Associated Press
Paul Ryan in North Carolina yesterday.
Given recent developments, Paul Ryan really ought to be on his best behavior when it comes to honesty. He's been caught lying repeatedly, about matters large and small, over the last several days, and given the increased scrutiny, Ryan will have to be more cautious.
Mr. Ryan also cited bankruptcy numbers to make the point that failing businesses mean fewer jobs. "In 1980 under Jimmy Carter, 330,000 businesses filed for bankruptcy," he said. "Last year, under President Obama's failed leadership, 1.4 million businesses filed for bankruptcy."
At a certain level, the comparison itself is idiotic -- there was no global economic crash in 1980 or the years leading up to it. But just as important is the fact that Ryan's figures are simply wrong.
The Republican vice presidential candidate told voters 1.4 million businesses filed for bankruptcy. The actual number is 47,806 -- a number that happens to be steadily improving as the economy continues to slowly recover.
In other words, Ryan -- hailed by the media as an honest "wonk" who loves facts and figures -- was off by a factor of 29. (Kudos to the New York Times, by the way, for telling readers the truth, rather than just publishing Ryan's falsehood because he said it.)
And in the bigger picture, Jon Chait explains that Ryan's reputation "has suffered a massive, swift erosion.... Now mainstream pundits are defending Ryan with versions of the 'well, all politicians fib' defense. Given that this constituency was once portraying Ryan as unusually honest, this represents a huge retreat for his political brand."
It's about time.
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Paul Ryan is going from GOP hailed truth hero to GOP toxic outsider in one short and swift month.
It wouldn't surprise me to find out that this my body is a temple, in love with himself, P90X ,faked marathon time, pious anti abortion/the pill/women ,say anything to get elected ,supposed fiscal wonk who can't add up to make his budget work is having an affair.I'm sure she's out there somewhere wondering if she can make some money out of her story.He just seems so much like the type.
It does crack me up, though, that Sarah Palin ran the same marathon and came in 2 minutes under Ryan's actual time. However, at 41, she was also 21 years older than Ryan had been and had given birth to four children... AND SHE DIDN'T LIE ABOUT HER TIME!!
He may look like Eddie Munster, but he acts like that evil little kid Damien in The Omen.
The bloom is off the rose
Because of his growing Nose.
Merriam-webster.com's "Trend Watch" (a list of words enjoying a suddenly increase in look-ups) points out that checks of the word "wonk" spiked after Ryan was named as Romney's running mate.
I find it more than a little disquieting that a lot of people are apparently unfamiliar with the term and wonder if they are the same folks who pick their President on the basis of who they'd prefer to have a beer (or refreshing, non-alcoholic, mormon-approved beverage) with?
Okay, I understand that it's difficult to remember all facts and figures about economics going back 30+ years. Okay. But first, this is a major talking point of his speech, and second: an error of two orders of magnitude? If someone owed you 100 bucks, gave you a dollar, and said, "There; we're even!" would you be okay with that? Or would you be pissed?
In a way, it's kinda fun watching Ryan's fall from "Budget wonk hard truth-teller" to "pathological liar". Not a *lot* of fun, but we have to take our enjoyment where we can, right?
Unlike Norma Desmond, Paul Ryan is NOT ready for his close-up.
Like an essay by David Brooks (NYT's thinking-man's-conservative-in-residence), the patina of wisdom is penetrated in only a couple of column inches, after which one finds only well-polished 'shinola'.
The lies are so fast and frequent, in so many categories, it's really hard to keep up. From the "marathon" interview, note that Ryan also said he used to run "marathons"-- plural! No source has apparently found or cited more than just one.
And, just curious, how often does he make those 10 mile runs, or how many this year?
Romney is running against an empty chair and the empty chair is winning.