Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has presented the political world with an important test. I'm eager to see whether we pass or fail.
First, a little background. Some Republican governors this year asked the Obama administration for some new flexibility on welfare standards -- the governors had some ideas about moving folks from welfare to work and needed the White House to sign off. Obama agreed -- existing work requirements would stay in place, but states, if they want to, can take advantage of new flexibility when it comes to experimenting with existing law.
This is the sort of shifting-power-to-the-states policy that Republicans are supposed to love. As of this morning, however, it's the basis for a new Mitt Romney attack ad.
It's important to realize this is as dishonest an ad as you'll ever see -- in 2012 or in any other campaign cycle.
For those who can't watch clips online, the ad shows President Clinton signing welfare reform into law in 1996, "requiring work for welfare." The spot then argues, however, that President Obama "quietly announced a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements." The voiceover tells viewers, "Under Obama's plan, you wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train for a job. They just send you your welfare check.... and welfare to work goes back to being plain old welfare."
We then learn, "Mitt Romney will restore the work requirement because it works."
Romney's lying. He's not spinning the truth to his advantage; he's not hiding in a gray area between fact and fiction; he's just lying. The law hasn't been "gutted"; the work requirement hasn't been "dropped." Stations that air this ad are disseminating an obvious, demonstrable lie.
All Obama did is agree to Republican governors' request for flexibility. That's it. Indeed, perhaps the most jaw-dropping aspect of this is that Romney himself, during his one gubernatorial term, asked for the same kind of flexibility on welfare law that Obama agreed to last month. Romney, in other words, is attacking the president for doing what Romney asked the executive branch to do in 2005.
The entire line of attack is simply insane.
And that brings us back to the test for the political world.
How are we to respond to a campaign that deliberately deceives the public without shame? This lie about welfare policy comes on the heels of Romney's lie about voting rights in Ohio, which came on the heels of Romney's lies about the economy; which came on the heels of Romney's lies about health care; which came on the heels of Romney's lies about taxes.
The Republican nominee for president is working under the assumption that he can make transparently false claims, in writing and in campaign advertising, with impunity. Romney is convinced that there are no consequences for breathtaking dishonesty.
The test, then, comes down to a simple question: is he right?
The cynical response to an ad like this is that the lies are routine -- it's just something "everybody" in politics does. That's wrong. An ad this dishonest is a genuine scandal and it's time for political observers treat it as such. Reporters within earshot of the candidate shouldn't ask, "What about the gaffes?" They should ask, "Why are you lying about welfare policy?"
Also note the larger context: if Obama were as awful a president as Romney claims, the Republican attack machine wouldn't have to make stuff up -- the truth would be so brutal that voters would recoil and flock to the GOP candidate naturally. What does it say about Romney's strength as a candidate that he has to make up garbage and hope voters don't know the difference?
Postscript: I'd be remiss if I neglected to mention the racial subtext of an attack ad like this one. For decades, Republicans used "welfare" as part of a racially-charged message ("Democrats want to give white people's money to lazy black people who'll get checks for sitting around"). I can't speak to Romney's motivations -- I'm not a mind-reader -- but the language in the ad harkens back to the kind of ugly and racially divisive rhetoric we heard from GOP candidates for far too long.
It's quite likely Team Romney would prefer to spend the next several days debating whether or not his new attack ad is racist -- it'd beat talking about his secret tax returns -- but that's not much of an excuse.
Indeed, it's what arguably makes this ad, not just painfully dishonest, but also disgusting. If Romney has any shame left, now would be a good time for him to take a long look in the mirror and come to terms with what he's become.
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"this is as dishonest an ad as you'll ever see"
Oh, come on! It's only early August! We ain't seen NOTHING yet.
When do we get to see the one where the Mars Rover is really up there to search for Obama's father and Obama is sticking us taxpayers with the bill?
Let me appeal to all to take this particular issue/ad and challenge your local papers, TV stations and also challenge the major national new outlets like the NYT and WP to cover it and cover it fair and accurately, i.e., truthfully and without the ridiculous "balance/false equivalence" they find so addictive. E-mail reporters, station managers, and especially editors.
You may complain, but also understand that because Mitt Romney appears in this ad, it is considered a "use" by the FCC, which means that TV stations cannot censor the ad.
That does not mean that news shows can't cover it.
But they can comment on it and expose it for the fraud it is. (And yeah, I know what's going to happen.)
So, the fact that in 1998 Obama spoke out against the 1996 act, has no bearing in the fact that the Dept of Health and Human Services issued the directive to waive a section of a bill passed by a Republican controlled Congress, and signed by then-President Clinton?
I am really confuse on who is actually spinning the lies.
Of course a Concern Troll is confused. That's because the concern troll forgets which side it's on sometimes.
Let me make this simple for you, Concern Troll. Two Republican governors asked for flexibility in administering the Welfare reform laws recently. These governors were Republicans, one from Nevada, and one from Utah(!). Now, Mitt Romney was also a Republican governor who asked for flexibility on the law. Interesting that now Mr. Romney decides that the Obama Administration, in granting the Republican governors the flexibility they wished for and they he himself was granted, is now claiming this is an effort taken by the Administration to weaken the Welfare reform laws. Also interesting is the convenient unconcern by states-rights Republicans that they should welcome a Democratic Administration granting some flexibility to the states in this particular instance. Of course, there have been no prior instances of Mitt Romney's hypocrisy to help view this particular nonsense through, either.
Does that help you out, Concern Troll? Or are you so fu king stupid you still don't get it?
Truth or not this forces President Obama to proclaim his hard stance on welfare and work requirements.
Not so great for his re-election.
Really TRMS?........such language in this blog
Hoo boy! That's some hard fluffin' goin' down with you Concern Troll.
Way to admit you really don't give a damn about whether it's a fu king lie or not. And I guess we can dispense with the "Concern" in Concern Troll, and just consider you an outright Troll. But I guess Wingnut Troll is more accurate. And if you think that's this issue is really something that's gonna turn those irresponsive inattentive undecideds, then you're really searching, Fluff. It pretty much shows you your Team Republican's desperation.
It's too bad Wingnut World is having to resort to manufactured lies as its sole campaign strategy to try to compete. But I guess that what you boys have to do when the 30+ years of failed conservative economic ideas and policies have resulted in suffocating inequality not seen since the Great Depression, income class immobility never seen in American history, and a worldwide Great Recession. The alternative would be to own up to the failures, and that can't be done lest political extinction resulted. So it's double down time, consequences to the nation be damned, and lie, lie, lie. Good ethical, moral choice you've made as a member of Team Republican, Fluffy.
Displaying your delicate sensibilities over niceties such as language is very touching. May I suggest a fainting couch.
Got to love that Haterade
Drink on!
Weak sauce, Wingnut Troll. After the asswhole surgery you just got, you'll need to make an appointment for rehab therapy. Call me in about two weeks when you can walk again.
Larry Stauth Jr.
Give me a link to the so-called 1998 action of President Obama regarding the 1996 welfare reform act. I have tried but, I cannot find anything pointing to this. He was working in the State of Illinois as a State Senator. He was not in federal office until 2005 as a Senator from Illinois. Where did you learn of this 1998 action?
From the voices that are with him always.
The man is the slime you find at the bottom of a rotting barrel in some barnyard.
Anything this man says is not to be true. He wants more of the people's money, and this is why he is attacking/lying and misleading the public.
The man and his whole family wouldn't know how to work an honest job for a day, much less speak the truth.
People like Robme are bottom feeders. They feed off the poor for their wealth.
Off with his head!
Obama 2012
Figuratively speaking, of course. I think we're saving the guillotine for later, right?
What is really a shame is that people believe this ad. I have already seen it in the comment sections of other articles. They just believe everything Romney says without researching the facts for themselves.
-that's a teapublican for you.
You are so right. The uninformed chatter out there is disgustingly frightening. Their arguments have very little substance or logic.
For years I've received chain e-mails and conservative ranting without the sender bothering to check if it's true. It's very sad, but many people believe anything that shows up in their inbox or on TV. It takes energy and a little time to actually check links or sources. It doesn't matter how many times I look things up on Snopes, send them rebuttals, new information, it doesn't matter. They still believe whatever they sent. It's not rational, it's crazy, but there it is.
I think you said it all right there, "it's crazy". It doesn't seem to matter that these things can be proven to be lies, even if the sources you prove it to be lies with is not a Liberal one. There is just something wrong with their brains that prevents them from accepting anything outside of their little box of reality.
I remember when McCain was campaigning, and they showed that woman who said Obama was a Muslim. McCain set her straight and he earned a ton of my respect that day. The GOP has decided it can prey on that type of person and it is betting that a majority of American's are either that stupid or that fed up with Obama, that they will vote Romney into office.
I think the real test is this, are the majority of Americans really that stupid. The election will give us the answer. I'm admittedly worried though, because I felt the same way when Bush got elected into his second term in office, and in my mind, we failed the test that time.
I just hope America passes the test this time.
"I think the real test is this, are the majority of Americans really that stupid."
You really want to know the answer to that question? Just watch a few hours of "Fox and Friends," a few Faux News analysis shows, even their regular news (unless you're watching Shepard Smith). You won't have to guess.
The answer is YES. Just take a look at the dopes they voted in for Congress.
@mpguy and sandman
Well, I guess that mean Romney is going to win the election then. I prefer to remain hopeful that the majority is not that stupid, and that Obama will get reelected.
Team Obama does the same thing with lying attack ads. This is a non news story. There will be way worse ads coming down the pike as the election nears. This will be a very ugly election.
Well, I knew some doink would pipe up with the good-old false-equivalency thing. I can't help but notice that nothing substantive was put forward as actual proof of the assertion. Seriously, just because you think you're being clever, it doesn't mean that anyone else will.
“Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.”
― Frantz Fanon
"If Romney has any shame left . . ."
Huh? Did he ever demonstrate a sense of shame?
This will also be a major test for the corporately owned media and they will fail it.
Watching CBS National News this morning... Obama campaign suit against Ohio early voting. Naturally, it was "the Obama campaign says, the Romney campaign says".
The corporately owned media (other than the republican propaganda channel Fox) would not want to appear biased by stating the truth.
Nothing to see here, move along.
Yep, truth is biased, and the traditional COM must not appear biased lest they be charged as "librul."
"How are we to respond to a campaign that deliberately deceives the public without shame?"
The media will respond as they always do with silence. The sheeple will lap it up as "manna falling from heaven"! And maybe since Sen. Reid is turning into the HULK will give a little push-back on these lies!
Once again, I am waiting for Rachel and Steve Benen to confront their bosses at NBC/Comcast, publicly, with the lies that NBC is willing to tell without pushback. It is all well and good for us individual commenters to write letters and sign petitions, but until someone in the MSM, and I include TRMS, takes the risk we are being asked to take, nothing will change. When NBC buys a Romney ad that is a blatant lie, even if it meets the FCC/FEC regulations, they are perpetuating the lies, knowing that the "average" viewer will take it as fact. Come on, Rachel, you have enough money to survive a suspension from MSNBC/NBC, and I'm sure there are plenty of other outlets that will pay you to comment. What is your tipping point?
A love affair between the GOP and Clinton? C'mon, who didn't know those two crazy kids had to get together by the end of the movie.
Dick Morris is like a proud father, feeling vindicated at last.
"Opinions on shape of the Earth differ."
Does Dubya Mitt Romney have any shame LEFT?
When has he ever had ANY shame? Take him all the way back to assaulting that kid at Cranbrook Academy when Dubya Mitt was a teenager. Did he have any shame then? This guy's a lying, soulless weasel. He has as much use for shame as a rabid badger has for compassion. And his party, and the people who vote for its candidates, are every bit as bad as he is.
This isn't an election we're engaged in. It's an existential war.
Please leave weasles out of this. Weasles feel insulted when you compare Mitt to them.
I've known weasels. Weasels were good pets of mine.
And Mitt, you're no weasel.
I take this as evidence that the President's criticisms of Romney have stung. Democrats need to stay on the attack.
This IS the Republicans party. This IS what America has become. This IS what Republicans have forced America to become.
Welcome to the American Post-Truth Dystopia.
Hey, it's "Amercia" dude!
My bad: Welcome to the Amercian Post-Truth Dystopia.
Why do the teapubs and Willard hate America so much?
I never actually get the hatred of welfare thing. It's kind of like the people who hate to see Oscar Pistorius run in the Olympics. If it bothers you that much, imagine how much it would bother you trading places with him
That's a very bad analogy. There are serious reasons for not accepting that Pistorius has a right to compete in the Olympics and still being able to be sympathetic to his particular circumstance. And there's very little reason to dismiss the necessity of Welfare in an economic system as brutal and unfair as ours can be because of a perceived yet unsubstantiated assumption of freeloading and laziness.
The RNC is attempting to revitalize the old Regan welfare Cadillac theme. Here in the 21st century it is impossible for a mother who is receiving welfare to go to work at any of these grease bag fast food chains, or attend job training/education programs, without help on child care. Subsidized child care for these recipients has been gutted. SNAP, also being gutted under the farm bill. So yeah, White Mittens, let's talk about who's "gutting" what. Let the debates begin.
Well, the AP coverage is better than expected (how's that for faint praise?)
Also noted elsewhere: one of those Republican governors who requested waivers was the Governor of Massachusetts in 2005.
That headline should read "Romney FALSELY accuses Obama of dismantling welfare reform." That would constitute a fair reading of the facts.
.
No, that was a really crappy article. It spent two seconds of he-said-he-said then got to explaining Romney campaign strategy. Just what you'd expect from the media. And it didn't mention that the governors who requested the increased flexibility in complying with the law were Republicans: from Nevada and Utah, no less.
Like I said, Disgusted, better than expected.
I guess there's no denying that. I actually searched on the NYT and all I could find was a buried blog post. Just pathetic. I sure hope people are letting the NYT, WP, and their local media have a piece of their mind about the crappy job they do.
Here's what the NYT had:
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/early-voting-in-ohio/
Obama needs a political ad with Clinton and the only thing said is, "Mitt Romney is a bold faced liar." followed by Obama, "I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message."
That's one ad I would love to see.
If I had untold millions in hidden bank accounts overseas to blow I would make that ad possible and without any hesitation.
This site seems to be keeping track of Romney's lies: http://romneytheliar.blogspot.com/ which I found through this article: http://theobamacrat.com/2012/05/08/the-complete-list-of-lies-by-willard-mitt-romney/ which is easier to read but ONLY covers it up to early May.
The ultimate hypocrisy is RncPrBS calling Harry Reed a "dirty liar". That one just about made my head explode.
Chris, I'd donate to help see that ad made. :-)
I was in total shock when I first saw this ad this morning. I went duh this can not be correct. If Mitt's plan to lie and keep lying to be elected we as voters better wake up NOW. Obama 2012
Mittens is a born liar and will go down in history as being one of the great liars of the 21st century. His vast weath is his only comfort. His money is all he has that gives him ties with being human being. Poor excuse that is. When I read about people who trust Minister Romney I have to wonder about their sanity and what make them want to trust him?
Mitt wants to be remembered as a liar. Why hasn't his church said anything about his lying all the time? Does the Morman religion indorse lying? Seems so.
Romney is one scary dude.
Romney makes me fighting scared, not running scared.
I agree that this add is an out and out lie. Sadly, in this political climate and so much b.s. going on towards Obama and the Democrats, the Republican party and their minions will believe anything Romney says just to get Obama out of the White House. It's turning out to be like the mid term elections of 2010 - same old stuff only higher stakes. And people are buying into the lies - blind faith. The saying "You reap what you sow" sure seems to apply here, should Romney (heaven forbid) win.
Liar and Lies have been in quite a few headlines as of late. This shows me that Romney believes that Republican voters either don't know, don't care, or are so paranoid that they will believe anything when it comes to President Obama. Unfortunately I am agreeing with him on that one. Test failed.
The ad is easy to believe if you're a racist know-nothing from a tea-tard state. He's giving them freeloaders more of our money, and in turn, we're giving our vote to the biggest liar on the planet who will outsource our lives and well-being, yeehaw! Easy-peazy..
Is the media gonna get on his case for this, something demonstrably false, and call him a liar the way they did for Harry Reid for saying something no one can prove anyways except Romney himself since he hasn't released his tax returns?
Hmmm...millions of ad dollars pouring in from Romney's campaign, the RNC, and Super PACs.
Harry Reid was reelected in 2010, therefore is not up for relection until 2016. No campaign ad money being spent for him this year.
What do you think the media will - and won't - do?
I'm an Obama supporter but the more of the rm shows i watch the more i feel uncomfortable> any broadcast that is biased or unbalanced is propaganda. make an effort to report fairly
So, I am guessing, you don't believe Mitt Romney should be called on his lies. That his campaign should be able to put out falsehoods without impunity. You are no Obama supporter, if you believe Romney should get away with this stuff.
Sooo, Lucinda are you suggesting that Fox is reporting fairly??? Rachel rakes through the muck and mire and reports on what is actually going on, and you find that wrong or biased??? What is it you are uncomfortable with?? I have to admit...I'm ocnfused!
TRUTH? there is zero truth in the rachel maddow show. do your own research. the madcow show is all spin.
have you ever wondered why there is no talk about the real live issues? the benghazi coverup? the real housing market numbers? the real unemployment issues? the near-tripling of "food stamps"? the quadrupling of the deficit? no budget in site? president has missed 60% of his foreign affairs meetings? has campaigning for nearly half of his term? don't belive me! look at the facts....NOT MSNBC
How about some concrete suggestions for direct action? RM Show researchers: Are there any FCC rules that would allow us to complain directly to the stations that run false ads or to their regulators? If not, what other sorts of direct action could we take against the stations that run these ads? If the stations truly, genuinely have no choice but to play whatever content the campaigns send them, what else can we do?
"...the stations truly, genuinely have no choice but to play whatever content the campaigns send them..."
Do not the show hosts let play whatever campaign act a guest has? Without the guest answering the host' questions? Can we demand the host to demand answers from guests?
Whatever happened to "truth in advertizing" laws???
Whatever happened to truth?
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
( a walk thru )
To help us deal with your complaint efficiently, select the option that best relates to your complaint (click on Details for more information):
Deceptive or unlawful advertising or marketing by a communications company
Unauthorized, unfair, biased, illegal broadcasts (does NOT include Obscene, Profane or Indecent material)
( Patango here , I chose Deceptive communications , which takes you to )
Based on the information you provided, you need to file Form 2000A - Deceptive or Unlawful Advertising and Promotion Complaint. Please choose a convenient method to file your complaint. We highly recommend using our online form. This will ensure that all required information is received.
You are about to file Form 2000A - Deceptive or Unlawful Advertising and Promotion Complaint
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( Patango here again , you must have a time and date of the advertisement , when you saw it , the station and channel , but you can do this for any false ad you see , you can also file the same info right to the local station , filing a complaint with them may get more immediate actions , as was noted also here , calling the reporters directly works also )
Thanks, Patango.
so everything out of obamas mouth is the truth? latest example. the blatant spun lies about the inability to secure our embassys?
Within a generation whites won't make up the majority of the nation, I can't wait to see what the GOP looks like then.
String ties may come back into fashion.
...and that's what this election is all about. It's a one issue election...do you or don't you want America ruled by white people. I'm "black" and I'm not a big fan of Obama's....but there's NO way I could vote for White Horse Romney or any other Republican because they clearly stand for white dominance. This will probably be spun into me saying I want the country run by "black liberation" theologians....or some such nonsense...but in reality, I can accept DIVERSITY and "conservatives" need to realize they really have no rational alternative.
yaknow...i'm so tired or this white black horse@!$%#. i'm from the north, never thought about racism. moved to the south...to a black neighborhood. an i experienced racism. i brought my north attitude. black people were just black people. whatever. my neighbors, my friends. my neighbors in the south freaking HATED me cause i was white. racism has a hundred different meanings.
I guess the term "Tea-tard" really fits...when is the main stream press going to call him out...or is it good that all the talking heads can continue to call Senator Reid a "dirty liar" with the thought "I'm rubber-you are glue...throw it back and it will stick to you?" Do they really think that people are that stupid? Or just sick and tired of all their political BS...
i feel sorry for you, and us...becuase you vote.. what has obama done to do anything great for this country? quit listing to the BS and think for yourself!