Associated Press
Obama visits a Chrysler plant in Detroit.
The Detroit Free Press' Tom Walsh recently noticed that Mitt Romney has taken so many contradictory positions on the Obama administration's auto-industry rescue, the Republican "must be on the verge of exhaustion from all the verbal contortions and mental gymnastics he puts himself through."
That was in February. The contortions are actually getting worse.
One of Mitt Romney's top advisers said Saturday that President Obama's decision to bailout Chrysler and General Motors was actually Romney's idea.
"[Romney's] position on the bailout was exactly what President Obama followed. I know it infuriates them to hear that," Eric Fehrnstrom, senior adviser to the Romney campaign, said. "The only economic success that President Obama has had is because he followed Mitt Romney's advice."
This isn't complicated -- Team Romney can condemn the Obama administration's policy or it can take credit for the Obama administration's policy, but it shouldn't try to do both. I know it infuriates them to hear that, but this is simply a matter of common sense -- Romney can't be for and against the same policy at the same time.
In this case, Romney has said, publicly and repeatedly, that he opposed Obama's industry rescue plan. The former governor said he preferred to "let Detroit go bankrupt," and have GM and Chrysler rely on private funding to restructure and get back on their feet.
Of course, in early 2009, the credit markets were frozen and there was no private funding available. (When a company called Bain Capital was approached, it refused to invest.) How does Romney reconcile his demands with reality? For the last three years, he hasn't even tried to explain the contradiction. In fact, he'd prefer if we just overlook the details altogether.
Just at face value, it takes a fair amount of chutzpah to face a crisis, get it wrong, then whine about the way in which the other guy got it right. But it takes truck loads worth of chutzpah to condemn the other guy then take credit for his success.
We can say a couple of things with certainty. First, when President Obama launched his ambitious policy in 2009, he was taking a major gamble -- not only with the backbone of American manufacturing, but with his presidency and its ability to use the power of government to repair a private industry facing collapse. As First Read noted at the time, "As the GM bailout goes, so goes the Obama presidency."
We now know the gamble paid off. GM and Chrysler are making money, expanding American facilities, and operating at capacity. It's a remarkable success story and one of Obama's most important domestic accomplishments. Republicans were absolutely certain the White House's policy would fail, and they were wrong.
Second, we also know that if policymakers had followed Romney's advice, and waited for private financing, the American auto industry likely would have collapsed while waiting capital that didn't exist. An economy that was already on the brink would have been forced to absorb hundreds of thousands of unemployed auto workers, crushing already-struggling communities in the Midwest.
As of this weekend, the Romney campaign is effectively telling voters, "Wait, did we say we hate Obama's policy? What we meant to say was that we love Obama's policy because we came up with it. Never mind all that other stuff we said two months ago."
Even by Romney standards, this is ridiculous.
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Ya know they are big they are brass and they must be dragging on the ground.
Videotape ? Whats that?
Youtube? Whats that?
The UAW, AFLCIO and all their affiliates in Michigan have not forgotten Romney's "let Detroit go bankrupt" declaration, believe me.
The guy's a republican... republicans have no shame, remember?
Rhetorically speaking, it's the shotgun affect. All Romney has to do in this campaign is say everything, take every side on every issue and just keep talking. Once he does that, he can just sit back and trust Fox news to broadcast whichever point makes him look best, for whatever situation they need a soundbite. What does he really have to lose, the only people who'll hear about his lies and contradictions are people who wouldn't vote for him anyway.
"Once he does that, he can just sit back and trust Fox news to broadcast whichever point makes him look best, for whatever situation they need a soundbite."
Yep.
And, the MSM will not push back too aggressively out of fear of appearing biased.
I disagree. The "Flip-flopper" Romney meme is increasingly common in the MSM, maybe som ouch so that it threatens to become an assumed non-story - they way Bush's idiotic gaffes and clear ignorance eventually went ignored because it got so old.
Just the title does the job: "
Op-Ed Contributor
Let Detroit Go Bankrupt"
By MITT ROMNEY
Published: November 18, 2008
"How does Romney reconcile his demands with reality?"
Mitt doesn't reconcile with "reality", but then again neither does the rest of the GOP.
Like the Chuck Norris jokes, reality reconciles itself to Romney.
Romney is right- and as proof, he wrote it on the front page of the June 2nd, 2008 NYT!
Unfortunately, Seamus ate it- BAD doggie!
The first rule in the Republican Talking Point Play Book is to never, ever forget that the American public has the attention span of a gnat. Flip-flops, distortions, and flat-out lies mean nothing. Stephen Stills once wrote "Love The One You're With". With Republicans, it's lie to the one you're with, and a significant number of listeners who will vote will forever remain oblivious to the truth. It is these mind-numbing, ditto-heads who Republicans hope to attract to the voting both. Nothing else matters.
Sad but that is it.
America : Too stupid for Democracy
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is strength
See its easy when you have the manual
And this story was reported on the NBC Nightly News, when? I don't know for a fact because I don't watch, but my guess is that it only gets discussed in detail on MSNBC, which I have heard is a left wing, liberal news outlet and so not read by most Americans. I asked the other day if Rachel would take this and other "liberal" stories to her bosses at NBC, but did not get any response.
I'm probably way off base on this since I pay zero attention to so-called Network news, but what I read here and on other "liberal blogs" is that this stuff does not go Mainstream and Sundays are pretty much dominated by Republicans and very moderate Democrats. Lies are allowed and there is little, if any pushback from hosts. did I get that right?
In a nutshell, yes, you got that right. Someone on the Sunday gab fests might get around to asking Romney, or a spokesman like Fehrnstrom, if there were any inconsistencies in Romney's position on (insert subject here), but when presented with the demonstrable lie, "No, no inconsistencies whatsoever!", people like David Gregory, Candy Crowley or god forbid Chris Wallace wouldn't dream of being so rude as to point out what Romney has actually said and done.
Indeed.
Brooklyn Michael ... Another reason we miss Tim Russert. Can you imaging him allowing the Repubs to spout bullpuckey without his citing facts and bringing up their previous statements?
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The Republican party could corner the market for Whiplash treatments and therapy.
Romney is the embodiment of the Groucho Marx quote:
Ah, but we would be called rude to call out to Mitt, "you lie".
But this time it would be true.
Mainstream Media, You have the floor....
Now do your job
HAH! Good one! Funny stuff...
Kerry was for something before he was against it, but Romney is apparently for something WHILE he's against it.
WFT? Seriously? You cannot take credit for the success of things you had nothing to do with. The bailout that saved Chrysler and General Motors was not Romney's idea. Remember that Romney wrote an opted about letting GM go bankrupt. Is this an episode of Fringe? What altered universe is this guy living in? That's it. Every bloody thing that Mitt Romney flips on I will now view it from the alter universe. Fringe Division. There is no other explanation. None.
So Fiat built tanks that killed American soldiers in WWII and slaughtered the defenseless armies of Libya and Ethiopia- and now Fiat owns Chrysler- that sure is a success story and something to be proud of-
Yes fiat built tanks that killed American soldiers in WWII. We were at war and that's what countries do during times of war, they make machines that kill. WWII ended in 1945 we are now in 2012 how many people who were in charge of Fiat do you really think have anything to do with it now or are even alive we're talking near 70 years here people.
This is not about Chrysler or GM, it's about a man who will lie about anything and everything to get elected. How can you vote for a person who doesn't let you know where he stands. I understand that people can change their mind and be influenced but this quickly this often get real.
Look stop taking the credit for President Obamas successes, you're not kidding anyone, oh and stop blaming President Obama for your F*** up's .
Yeah, well Ford manufactured war materiel for Nazi Germany, with slave labor to boot. Shall we run Ford out of business?
the point is- that selling an American auto company to a foreign company- can hardly be viewed as a success- which President Obama claims it to be- and that if the normal bankruptcy process had been allowed to proceed- likely the result would have been different-
ST54 You're right, without the bailout the results would have been different. The loss of the entire auto industry, along with the closure of many suppliers like tire manufacturers, parts, batteries, glass makers, etc. Not to mention the department stores, restaurants, clothing stores, and car dealerships closing.
Estimated direct and indirect job losses could have approached 10 million. All for a flawed ideology.
Thank God for President Obama.
ST54
Do you realize how "American" companies are foreign owned? Quit a lot
http://www.dailyfinance.com/photos/american-icons-that-are-foreign-owned/
Chrysler is no different.
OF COURSE, he does. He's been lying so much in this campaign that he can't tell reality from truth. You know he THOUGHT Obama should bail out the auto industry cuz of his Dad and all, so it MUST be his idea. Seriously, this is what the GOP DOES. They took SO much credit for the economy during Clinton's administration that many bloggers think the Contract with America was a LAW...honest to Pete...I see it all the time and have to 'gently' correct them.
Maybe Mitt will finally take credit for that other big policy that Obama has implemented: OBAMACARE!!! Dum-dum-DUMMMM!!!!! That was Romney's idea, too, whatinit?
This little episode needs to be the final straw, folks. Demand that your local dailies begin using the "liar" word when Mitt Romney and his band of merry anti-reality mouthpieces open their mouths. Or cancel your subscriptions.
And tell the big boys like the NYT, WP, magazines, networks, the same.
Romney can't be for and against the same policy at the same time.
Oh, yes he can, after all he is Mitt Romney. He can and will take all sides of every policy all the time and nobody will notice. At least the media won't notice.
If the MSM were doing its job, Romney would be so far behind, and have so little chance of catching up, that the presidential race would already be over.
Once upon a time, an officer of the Czar was traveling though the Ukraine and saw a barn covered with bulls-eyes. On approaching he saw that every single one of the targets had a bullet hole exactly in its center. Amazed by the marksmanship, he approached the farmer and asked who had shot the holes.
The farmer replied that he had. At which point, the officer made the farmer an irresistible offer to join the Czar's army as a sharpshooter. The farmer accepted.
Upon reaching the regimental training base, the officer immediately set up a demonstration of the new recruit's amazing marksmanship. With a large crowd of observers, the former farmer took aim and fired at the target. A clean miss. Reloading and firing again and again, the new marksman managed to run through all of his powder and shot without hitting the target even once.
When it was over, the outraged officer demanded an explanation for the fiasco. The former farmer replied, "You do this backwards. You should shoot first and then paint the targets."
what part of LET DETROIT GO BANKRUPT
does Willard think we don't get?
I sincerely hope Mitt will be given credit for 4 more years of POB!
"Romney can't be for and against the same policy at the same time."
C'mon, Steve. You know better than that.
I suppose we could all look Mitt's Malignant Mendacity as just a generalization of the Mormon Mendacity doctrine of Lying for the Lord.
Check it out: http://www.mormonwiki.org/Lying_for_the_Lord
I mean, if it's good enough for the Lord, then it's good enough for the Lyin' Sack of Mitt.
Mitt is relying on amnesia and confusion to cover his tracks on the auto bailout. Fortuitously, the Dems have a written column by Romney that can be used against him. The Secret Service scandal, the Edwards trial and other trivial news are lead stories by network evening news, so don't hold your breath waiting for the MSM to do its job when it comes to election politics. I lost faith in the MSM a long time ago. If they had done their job, Iraq might not have happened.
Why does't anyone role tape when anybody does this. It's so easy now to do this and would make them explain themelves there and then with the people watching. Having the claim debunked later doesn't really help.