Campaigning in St. Louis yesterday, Mitt Romney, reading from his teleprompter, told supporters he would never be a "president of doubt and deception."
You could almost hear irony weeping. After all, as Kevin Drum explained, "I expect political candidates to bend the truth a fair amount.... But Romney's willingness to flat-out lie is singular."
Or as Rachel explained just last night, "Mr. Romney gets caught saying things that are factually wrong, and the thing that is different about him is that he does not mind; he doesn't fix it; he doesn't even try to worm out of it. He doesn't appear to feel any shame about it at all -- and he's happy to keep telling the lie once he knows it is a lie."
As has become painfully clear, Romney's reliance on "deception" has practically become an addiction. To help appreciate the scope of the dishonesty, consider the 21st installment of my weekly series, chronicling Mitt's mendacity.
1. Campaigning in Texas, Romney argued, "[W]ith America in crisis, with 23 million people out of work or stopped looking for work, [President Obama] hasn't put forth a plan to get us working again. Now I know we're getting close to an election so he'll come out with one soon, but three and a half years later, we're waiting."
No, actually we're not.
2. Referencing Noam Scheiber's book, "The Escape Artists," told a remarkable tale about Obama and his aides, saying, "[T]here was discussion about the fact that Obamacare would slow down the economic recovery in this country." He added that the administration "knew" the health care reform package would hurt the economy, "but they concluded that we would all forget how long the recovery took once it had happened, so they decided to go ahead."
Given the relevant details, Romney is "just making stuff up" with this deceptive tale.
3. Romney added that he's concerned about the millions of Americans "on food stamps, most of whom never expected that would be their course."
This, at a minimum, is misleading, given that Romney enthusiastically endorsed a budget plan that slashes food stamps.
4. In the same speech, Romney said the Affordable Care Act includes a "job-killing mandate."
The individual mandate in the law does not undermine job creation, and more importantly, Romney championed the same mandate policy for years.
5. In the same speech, Romney rhetorically asked, "Did the trillion-dollar deficits make it more likely for people to invest in America?"
First, the drivers behind the deficits are Bush-era policies, so blaming Obama for them is dishonest. Second, the deficits have not adversely affected investors' willingness to invest in America.
6. Romney also argued that Obama isn't really for an "all the above" energy policy: "All of the above means that you like oil and gas and coal and nuclear and renewables. And yet he has made it harder and harder to take advantage of some of those."
Actually, that's the opposite of the truth. Obama has expanded renewables and expanded nuclear plants. Also, coal production is up; we have more natural gas than we know what to do with; and oil production is up. Obama's support for "all of the above" continues.
7. Romney said Obama has blamed "the ATM machines" for the slow recovery.
As his lies go, this one's just dumb.
8. Romney also said of the president, "His idea is to make America more like Europe."
As it turns out, that's backwards. Europe is trying (and failing) to grow through austerity measures, which is what Romney, not Obama, intends to do here.
9. Romney went on to argue, "If [Obama's] president, you're going to see more trillion-dollar deficits. And they're going to put us on a path to becoming like Greece."
In reality, Obama is already on track to reduce the deficit below a trillion in his second term, and comparing our path to Greece has no basis in reality.
10. Romney also said, "If I'm president, I'm going to put America on a track to get a balanced budget. It's immoral and wrong for us to pass on these obligation to our kids."
That's plainly false. Romney says his plan "can't be scored," but independent budget analysts have found his agenda would make the deficit bigger, not smaller, and add trillions to the national debt.
11. In a campaign ad, Romney claims, in reference to the federal loan guarantee Solyndra received, "The inspector general said contracts were steered to friends and family."
That's as clear a lie as the campaign has told all year.
12. In St. Louis, Romney claimed the Recovery Act "left us with record unemployment."
Actually, millions of Americans owe their jobs to the Recovery Act, and the unemployment rate isn't at a "record" high -- it's lower now than when Obama took office, and it didn't get as high as it did in Reagan's first term.
13. He also argued, "Over the last three and a half years, record numbers of Americans have lost their jobs or simply disappeared from the work force."
The only way in which that makes any sense is if you use standards the Romney campaign rejects.
15. Romney went on to say, "For a family watching their house being sold at foreclosure ... the results are just as devastating."
Romney has no intention of intervening to stop foreclosures.
16. Romney also argued, "Today, government at all levels consumes 37 percent of the total economy or G.D.P. If Obamacare is allowed to stand, government will reach half of the American economy."
There is no version of reality in which this is true.
17. Romney promised, "[F]or every government-spending proposal, I will ask the following question: 'Is this program so important that it is worth borrowing more money from China to pay for it?'"
The implication here is that U.S. debt is financed by the Chinese. This isn't true -- China only holds about 8% of the nation's debt.
18. Describing President Obama's economic vision, Romney said, "There is nothing fair about a government that favors political connections over honest competition."
This is a serious allegation of corruption, which Romney has backed up with literally no facts of evidence at all.
19. The Romney campaign claimed in a press release, "Under President Obama, the nation has lost 552,000 jobs."
Again, according to the Romney campaign's own standards, the Romney campaign isn't being honest.
20. And finally, the Romney campaign argued this week that the taxpayer investment in Konarka Technologies during Romney's tenure as governor "was approved by the prior administration. The governor made it clear that his philosophy was that government should not be in the business of venture investing."
That's a nice attempt at spin, but it's not even close to being true.
Previous editions of Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity: Vol. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII,XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XX
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Republicans in general, and Romney specifically have become increasingly brazen in their lying. The reason why is because they've made the calculation that they own the airwaves. FOX News will not only report what they say as fact, but will actively collaborate in the lie of the moment. The main-stream media has been successfully bullied into equating false equivalence with "balance". And with Citizens United, there is no upper limit to their ability to repeat their lies, endlessly, to an electorate too apathetic and inattentive to critically evaluate them.
What we saw in Wisconsin is nothing more than a trial run for what's coming this Summer and Fall. Romney will lie with impunity, and the facts will be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the conservative slander Machine.
Romney has adoped the Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell strategy of only talking to Fox. He will never go on the Rachel Maddow Show or Meet the Press. Until he does and is forced to justify his lies in an unscripted environment he is nothing but a snake oil salesman from the 1880's.
That is because Fox is really just a PR Firm for the Republican party.
Yes - of course- the "private sector is doing fine".-Obama
It's actually this article that is mendacious. No big fan of Romney, each and every example given isn't a lie at all, but a difference of viewpoints on matters on which reasonable people can differ. Truth is, whatever "plan" the President has given us, it isn't an effective and prudent attempt at triggering economic growth. The fact that the President talked about need to create more government jobs tells you exactly how bad his economic ideas really are. They're downright insane.
Oh come on, "the private sector is doing just fine", or the stimulus One and Two were successful, that's why we need stimulus Three--HUH??? "I had the slowest debt in history"HUH?? Is that way under Obama-the debt TRIPLED (more that the last 4 Presidents COMBINED). I know, I know they are just FACTS, yes Inconvenient, but FACTS none the less, so of course they have to be IGNORED. Just like the "my administration will be the Cleanest in history"--then enter Eric "corrupt" Holder and Fast and Furious, then the leakage in security, then the drones dropping bombs on civilians (yet when Bush merely killed terrorists and they allies), you guys jumped all over him, but nary a word on Obama-the true "baby killer". Give me a break--you reek of Hypocrisy!!!
"Obama-the true 'baby killer' you say? Wrong!......errrrrrrrr, I guess you didn't know that Mitt Romney has made a fourtune from a Bain invested company called "Stericyle" which disposes of medical waste i.e. aborted fetuses. Give me a break...why don't you wake up and see the trees in the forest.
I would say that the completed Mendacity Chronicles would make a great book, but that book would be hitting the remainder racks come 11/7.
I would think it'd at least warrant a dedicated website (this is a hint for TRMS, or whomever...). I direct people to the "Mendacities" columns fairly often, and a dedicated website'd make that a lot easier. :)
"...Romney's reliance on "deception" has practically become an addiction."
I wouldn't call it an addiction. I'd call it a strategy. The only one that is available if he wants to win.
And he will win. Democrats are politically impotent.
You are either a Republican or a fool.
But I repeat myself.
Well, I'm not a Republican, so I guess I'm a fool.
You realize Obama's falling behind in Michigan, right? Can you imagine that? A campaign is losing to a candidate whose suggestion in a famous op-ed column would have resulted in Michigan's most important and flagship industry ceasing to exist. Let that sink in: Obama is losing to Romney, whose ideas, if implemented, would have liquidated the American auto industry.
And if the roles were reversed, do you think the Republican would be losing? Who's the fool? And who is impotent?
The Democrats are politically incompetent and impotent. Fine.
If they keep bringing a knife to a gunfight...... they will lose. Is anyone, Anyone outside the liberal blogs and MSNBC taken the time to point out Willard is lying? ...what a mostly true from politifact for every out and out lie he has generated , an occasional Pshaw from Mika on Mourning Joe .
The MSM cards are stacked against Obama. As long as you have drooling idiots who will look you in the eye a week before the election an parrot Beavis and Butthead "Uhhh...Uhhh I haven't made up my mind " it lets you know that money will win.
The Democrats SHOULD HAVE LEARNED BY NOW that the media is not going to paint an honest picture of reality; they are going to paint a false-equivalent picture of reality and engage in fake even-handedness. So, if Democrats want to get reality into the media they have to make statements that tell their story. The statements have to be made VERY, VERY BOLDLY and STRONGLY. They can pull no punches. Instead, Obama's campaign still won't even say the word "Republican." They say: "...tell Congess to act..." when they should say "...tell the fu king Republicans to stop obstructing efforts to put Americans to work..."
(OK, they could leave out the "fu king"; you get the picture.)
Democrats are whimpering, cowering, itty bitty scaredy cats in a nation that reflexively demands testosterone-driven, obnoxious alpha males. This is why they lose even when the public agrees with them on the issues. It's happened over and over and over and Democrats NEVER learn.
Have you happened to notice that you aren't griping about President McCain?
Please spare everyone the "we suck" whining.
Accidentally hit the upvote button, rather than reply.
Democrats are hardly politically impotent, and your pseudo handwringing is just designed to make people think Democrats are pushovers, bending to the Will to Power of the GOP.
They are pushovers. Over and over and over.
As much as I hate to admit it, disgusted and sick are absolutely right. I'm a staunch democrat who worked for the Obama campaign (and I will vote for him again). The Republicans have found a method that works, lie as if your life depended on it, and keep lying in the hope that FOX will convince people that it is the truth. I know many otherwise intelligent people who constantly spew the talkingpoint/lies as if they are gospel truth and I'm led to believe that the tactic works. The democrats will have the moral victory by taking the high road, but that will be of little consolation when we are faced with the prospect of President Romney. Democrats don't have the balls that republicans have and that's what many people find attractive. Sorry, but it's true...
It's a fact the tactic works. All one has to do is read Goebbels and look at his results. Guess who are fans of Goebbels? Rove and Luntz.
You butchered it. You clearly meant to echo Mark Twain's "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." It's not an either/or thing. It's just and.
He obviously believes that his base doesn't have a problem with outrageous lies. We need to establish a psychiatric profile on Romney, and try to understand how he can reconcile deliberate, provable lies with his high status in the Morman faith.
Spin it any way you like and it's still Obama for bigger government.
I think Romney would gladly perform a psychiatric profile only if Obama would release his college records. Would be interesting to see how good the boy-geniuses grades are...
DisgustedWithItAlll, I can't take your statement seriously 'cause of your user pic
"Campaigning in St. Louis yesterday, Mitt Romney, reading from his teleprompter, told supporters he would never be a "president of doubt and deception.""
Well, he got part of that right. He will never be President of the United States.
It's thinking like that from Democrats that will ensure next January you will be saying "President Romney."
Thank you for being keeping an eye on this and keeping us informed! That said this is just downright scary. It's like a step back in time. We have two candidates and this one is a complete mess. Lying, bending truths, deception. I shudder at the thought of him being President. Unfortunately, the economic situation gives him a decent shot and his chances in November are all but impossible. He's just running as the anti-Obama, I have yet to hear him leverage his own merits on any issue. Immigration, Foreign Policy, National Security, Tax Reform, the list goes on... There's a large swath of the electorate that would vote for him simply because he's not Obama. They did it in France with Francois Hollande over Nicolas Sarkozy, the hope is that they don't do it here...
I love these accounts. I read them and shake my head in amazement each time.
So, the press now has a right bias? Of course! Let's see, there's Fox News and then there's...wait, there's....I know that there is another right leaning media outlet...it's on the tip of my tongue...
I noticed recently that Jake Tapper called Mitt out on the Inspector General lie. So well done, MSM. The fact that Romney's a pathological liar is now "old news," and you need never cover it again. In fact, you shouldn't cover the fact that he's a pathological liar because "everybody knows" it so it would be boring and stuff. And anyway, this one time, a Democrat told a lie too.
as always, thank you for this service to your country.
Unfortunately this brilliant exposé is preaching to the choir. Isn't there any way you can reach a wider audience - like compiling these into an editorial for the New York Times and Washington Post - or sending it directly to Associated Press in the hopes that some small papers will pick it up?
You pretty funny lady.... Small papers ???AP ??? NYT ??????
They all know Willard is lying . If they tell the truth they won't have a horse race. Without a horse race they will not be able to sell advertising . You fatal mistake is thinking thay are in the news business . They are in the selling business
BettyD, someone once posted "preaching to the converted" is more appropriate on this site.
Also the MSM knows Romney lies. They are just giving him a free pass. They sell more newspapers this way.
If it had any truth to it might be worth publishing- but most people know Maddow lies and is the tank for Obama. So who would believe her anyway.
He spoke one truth from the first paragraph he would never be a president.
Mitt is convinced his Presidency is bought and paid for. So his lies don't matter. Keep up the pressure Benen. Good job.
What a fun entry. i email the link to all my republican co-workers. i like to "stir the pot"
And they promptly dismiss it, right?
They try to convince me i'm wrong. It's no problem. they are the typical under informed voters
Yes, but the point is is that Romney REALLY IS LYING. That is reality. That is the truth. It is not subjective. It is objective fact. But reality is dismissed by your Republican co-workers and the unbelievable thing is is that there is NOTHING you can do to make them understand that. Even on matters of technical, objective fact like various economic metrics, climate change, health care costs, etc., they can't and won't be made to realize the truth. That is the problem this nation faces.
It is like their religion.
I live in Kentucky. nuff said
Me too, John. Louisville.
I think when you're amongst the wingnuts and gain a familiarity with their granite-shielded heads you understand a whole lot more what the country is up against much more so than people who are shielded from it in other parts of the country. It's also the reason I've become much more strident recently. This is REAL. The Republicans mean business. They are going to kill SS, etc. People really don't understand that. What we're about to lose is the entire 20th century.
And I'm only in Louisville which is pretty much an oasis of civilization in Kentucky. I can't imagine how frickin' awful it is in the rest of the state.
Louisville is an oasis..I've a few friends there. I can relate..I'm in Austin. Though I'm sorry to say that my home town seems to be getting redder every year.
They've managed to find loopholes in The Bible.
Considering Maddow is the source, who would ever believe the lies she prints.
That's right - they are uninformed. But then - they did carry the day in 2010. And they did carry the day in Wisconsin just a week or so ago...I think your co-workers are having the last laugh, eh, funny guy?
Republicans talk about the "lame street media" but it seems to me nobody is picking up on the lies. It is the job of journalists to keep the public informed and this includes pointing out the lies. MSN does a good job of pointing out the Republican lies (but most republicans don't trust the truth from this station) and Fox does a good job of pointing out the lies of the Democrats (but most Democrats won't trust them) so we need PBS, NBC, ABC and CBS to start a bit on their news coverage "uncovering the truth" point out the lies on both sides and inform the country like you are supposed to.
It also seems that news casters have a hard time saying the word lie
Yes. The most common euphemism is "inaccuracy" when they should have said "LIE."
The Democrats have yet to fight back on the "Death Panel" claims made by Pallin! GOP learned a lot about what works and how Democrats respond when they Swift Boated Kerry so successfully. Democrats come unarmed to a gunfight.
Sometimes they don't even make it to the fight. They've already scampered off with their tails between their legs and forfeited the entire issue.
Romney is a sociopath. Romney as commander of the troops reminds me of Lord Faquaad from the Shreck movie. He stood on the balcony addressing troops he was about to send into war and gave them a rousing speech. Part of that speech; "I know that some of you men might die, but that is a risk I am willing to take!"
When talking about the cartoon character Romney in the role of Commander and Chief I would like to suggest that he be referred to as Lord Romney Faquadd. Dress the miscreant in the cartoon character's garb, and represent him for the fool that he is.
The only live rounds that ever passed over his head were served in cocktail glasses at some country club.
A sociopath? Do you even know what a sociopath is? Christ - it's a wonder you even know how to post on the internet. I suppose the reference to Shrek does give us a much better indication of your age (infantile) and intelligence (negligent) though.
It's too bad this character is runnig for office and we have too put up with his garbage for five more months , makes me sick :- (
Lord Fakehead is a terrible character, ask the Archangel Michael.
It will be more than five months - try 8 years. You are going to need a lot of pepto...
Yesterday I was watching Romney (on TV) being called out on one of his lies and the only thing he had to say was, "what's good for the sauce is good for the gander." I assume he was implying the other side lies which "justified" lying, too.
More importantly I got a very clear sense that Romney seems to really believe he has to not only lie about his opponent, but destroy Obama both politically & personally in order to win. This is not hyperbole; it is a Karl Rove strategy.
Time and again, Rove has said, in order to achieve his end goal of a permanent Republican majority "the end justifies the means" -- something Romney is all to happy to oblige. It is called the politics of personal destruction. Lying is only 1-aspect of it.
"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." ~ Plato
I think Romneys' on the sauce and he's tying the gander to the hood of his car as we speak.
Romney can lie because the election for many is about anger and catharsis - and nothing else. Anger that public workers have the health care and retirement benefits that are being taken away from many. Anger at unions that equal, in thought, 'Mafia'. Anger at Affirmative Action with an African American president and the children of rich black doctors getting perks. Welfare recipients and their lier loans caused the economy to collapse. Lies stoke the anger and the facts mean nothing. Lie, lie, lie, pump up the rage, hint at black and public employee 'privlidges'. Blind the voters. Divide and conquer. Seperate police and fire unions from others; for now.
Elizabeth Warren, in Mass. has been tied to perceived Affirmative Action discrimination. (American Indian). She is toast!
I'm glad it isn't this bad in my country.. but it probably will be sooner or later. Bleh.
Don't forget about us like our country has.
Napoleon Bonaparte said:
“In politics... never retreat, never retract... never admit a mistake.”
That could be the problem.
Can someone creative make a couple dozen tv campaign ads off of all of these lies. Just overwhelm them with a large dose of reality, of which some voters might just pick up enough to realize a vote for Romney is insane. He is the worse presidential candidate in US History. One term lousy governor, losing US Senator, Rockefeller rich inheritance baby without the social conscious, draft dodger who supported the Vietnam War, and a pathological liar.
Here's one you can have, Cas...
I used it originally on exmormon.org, a website that seems to be handing out a lot of "insider information" on Romney's religion; originally I was mocking the "Southern Utah Hillbillies" with it, when I said "Praise the Lard and pass the Etch-a-Sketch."
You're welcome to the "Praise the Lord" version since it will have more appeal. The classic mocking of Southern Utahovian speech is "Good Lard, Darothy, that's a gargeous farmal."
A commercial lasting 30 minutes proving all the lies that Steve and Rachel have proven are true can be dismissed by an offhand remark by Eric Cantor dismissing the liberals as being desperate, and then citing one of their own, Bill Clinton as calling for an extension of the Bush tax cuts.
I think they should have leaflets made with The Three stooges, Romney, Trump, and whoever the lucky contestant is. In captions, it could read "Give us all the rest of your money, God knows we need it more than you do" then, they could list all of their assets starting with the car elevator and The Trump towers. There's a lot that can be done to reawaken the memories of the GOP. Noone said it would be easy, now let's get back to the start.
I have read all the comments and I agree with most of them. Steve Benen has their number and everything he writes is factually correct but to a lot of America, facts don't matter. I am starting to think of Mitt Romney in the same way I think of I think of Duane Gish, Kent Hovind, Wendy Wright, Ray Comfort, and Casey Luskin.
Creationists are not bound by facts, and it is impossible to debunk them. The nonsense they spout: "Evolution is only a Theory", "The human eye is too complex to have evolved", and "There are too many gaps in the fossil record" correlate completely with "You can't raise taxes on job creators", "The way to prosperity for all is to cut taxes for the rich", "Excessive regulations are crippling our economy".
The two groups are for all practical purposes one in the same.
There is this one thing though, one group is looking for blood the other is not. I will gladly give up my last piece of bread to my friend. I would rather eat dirt then get into bed with any of those crooks.
It is a glaring contradiction between what right wingers say about honor and respect for a man whose word and his handshake is worth more than words or fineprint written into any contract, and what the facts are in Mitt Romney's trail of lies and deceit that they embrace. Republicans think of themselves as embodying the Dodge Ram philosophy that Sam Elliot so eloquently states. Romney embraces birtherism through his surrogate Trump and seems to get a pass on it.
The Arabs who are so hated in the circles that Romney followers frequent constantly bring up the moral deception that is allowed by Islam and how they deceive by the use of "taqiyya" and "hudna". They warn any God-fearing Christians of those despicable practices. My question is": By what law of Mormonism is it acceptible to lie and deliberately deceive us? Is there a name for that law other than "The ends justify the Means?
I really had a problem with The Mormon Bible, it was stated that the chapters were written by different people but, they all begin with the same sentence as if it was all written by one individual. The Bible clearly states that nothing in it should be changed yet the Mormon book is an attempt to rewrite History and the bible. If what The Mormon religion believe is true then why hasn't it been added on to the newer versions of The bible if it is trying to affirm Divine Prophecy.
Angel#77,
You haven't actually looked a Book of Mormon, have you? Anyone who has knows you are not telling the truth. And the Book of Mormon is not an attempt to change the Bible or rewrite history, it is additional prophecy and the word of God given to different people in different places. If and when more Christians recognize this fact, they will add it to the scripture of the Bible. Some of us already have, so your last question really doesn't make much sense.
Allofyoucanetchit, I read it in the 90's have they already paraphrased it? This was just my impression, I couldn't finish reading it because they were mocking the language used in ancient times. I will get another copy, but I find it boring. The Mormon Church is on my list as one to visit. I just don't know if they'll let me in, I will tell them I'm from the crazy ward.
It's obvious you are lying and completely unaware of The Book of Mormon...I'm not Mormon and even I can tell you are mocking and a fool when it comes to their faith.
Hey MSNBC, is big Ed still waiting for those absentees from Wisconsin to tip the race?
Does Obama still deny he was a member of the Acorn affiliate the socialist New Party? Archives of Acorn contain memos stating he applied for membership.