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After more than six months of marveling at Mitt Romney's propensity for falsehoods, I have to admit it was unsettling to see his campaign's new attack ad, launched yesterday. The spot accuses President Obama of making "untrue" claims about Romney shipping jobs overseas -- Obama's claims are actually quite credible -- and concludes that the president is running a "dishonest campaign."
Think about that for a moment. The candidate whose entire campaign has been built on one falsehood after another, the candidate whose dishonesty is routinely characterized as "almost pathological," the candidate whose near-constant lying puts him in a league of his own among modern politicians, is complaining that his rival is taking liberties with the facts.
There's dishonesty in politics, and then there's meta-dishonesty in politics.
Romney's spokesperson this week declared, "America deserves ... a president who's willing to tell the truth." That seems more than fair. Perhaps the Romney camp can reevaluate that demand after reading the 25th installment of my weekly series, chronicling Mitt's mendacity.
1. In an interview with Fox Business Network's Neil Cavuto, Romney insisted, "Obamacare is killing jobs."
There is literally no evidence to support this claim in any way.
2. In the same interview, Romney, asked about his tax returns, said, "We have of course released all of the financial statements that are required by law and then released two years of tax returns."
Actually, he's only released his tax returns for one full year. Two years wouldn't be enough, but it'd be an improvement.
3. Romney also told Cavuto, of the existing disclosure, "So tax information is there and other financial disclosure is there."
I wish that were true, but the whole point of the recent controversy is that "other financial disclosure" isn't there. We learned about his shell corporation in Bermuda based on one year's tax returns, but we don't know what other disclosures exist because Romney has kept previous returns hidden from the public.
4. Also on Fox Business, Romney said his tax disclosures include "the same information" John Kerry released during his 2004 campaign.
That's plainly false. During his presidential run eight years ago, Kerry released five years of tax returns, and during his Senate campaigns, made a habit of releasing several years' worth of tax documents as part of a commitment to disclosure.
5. Criticizing President Obama's tax-cut plan, Romney said the proposal constitutes "a massive tax increase."
Well, that's obviously a subjective matter, but in reality, 98% of Americans would get a tax cut under the plan. [Update: Commenter VeryVerySad reminds of an important point: 100% of Americans would get a tax cut, but 2% of Americans would pay slightly more on income above $250,000.]
6. Attacking the same plan, Romney said the White House plan "is the sort of thing only an extreme liberal could come up with."
"Extreme liberals" aren't the only people who can think of middle-class tax cut, and there's really nothing "extreme" at all about the president's proposal.
7. At a town-hall meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado, Romney claimed Obama is "putting money into energy companies, solar and wind energy companies that end up making their products outside the United States."
Every aspect to this claim is patently untrue.
8. At the same event, Romney claimed, "This president has increased the rate of new major regulations by about threefold over his predecessor."
That's false. Obama approved fewer regulations in his first three years in office than Bush did in his first three years.
9. Romney added, "I'm going to look at all the programs we have in government and ask this question: Is this program so critical to America that it's worth borrowing money from China to pay for it?"
At a minimum, that's misleading. The implication here is that U.S. debt is financed by the Chinese, but this isn't true -- China only holds about 8% of the nation's debt.
10. Romney went on to say he's "going to get rid of ObamaCare" so the government won't have to borrow more money.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Affordable Care Act will save over $100 billion over the next decade, and over $1 trillion in the decade after that. Romney has it backwards -- we would need to borrow more money if he does "get rid of Obamacare."
11. He added that "dreams are being crushed when taxes go up and up and up on job creators."
Taxes haven't gone up; they've gone down. In fact, Americans' federal tax burden has down and down and down, reaching a 30-year low after Obama cut taxes in 2009.
12. At the same event, Romney said the Affordable Care Act "cuts Medicare by $500 billion."
Romney says this a lot. He's not telling the truth.
13. He also said "no, no, no" to the notion that he would "cut" Medicare.
Romney endorsed Paul Ryan's House Republican Budget plan, which ends the Medicare program and replaces it with a private voucher scheme.
14. In response to a question about the tax code, Romney argued, "For me ... this campaign is about the middle class, and about the poor. It's not about the rich. The rich are going to do fine, whosever elected."
First, Romney intends to give the wealthy a massive tax cut (while they keep their existing massive tax cut). Second, Romney said in February he's "not concerned about the very poor."
15. In his speech to the NAACP, Romney went off-script and said, "You know, there was a survey of the Chamber of Commerce. They carried out a survey of their members, about 1,500 surveyed. And they asked him what effect Obama care would have on their plans and three-quarters of them said it would make them less likely to hire people."
That's not what happened. The Chamber, a pro-Republican lobbying institution heavily invested in helping Romney, put up an unscientific online survey. Treating this as a legitimate poll of businesses is fundamentally dishonest.
16. Responding to an interview the president did with CBS, Romney argued, "President Obama believes that millions of Americans have lost their homes, their jobs and their livelihood because he failed to tell a good story."
Based on what Obama actually said, there is no universe in which that makes any sense at all.
17. Romney's campaign claimed that health care premiums "are $4,893 higher per family than President Obama promised" in 2008.
The claim is both deeply foolish and completely untrue.
18. In a speech in New Hampshire, responding to the new jobs report, Romney complained, "The highest corporate tax rates in the world do not create jobs."
American corporations do not pay the highest tax rates in the world.
19. Describing economic policies that would improve matters, Romney added, "Opening up new markets in Latin America. The president hasn't done that in three and a half years -- no new trade agreements."
I don't know why Romney keeps telling this lie, but he does.
20. In the same speech, Romney added, "Failing to effectively crack down on China for cheating and stealing American jobs -- that has not helped."
Obama has already cracked down on China in ways Romney doesn't seem to understand.
21. Romney went on to say, "The president's policies have not gotten America working again."
22. Asked about his lack of specific ideas on the economy, Romney argued, "I don't think I've seen any from the president that -- that show what he's planning on doing."
Romney doesn't have to like the American Jobs Act, but he shouldn't get away with brazenly lying about its existence.
23. In response to a reporter's question about health care, Romney said, "You know, I've spoken about health care from the day we passed it in -- in Massachusetts and people said, is this something that you'd apply at the federal level? And I said no."
He's clearly not telling the truth.
24. Commenting on his plans to eliminate the deficit, Romney argued, "What I describe in my plan is a series of changes to programs and elimination of programs which save more and more money over time, so we're able to get America to a balanced budget in eight to 10 years -- not in the first year, but eight to 10 years."
There's overwhelming evidence to the contrary. 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.
25. At a fundraiser in Montana, Romney told supporters, "The great majority of small business -- 54% of American workers work in businesses taxed as individuals. So when the president wants to raise taxes on individuals as he's proposed from 35% to 40%, he kills jobs. If your priority is crushing people, vote for him."
Only about 3% of American small businesses would be affected by the higher rate, and there is literally no evidence to suggest Clinton-era top rates on the wealthy "kills jobs."
In conclusion, Jay Rosen argued yesterday that Romney and his team appear to be running a "post-truth" campaign, working under the assumption that the media isn't equipped to report the lies. It's a story that's "too big to tell."
It's a fair point, and with just 115 days until the election, it's a dynamic well worth watching.
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, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV
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Why spend campaign money on media ad buys? Call a Press Conference and simply say: He Lies! to Romney. Provide the Mendacity List to the gathered press and ask them to address each item to Romney and his surrogates. Distribute the unspent campaign money amongst the needy who have been ignored by the Conservatives in Congress.
Simple as that!
As we've seen, the political media is precisely the reason Romney continues lying. They just won't call him on it because their access might get cut off.
Rachel - thank you for your show and your thoroughness in ferreting out bad deeds and lies of the right wing. And you do it in a mature, benefit-of-the-doubt manner with a willingness to accept information that may show you're wrong. Mitt's eyes tell his whole truth - like the kid caught with his hand in the candy jar, no amount of crying, exhortation, blaming can get past the fact that your lying eyes expose the truth.
So... Mitt lies, Obama points out Mitt's lies, Mitt says Obama's lying about Mitt's lies, TRMS points out Mitt's lying about Obama lying about Mitt's lies... also known as the "Nuh-uh times infinity" defense.
Thanks again, Steve, for doing this important but unpleasant job. Mitt Romney is a liar.
Is it too much to ask for a new law that basically states that you must agree under penalty of perjury to tell the truth when you are running for president?
Mittdacity??
If Mitt Romney were to state, "this sentence is a lie," it wouldn't be a logic paradox -- it would just be a lie. Because he doesn't do anything but lie.
I want to see the "WORTH CERTIFICATE!"
Facts, truth and evidence mean nothing to Romney and the rest of the GOP. As long as most of the media are unwilling to call him/them out for their constant lying and the distorting of Obama's record and proposals, Romney and Co. will continue their lying and deceitful ways. For without the lies and distortions, they would be left speechless. The truth does not fit into their narrative, whatsoever. What a tangled web they have woven! Is Romney Spiderman?? Is Peter Parker the CEO of Bain Capital? You have to wonder!
Mitt....as my mother would say, "What a web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" Me thinks you are caught in your own web. Don't blame the president or his campaign....you did this on your own!
The need for principled leadership is great- we have seen the destructive power of the US military unleashed in shamefully unworthy causes, the goal is peace and the folly of peace in Iraq, the ruse of Weapons there(WMD), a feigned military capacity to affect us -was not worthy of the sacrifices of thousands of American lives and sequential losses of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives. We essentially fomented and watched a civil war there and wasted a generation of wealth in the process. I think profits from that war might have easily exceeded $400 billion with a total of spending in the range of $2 trillion, and now we cut teachers. The need for competence is also great, lives too depend upon it and more so well being here- a Republican style of indifferent management brought the economy to its knees and has thus far still kept an emerging generation underemployed and with spare hopes of long term stable employment in the US. Yet one hedge fund manager - protected in his business by rules and laws- earned more than $3billion in a recent year, and we cut firefighters in major cities. We can no longer afford to turn the economy into a trough for the war machine or unbridled greed and concentration of wealth here and abroad while denying the need to seed industries and broad classes of employment for our people here. We have identified plausible and effective goals: infrastructure, high speed rail, synthetic fuels, enhanced food production, better technology for clean water, clean air- minimizing the human causes of global warming. Globally promoting sustainable growth and improvements in food and water security all plausible and doable goals worthy of debt if needed because in the longer term they will pay for themselves many times over. Worthy of public expenditure because there is no higher purpose the promoting the economic well being of all citizens.
MITTENS-Does not have the right to strap his dog on a white station
MITTENS-has no rights to say free stuff for the other guy at a convention
MITTENS -needs to show his TAX RECORDS & SEND THE JOBS BACK TO THE U.S.
outsourcer g-o-pitifool$$$
I like reading this page but wish that there were more facts and sources and not so much "This is a lie."
Follow the links. I would imagine at this point that the list is really quite tedious given the length. But Steve either provides a link or has in the past on the previous lists that listed the same lie.
In regard to #23, I am a disabled person who lives in Massachusetts and has MassHealth. I personally believe it is the only good thing Mittens did while in office here as I am able to get the healthcare that I need for my conditions that I would not be able to have if all I had was Medicare.
I see no reason why this would not work on the Federal level. Other than the fact that Mittens' GOP buddies believe it won't, that is.
Big Daddy had it right...awful smell of "Medacity" here...
When Mitt's father ran for president in 1968, he released 12 years of tax returns. He stated "one year could be a fluke, perhaps done for show." Mitt has released one year, and that revealed he had declared accounts in Bermuda, The Cayman Islands and Switzerland. All countries that are tax havens and have secrecy laws to protect depositors. Not illegal, but highly suspect. Why not Germany, France or Italy? He may and I repeat may release a later year tax return, but he can't release a previous year. You see Mitt doesn't like to pay taxes. When he worked for Bain, they lobbied for the tax break that allows them to pay 15% on carried interest. When they wanted to close the loophole, Bain spent millions again on lobbying. When he was on the board of directors of Marriott, he was Audit Chairman. He reduced their tax rate to 6.8% through offshore tax dodges and sleazy loopholes. Enough of this, the real story starts below.
In 2009 the IRS had a tax amnesty for people that had money in undeclared Swiss bank accounts. The IRS was given a list of 4,500 names, and let the financial world know they were going to go after these people. More than 30,000 people came forward and the government collected 2.7 billion in taxes and penalties. The company that came forward with these names was UBS, the same company that Mitt has his "declared" account with. Some believe up to 10 trillion dollars are stashed in tax havens by Americans. His staff was sweating bullets in January when he released his tax release. Now that there are calls for him to release his previous tax returns, they are back in panic mode. They have no way to explain the mysterious appearing accounts and the sudden surge in assets. If he does release them, look for white out and a copy of Photo Shop at his campaign office.
romney's just not trust worthy, he's already been caught lying thru his own documents at sec, the tax people etc. he refuses to come clean besides his arrogant unexcusable attempts to ignore questions that are going to prove he's a liar and a thug and a criminal. this guy needs to retire and go away he's a complete fool,untrustworthy, and if he told any truths his {plastic surgery on his face would crack} and he would explode into flames a real piece of work since Charles Manson & ZODIAC
the heat is up high in the US it must be Bush blame
Isnt it cute hoe MSNBC is once again going all out charging a presidential candidate with being a "pathological liar", this time its Romney - last time it was Gore.
Some of the same charachters who lied about Gore's lying in 200 - Chris Matthews, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ed Shultz, Eugene Robinson, Mike Barnicle - are this time lying about Romney's lying.
Same old, same old. They pick the candidate that the insider media want and they go wilding on his opponent.
This isnt pro-democrat bias - as if - look how they also treated Bill and Hillary Clinton, this is a bunch of media heathers, with the emotional maturity of a 13 year old mall rat - going to protect their darling and the sad and lonely Obama fanboys just eat it up.
Thank you GE.
"Think about that for a moment. The candidate whose entire campaign has been built on one falsehood after another, the candidate whose dishonesty is routinely characterized as "almost pathological," the candidate whose near-constant lying puts him in a league of his own among modern politicians"
"I will close GITMO on my first day in office"
"I will renegotiate NAFTA"
"I will accept federal funds for the general election"
"I will let the Bush-era tax cuts expire."
"I will pass immigration reform"
"I will not allow lobbyist to serve in my administration"
"I will bring wall street crooks to justice"
"I will respect the medical marijuana laws in states that have them"
I have to agree with Bennen for once. This mans constant lying HAS put him in a league of his own.
ok
Granted. Politicians lie. Then a reasoning person would demand a political class that is as powerless as possible. If they are going to lie then you would want to ensure those lies have as little influence on your life as possible. Obama is the worst possible choice when viewed through this prism.
Keep up the good work Mr. Benen, you are serving your glorious leader in true North Korean style.
Me, I can't wait for the Presidential debates! I would like to see Pres. Obama nail this clown on every single lie he's told the American people!
Why THANK YOU Ms. Maddow,
In you diatribe you exposed the FACT that liberals such as yourself have been LYING about what caused the issues we have today. All along you have lied in telling us that rampant de-regulation and tax cuts "for the rich" are what caused our problems, and in this article you expose those as being patently false. You yourself said that Bush increased regulations MORE than Obama. So HOW could it be that the lack of regulations caused our problems when Bush INCREASED them so much?
As for the current residente of the White house increasing jobs? If his policies are responsible for the improvements, why the the majority of the improvement come BEFORE any of his policies were actually in place? The economy showed rapid improvement VERY shortly after horrible MONTH (where we saw more than 700k people lose their jobs) that the Liberals keep quoting (and trying to imply this MONTH was the typical month ). The recession officially ended in JUNE of 2009 - LONG before any significant portion of Obama's "stimulus" money was allocated LET ALONE spent. Since the stimulus money was actually in place, the rate of improvement has stalled - and in fact REVERSED.
Just a little TRUTH for you who have drunk the Obama kool-aid and who pursue policies that are destroying our freedom and our prosperity.