Mitt Romney campaigned in Virginia over the weekend and boasted that his far-right running mate, Paul Ryan, worked with Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) to craft his Medicare privatization scheme.
Referencing Ryan, Romney boasted, "This man said, 'I'm going to find Democrats to work with.' He found a Democrat to co-lead a piece of legislation that makes sure we can save Medicare. Republicans and Democrats coming together."
Wyden was not pleased.
"Gov. Romney is talking nonsense. Bipartisanship requires that you not make up the facts. I did not 'co-lead a piece of legislation.'" Wyden said. "I wrote a policy paper on options for Medicare. Several months after the paper came out, I spoke and voted against the Medicare provisions in the Ryan budget."
Ryan and Wyden did work together in December 2011 to develop a paper outlining ways to provide for Medicare solvency, including a "premium support" model. Under premium support, Medicare would allow a menu of competing plans to offer coverage with government payments. Wyden, however, never signed on to support the House-adopted budget resolution written by Ryan that included plans for a premium support approach.
"Gov. Romney needs to learn you don't protect seniors by makings things up, and his comments today sure won't help promote real bipartisanship," Wyden said.
It looks like we have another McLuhan Moment.
To recap, there's a scene in "Annie Hall" in which Woody Allen starts lecturing some loudmouth in a movie-theater line about how little he knows about Marshall McLuhan. When the guy protests, Allen brings the actual McLuhan over. "You know nothing of my work," the scholar says.
The funny thing is, this keeps happening to Romney. He cited Jared Diamond as support for his views on international affairs. Diamond responded soon after, saying that Romney has no idea what he's talking about. Romney cited Bill Clinton as support for his ridiculous take on welfare, and then Clinton shot back, saying the Republican is completely wrong. The Romney campaign cited several prominent economists as support for their economic plan, and then all of the economists cited said their work had been badly mischaracterized.
And now, Romney's pointing to Ron Wyden, who came close yesterday to saying, "You know nothing of my work."
At this point, these McLuhan Moments are making Romney look pretty foolish.
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Repeated McLuhan moments are the least of Romney's many and varied problems. The biggest is he lies like a rug.
Have no sympathy for Wyden's dumb ass
That is so, true, rikyrah. Wyden should be grateful that his intellectual persona is being stolen by a Republican who doesn't have one.
It was McLuhan (not Andy Warhol) who said, "Art is anything you can get away with."
Apparently, that also holds true for political campaigns!
Actually, I believe that quote is from Salvatore Dali.
And for every thousand voters who've heard the Romney version of any of those, there might be ten who've heard the "you know nothing of my work" response.
Advantage: Romney.
You are absolutely correct sir .
All they ever see is the soundbite with the Romney lie
No follow up , no question about the veracity.
Maybe mentioned on a talking head shouting match on my TEE VEE
It is the MSM equivalent of publishing a correction on page D-10 of the NY Times
You guys are not taking into consideration how unlikable Romney is. As the boys on the bus come to realize Romney is not ever going to invite them over for barbecue, they will begin filling their poison pens. Romney has no friends in the press (or anywhere else, for that matter).
Bonus fun fact: Mormon barbecue consists of boiled meat slathered in ketchup.
Romney to his staff: "Where are the round thingies with holes that have sprinkles? Can't anyone find the round things with holes, the ones with sprinkles? How can I make these guys continue to believe my lies if I can't give them round things with sprinkiles? Round things! Round things with holes! With sprinkles, whatever they are! I need them!"
Romeny will say anything as he does not care about the meaning of words, just the optics.
Hmmm. In Romney's world, books say what he says they say, senators have done what he says they've done, the American people want what he says they want... Methinks he has been the Big Boss too long and grown too accustomed to being surrounded by sycophants.
Big Boss maybe, but the Big Moron, er, I mean Mormon, Bishop really doesn't get questioned.