hospitals must cover in their insurance plans.... Here we are, just getting started with Obamacare, and the federal government is already dictating to religious groups on matters of doctrine and conscience."
In Massachusetts' governor for one term, Romney took the same position Obama has adopted. He somehow forgot to mention this.
2. Romney also told the NRA audience, "We need a president who will enforce current laws, not create new ones that only serve to burden lawful gun owners. President Obama has not, I will."
The grammar in this sentence makes it hard to understand, but the implication seems to be that Obama has created new restrictions on gun laws. That's a lie.
3. Romney also claims to be a "lifetime" member of the NRA.
In reality, Romney used to oppose the NRA, but became a "lifetime" member fairly recently by buying the honor from the group.
4. Romney also shared this interesting anecdote: "Mike and Chantell Sackett have seen firsthand how the Obama government interferes with personal freedom. They run a small business in Idaho. They saved enough money to buy a piece of property and build a home. But days after they broke ground, an EPA regulator told them to stop digging. The EPA said they were building on a wetland. But the Sackett's property isn't on the wetlands register. It sits in a residential area. Nevertheless, the EPA wouldn't even let them appeal the decision. Fortunately, the Constitution confronted the Obama administration: the Supreme Court ruled unanimously for the Sacketts and against the Obama EPA."
That's a fascinating story, but it was the Bush/Cheney EPA that the Sackett family was fighting.
5. In the same speech, Romney said, "[Obama] told the Russian president last month when he thought no one else was listening, after his re-election he'll have a lot more, quote, 'flexibility' to do what he wants."
6. Romney concluded, "We'll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for America abroad."
This is a lie Romney repeats so often, it raises real concerns about his character.
7. Romney told ABC's Diane Sawyer, "92% -- 93% of the jobs lost have been lost by women during this president's term."
8. Trying to justify his secrecy on tax returns, Mitt Romney told CNBC, "John Kerry released two years of taxes."
9. Romney also told CNBC about the Buffett Rule, "[T]hey couldn't get it through their own Democratic Senate."
The Buffett Rule enjoyed the support of a majority of the Senate, but it died because of a Republican filibuster. "They" could have gotten it through the Senate if the bill was given an up-or-down vote.
10. The Romney campaign told NBC News this week that the former governor "never solicited" Ted Nugent's endorsement.
There's clear evidence pointing in the exact opposite direction.
11. On tax policy, Romney argued this week, "I'm going to keep the burden on the upper-income people the same as it is today."
That's extremely misleading -- Romney intends to give the rich a massive tax cut. The "burden" may not shift because he intends to cut taxes across the board, but the claim makes it seem as if "upper-income people" won't see a change in their taxes, when in fact Romney intends to give them another huge break. (Thanks to reader V.S. for the tip on this one.)
12. In Charlotte, Romney said of the president and the upcoming Democratic convention, "He's not going to want to remind anyone of Greece because he's put us on a road to become more like Greece."
Obama hasn't put us on a road to become more like Greece. (Nor has Bush, who's still largely responsible for today's deficits.)
13. In the same speech, Romney said Obama "is on track to add almost as much public debt to this country as all the prior presidents combined."
14. Romney also said in the same speech that Bush added "far less" to the national debt than Obama.
That's not even close to being true.
15. In the same speech, Romney said Obama is "first president in modern history, in any history, to cut Medicare by $500 billion."
Romney has said this countless times, but it doesn't change the fact that it's not true.
16. Romney claimed on Thursday that Obama has placed "three times" as many regulatory burdens on the private second as Bush did.
That's the opposite of the truth.
17. In Ohio yesterday, Romney argued, "[Obama] said that if we let him borrow $787 billion, he would unemployment below 8%."
There is no universe in which this claim is true.
18. In the same speech, Romney said Obama "has not created more jobs for the American people."
I know Romney's busy running for president, but he should at least try to keep up with current events.
19. Romney, in the same speech, shared one of his new favorite talking points: "The number of new businesses started per year is down 100,000 a year under the Obama term."
Actually, for those who take facts seriously, just last year, more than 540,000 new businesses were started each month -- which is well above the levels seen before the Great Recession began.
20. The Romney campaign argued this week that Kris Kobach, Romney's controversial adviser on immigration policy, is a "supporter," not an "adviser."
In reality, Kobach is still very much an adviser to Romney and his team.
21. The Romney campaign also said yesterday that the former governor never said Arizona's anti-immigrant law is a "model" for the nation.
Romney absolutely said Arizona's anti-immigrant law is a "model" for the nation.
The Obama campaign, by the way, seems well aware of the fact that Romney lies with unnerving frequency, but seems reluctant to say so in harsh terms, fearing media and voter pushback. Instead, as of yesterday, Team Obama is resorting to an interesting euphemism: "Why does [Romney] have such an aversion to the truth?"
Whether the political mainstream is comfortable using the word "lie" or not, that question seems increasingly unavoidable.
Previous editions of Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity: Vol. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII.
Leave a Comment:
Pretty soon, we'll have to have a wiki dedicated just to Mitt's trouble with the truth.
Actually that is a good idea...a wiki-romneylies...I like it
Looks like someone does have a site addressing RomneyLies. http://romneylies.org/
I think MITT ROMNEY does not know the meaning of the word "TRUTH"... I believe this guy thinks the truth is what ever B.S. comes out of his own mouth !.. And since we are discussing Mr. Mitt , am I the only one who notices the nice TAN he has in this picture ?.. Does anyboby here thinks he might be taking some cues from JOHN "Orange Glow" BOEHNER ?...
What presidential candidate has the time to spend on keeping such a nice tan going ?.. I said it before I will said again , MITT ROMNEY would be better served in becoming a lobbyist for the 1% super rich in this country !... I mean we have all heard what he says in front of the cameras , to the Mass Media and then we hear what his real plans are from his fundraising get togethers with his super rich friends in places like palm beach florida.
This guy actually thinks he can fool the american people into buying his used car salesman bu*****t and getting elected the next president of the United States. All MITT ROMNEY has to do is open his mouth and as soon as the words come out it does not take a genius to figure out he is lying through his teeth to the american public. Lets take one example , his tax returns , I am willing to bet any republican visiting this blog that the reason he asked for an extension is because he is hidding a bank account he has in SWITZERLAND !...
Which of course is perfectly legal to have , but when you are trying to win the votes of middle class america or whats left of the middle class , HAVING your own SWITZ bank account is something that millions of middle class americans CANNOT relate to. I'd rather vote for a president who went to college on student loans and or grants , who at one time had to eat food bought with FOOD STAMPS , because THAT president actually knows what the hell the middle class of this country is going through RIGHT NOW !...
And after EIGHT long years of the deep S**T H**E George W. Bush dug for the midddle class while giving tax breaks for the 1% super rich of this country. another CORPORATE WELFARE , TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH LOVING , ENVIRONMENT HATING , LABOR LAWS KILLING , GAY BASHING MORMON LOVING , SELF DEPORTATING BRIGHT IDEA HAVING , ILEGAL IMMIGRANT PERSECUTING , ABORTION DENYING , VAGINAL PROBE LOVING , WANNA BE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE , MITT ROMNEY !...
Is the last MU***R F***R I would be voting for in 2012 !...
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012...
Sorry Rachel for going nuclear , but I had to get that off my chest !..
I hate to disrespect anyones faith, but a Bishop in a religion that believes God lives on Planet Kalob would have no trouble knowing that he can get anyone to believe things that are not true by repeating them enough times.
Romney knows that racism is not over in the US and he can get those votes by doing things like this.
Because a sucker is born every minute.
Hey TRMS staff I have a great idea for you if you've got some spare money in your budget.
Do you all remember the website dubyaspeak.com?
Perhaps you should create the website romneyspeak.com and on that website you can list out all the hypocritical things Romney says.
And also you'd be able to sell T-Shirts and posters. Free TRMS publicity! You could even donate the proceeds to the IAVA or the Wounded Warrior Project.
Good idea! When I read the opening sentence with Mitt's statement: "If I'm president of the United States, with your help, I will tell the truth" the first thing that came to mind was a bumper sticker. The second was t-shirt! LOL
BTW Steve, thanks for doing this every week. I'm assured of a good laugh at least once a week anyway...
I wonder if Romney realizes that he appears to be saying that he needs help to tell the truth? The first step is admitting that you have a problem, Mitt!
I recently emailed a Mormon newsperson about the status of honesty in Mormonism and whether they had a different take on it than standard Protestantism. The response I got was basically that Romney is a politician so take anything he says with a block of salt, and also a recommendation to read Chris Mooney's book about how the republican brain works. I don't think his lack of integrity is going to bother too many Mormons.
Post it.
Post it.
Post it.
Romney's lack of character may not bother many Mormons, but not because Mormons and Mormonism have a high tolerance for lying sacks of Mitt. They won't have a problem because Romney is one of them, and members of any group rally around their own.
It is one thing to rally around "one of your own" who is being accused of lying before the evidence is in; it quite another to continue, even in silence, after incontrovertible evidence proves the accusations true just because he/she is "one of your own." Note, too, that by omission, tolerance and/or their silence they (in particular the leaders/bishops/elders of the Mormon Church) are also lying notwithstanding.
Perhaps that escaped the church elders attention, but I doubt it given the Mormon's founding goals to get "one of their own" in higher office.
According to author Susan Cardoza, who has explained Mormon doctrine (and politics) in sources ranging from The NY Times to Al Jazeera:
http://godsownparty.com/blog/2012/04/willard-mitt-romney-is-he-or-isnt-he-the-proverbial-white-horse/
Based on that & what little else I've learned about the Mormon religion, I can only surmise Mormons believe the end justifies the means. In other words, lying is by design, not a flaw? The Church leaders' silence is validation thereof IMHO.
Then you are relying on too-few sources, I'm afraid. I've never heard of this Susan Cardoza, which is bad sign considering the topic.
Reinforcing that impression is her equation of stake president with cardinal. That demonstrates complete ignorance of the structure of the Mormon hierarchy. The stake president is the head of a stake, which is the Mormon word for a diocese, and in the Catholic church a diocese is lead by a bishop. So stake president = Roman Catholic bishop. Now, all cardinals are also either bishops or arch-bishops, but not all bishops or arch-bishops are cardinals. In contrast, stake presidents simply function as stake presidents. None of them simultaneously hold any other church office (other than the two 'priesthoods' that every Mormon male is a part of). Another point of distinction is that the next pope by tradition comes from among the cardinals. However, in the Mormon church, the next president of the church comes from the Quorum of the Twelve, not from among the stake presidents. No member of the Quorum of the Twelve is also at the same time a stake president.
So, a stake president may be equated to a Roman Catholic bishop, but never ever to a cardinal. In the Mormon hierarchy there is actually a wide separation between the comparable offices. It does not speak well of Susan Cardoza's alleged expertise that she has committed such a glaring blunder on such a simple topic.
And the claim that Mormonism is founded on the idea of a literal (as opposed to metaphorical?) takeover of the federal government is straight out of anti-Mormon paranoia, in my judgement. It is true that Joseph Smith ran for POTUS and that the early Mormons, Smith included, made grandiose claims about the importance and destiny of their church, but they're not out to overthrow the government. Romney is not part of some sinister plot to take over the country any more than Obama is.
In Australia we call rallying around one of your own "a conga line of suck holes".
Site's best blog post this week.
Whether the political mainstream is comfortable using the word "lie" or not, that question seems increasingly unavoidable.
In which alternate universe will the corporately owned media not avoid the fact that Mittens RMoney is a liar?
'Scuse me, but isn't TRMS corporately owned media? If you buy into the narrative that "the {insert favorite adjective} media always gets it wrong," you're likely to dismiss quite a lot of good journalism.
And that's the point of putting that trope out there. If you think media is always wrong, then when they nail some Republican for being a big fat liar... they can just blame that BAD MEDIA and everyone will assume that the reporting is a lying hack job like they do on FOX. And it isn't. And they get away with it. Because of people like you, accepting this lie.
I can't watch you show over the web!! The roughly one time out of 10 when a commercial (usually the irritating Exon/Mobile guy) doesn't hang up my computer, the show segments play just fine, but it's not worth restarting 9 times to view one segment. The show never has a problem playing, but the commercials almost always hang. Doesn't MSNBC have any tech guys (or gals) who can fix this???
Stan, I used to have that same problem. But I've figured out a way around it. Don't know if it will work for you or not. BUt it can't hurt trying.
First, don't put it to full screen until AFTER the commercial is over. THen AS SOON AS the commercial loads pause it. Let it paused a minute or so and watch the light blue line on the bottom of the player. Once it gets about 3/4th of the way full I unpause the player. It then will play the entire way through without hang ups. Then you can make it full screen once Rachel comes on.
IT works for me. Hope it works for you.
You can also use the podcast option via iTunes which is free to use.
The Exxon/Mobil guy and his shilling for drilling makes me wanna barf. Get another ad.
I don't understand what is wrong with the truth. Mitt Romney is a liar. Why can Mitt Romney traipse around running over reality and lying at will, and the media and Democrats can't tell the truth about it and call him a LIAR.
Why can somebody lie and keep lying and others are not allowed or are punished for telling the truth? Is this truly the reality of this country? Really?
I propose another (no doubt much shorter) weekly list - the things Romney tells the truth about. I worry that this list each week will include not much more than, "Romney said he wanted to be president"...
thank you for this service to your country.
Wow Romney and McCain, did they really hug and make up? Or is it just for show?
Mitt is such a flagrant liar and the people who believe him are truly stupid. The Constitution states that Congress shall make the laws, not the president. I hope Obama nails Romney in the debates because he is clueless about the Constitution.
The American people have conditioned politicians to lie to us. How many people out there honestly believe that Obama is a muslim terrorist who hates America? By showcasing how intelligent our society is, why would somebody not tell outrageous lies to get elected? Both parties do it equally though, unfortunately for America.
"Both parties do it equally though, unfortunately for America." That is completely and utterly wrong and anybody that follows what is going on would know it. You should be ashamed and should pay more attention.
If you truly view two-party politics as a battle of good versus evil, you could probably best serve America by not voting and become a sports fan instead. We aren't rooting for our favorite team here. Don't spout that mindless brainwash sheep rhetoric at me. And ESPECIALLY don't tell ME to pay attention. I'm not the one (presumably) getting all of my news from one source.
And before you start your troll name-calling... I'm not republican, and I've never been one. I simply understand how the two parties use symantics and rhetoric to build blind loyalty. A republican who believes that Obama is a muslim terrorist is just as misguided as a democrat who believes that wealthy Americans and business owners are the enemy and raising taxes on one class will help another class.
As an American, I've lived in Europe for the better part of the last 3 decades. Most of the under-30 crowd over here considers the Muslim/socialist/America-hater references to Pres. Obama as either satirically amusing or mildly bizarre; the over 50 crowd finds it disturbing - questions about "freedom of speech" vs. inappropriate... even bordering on libel or slander.
None of them believe it; particularly the socialists and the Muslims.
No matter what you say about your affiliations, the assertion that both parties are equally guilty is a meme that serves Republican interests. The meme encourages cynicism and disengagement with the political process, which drives down voter participation, and lower turnout always favors Republican candidates. Go team!
There are a lot of rubes that believe Obama is a Muslim and or socialist who hates America. Their belief is validated by the Republicans, Tea Party and other right wing groups who continually try to delegitimize the President as a human being and an American. This goes beyond political rhetoric. It is a false equivalency to compare Dem rhetoric to those in the Republican party. The standard conservative response is to point to other people in the media who are not members of the Dem party as being the equivalent. It is not the same because it is Republicans in politics and elective office that fan this sort of rhetoric.
First I agree all politicians lie, but the equivalency factor does not apply wrt Mitt Romney. I do not know of any other presidential candidate in history who has lied anywhere remotely close to the same degree & extent as Romney. He even lies about the most trivial things & with impunity!
Second I agree both Parties spin, however, again there is no equivalency factor:
The idea that Democrats
is absurd. You are setting up a false narrative by generalizing. I do not know of anyone who believes all wealthy people & business owners are "the enemy."
Now there are some extremely wealthy people who fund organizations, think tanks, shell companies, front groups, etc. & use their money & power to sway politicians & public opinion in their favour. Privatizing public education, for instance, is being pushed by the DeVos family & other owners of charter (for-profit) schools. The Koch brothers, owners of Koch Industries the largest private company in the US & probably the world, have spent millions upon millions of dollars to influence local, state & federal governments and sit on the boards of universities.
They are part of a larger group of very rich individuals & corporations<> that want to get even richer by dismantling our government. As members of ALEC and/or the US Chamber of Commerce together they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on pressuring our elected officials to pass legislation that undermines 99% of the people, the environment, employees/consumers/workers rights & safety protections. They are draining the treasury of our tax payer money in the form of tax breaks & subsidies at the expense of our infrastructure, public education, social programmes for the aged, the poor, the disabled, the most vulnerable, healthcare and all the other functions government performs for the common good.
Last but not least the Democrats believe raising taxes on the wealthy & corporations is about shared responsibility, fairness, opportunity, poverty and inequality.
The Republican Party calls it class warfare ... on the "job creators."
Now can we dispense with the equivalency factor?
It's grown so much that someone will just have to write a book, there's no point in letting all the research go to waste,"
"The Many Masks of Mitt,"
"The All-Purpose Candidate."
"Willard the Chameleon."
"Truthless: The story of Mitt Romney"
A book? We have a long time to election day. By then we can have an set of encyclopedias of Romney lies and flip flops.
It nopt only wasn't Obama's EPA, it wasn't even Bush's EPA. It was just the EPA, operating under rules established long ago and abiding by everyone since. All the Sacketts won was the right to change a procedural rule, thereby allowing them (and others) to challenge a ruling earlier in an enforcement action. And, by the way, I know the case pretty well, and would wager a substantive amount that they'll lose that challenge, and the case will proceed and ultimately be settled in favor of the EPA. Oh, and by the way, there also is no such thing as a wetlands register, he's just making that one up altogether.
I'm just waiting for Mitt to announce his plan for gutting down on greenhouse gas emissions. He will probably quote a non-existent study by a non-existent scientist that states we could end greenhouse gas production if we simply outlawed the growing of beans in greenhouses.
I keep asking this question over and over again:
If Obama has done such a horrible job, as Romney claim, then Why does Romney have to lie about his record?
If Obama has indeed failed miserably, it should be very easy for Mitt Romney to point this out without embellishment and lies.
If you can honestly make a strong case against an opponent, it would not make sense to lie in order to make that case.
If you can not honestly make a strong case against an opponent, you do what Mitt Romney is doing.
It's that simple.
I would be very interested to know when exactly Willard became a "lifetime member":
The t-shirt would read: "I'm a lifetime member of the NRA; since about 2 weeks ago"
If Romney takes very different stances on the issues in the general than he did in the primary (and, why not, as he's dramatically changed positions before), why should Republicans trust him to govern as they wish should Romney gain the White House? Conversely, if Romney wins over moderates by his changing stance during the primary, why should they trust him to govern as they wish? Why should anyone believe that there will be any connection at all between what Romney may do with the presidency and any position he has ever taken while campaigning for the presidency? The constant lying makes it impossible for a Romney voter to know what it is they are voting for.
And the false-equivalence fetishists can't claim that Democrats do it as well. Obama was accused during the last election of running as a radicalmuslimathiestterroristcommiesocialistmugwump, and after gaining the White House he has been accused of governing as a radicalmuslimathiestterroristcommiesocialistmugwump. In other words, the right has always claimed that Obama has been consistent in rhetoric and actions. So, sorry, you can't take that back just because you have another favorite meme to push.
Which is why some people (like me) believe that for Republicans it's not about the candidate they are voting for (Romney), just the candidate they are voting against (Obama)
To extrapolate on the "anyone but Obama" concept, perhaps we should reinstate the Monarchy.
After all, we already have a well-established aristocracy.
Thanks for the service in providing this summary - it really really helps!
...as of yesterday, Team Obama is resorting to an interesting euphemism: "Why does [Romney] have such an aversion to the truth?"
I would suggest a more robust response. Remember Reagan's, "Well, there you go again"? Perhaps Team Obama could respond to "Mitt's whoppers" or something to that effect. Call his lying something folksy and memorable and then repeat it until Nov. 6th.
Just woke up from a terrible nightmare. In my nightmare, Obama lost by a thin margin and Romney became president. Needless to say, I took my life. Thank god I woke up! Romney is such a turd. I just don't understand why even though a majority of people understand this, I still feel like I'm in the minority.
I think Romney would be a better than Obama. Obama has not fixed this economy and more people are on food stamps, more people applying for disability than ever, etc. The culture of Obama creates more welfare, more victims, more mediocrity and non-greatness.
Romney the Candidate is the Niagara Falls of Mendacity: one is struck dumb by the sheer size and volume and never ending flow of his whoppers.