We talked a few months ago about "McLuhan Moments." 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.
It caused Mitt Romney some trouble because he had an awkward habit of quoting various people in support of his work, without realizing that those same people disagree with him.
Something similar happened last night, when Paul Ryan tried to make the case that his controversial Medicare plan is "bipartisan."
RYAN: This is a plan that's bipartisan. It's a plan I put together with a prominent Democrat senator from Oregon.
BIDEN: There's not one Democrat who endorses it.
RYAN: It's a plan ... our partner is a Democrat from Oregon.
The Republican congressman was, of course, referring to Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who tried to work with Ryan on Medicare policy. So, is Wyden a "partner" to Ryan on the GOP Medicare scheme?
Not according to Wyden. The "prominent Democrat [sic] senator from Oregon" went to Facebook after the debate to explain why he "strongly" opposes Ryan's proposal: "The Romney/Ryan plan raises the age of eligibility and repeals the ACA leaving millions of seniors with no health coverage. The Romney/Ryan plan on Medicare pulls the safety net out from under the poorest and most vulnerable seniors, taking away the opportunity for nursing home care from seniors who need it and have no other options. The Wyden-Ryan white paper strengthened the safety net for these dual eligibles. The Romney/Ryan version shreds it. The Republican ticket knows that neither I, nor any other Democrat, would support these policies."
Wyden didn't get around to telling Ryan, "You know nothing of my work," but he should have.
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Maybe Ryan should just quote dead people who agree with them. Less blow back.
(Oh, wait: he tried that with Ayn Rand. How has that worked out, sport?)
To Mitt it is only a lie if you get caught, and even then he really does not care whether he got caught or not if he believes he may score points.somehow. Scum rises to the top too Mitt.
He doesn't care because he's "Lyin' for the Lord" and Mormontology says that's a Good Thing.
Mr. Romney does not care because he does not respect his audience. His audience better realize it before November 6.
Wyden was in the best position to take off the handcuffs of decorum that the GOP expects champions of civility to restrain themselves with. Ryan came at Wyden with a baseball bat attempting to blugeoning the truth by suggesting Wyden's involvement with Ryan was evidence of bipartisanship.
Wyden ought to have taken off the handcuffs and stabbed the assailant with the truth.
Paul Ryan, I have worked with you closely and I formerly had respect for you. But you know what you are saying is a lie, and it is despicable. I am a moderate man who believes in reaching out to those of more conservative viewpoints in order to find common ground so that we as elected leaders see that America meets the tremendous challenges it faces.
I am saddened by your knowing and repeated lies. In my opinion, you are unfit for public office due to your aggressive dishonesty with the American people.
Short form: Ryan you are full of it.
Mr. Ryan went into this with eyes wide open but it must bother him terribly to have to put lipstick on this pig every day only for poliitcal gain. Pity him but do not vote for him.
Since it's October and the Holiday season will soon be upon us, it brings to mind a few lines from Dickens that I think particularly apt
"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge,'' said the gentleman,
taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some
slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present
time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands
are in want of common comforts, sir.''
"Are there no prisons?'' asked Scrooge.
"Plenty of prisons,'' said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
"And the Union workhouses?'' demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in
operation?''
"They are. Still,'' returned the gentleman, `` I wish I could say they were
not.''
"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?'' said Scrooge.
"Both very busy, sir.''
"Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred
to stop them in their useful course,'' said Scrooge. ``I'm very glad to hear
it.''
"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or
body to the multitude,'' returned the gentleman, "a few of us are endeavouring
to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We
choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt,
and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?''
"Nothing!'' Scrooge replied.
"You wish to be anonymous?''
"I wish to be left alone,'' said Scrooge. "Since you ask me what I wish,
gentlemen, that is my answer. I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't
afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have
mentioned: they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there.''
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die.''
"If they would rather die,'' said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the
surplus population..."
i think the reference to scrooge is a perfect fit for the repubs. these are people who also call themselves christians. ha!! they know nothing of the meaning of the word. christian republican is an oxymoron.
Romney would add, ". . . and decrease the surplus population by 47%."
That's what's always bothered me about the right . . . they're so dadgum mean.
No, I wouldn't call it a perfect fit: Remember that Scrooge was talking about what were then recent improvements in how the British poor were cared for.
Yes, things like the workhouses were horrid. What came before them was even worse.
Joe got him good on this one. I wish he had also gone after the lie that Mitt worked in a bipartisan manner in Massachusetts.
Mitt Romney used the veto 844 times on bills and budgets sent to him by that "87% Democrat" legislature. And they overrode the over 700 of those vetoes. Not exactly bipartisan.
Or it is, if you accept that each party has it's own role, to use the veto or to override it.
Mr. Ryan spoke last night of working in a bipartisan way. This will cost him with his leadership in Congress since their notion of working in a bipartisan way is 'Everyone has a right to our opinion.' I hope it costs him in his Congressional race as well.
Wasn't good Governor Willard's state also 47th out of 50 in job creation?
Sounds as if Sen. Wyden and J. Messerly both know Ryan well enough to see that he doesn't have the People's interests at heart...only the Big $ puppet masters.
I do not even have to think about it anymore.
Obama/Biden in 2012!
Not for nothing, Ryan's use of this lie yet again, when Sen. Wyden had already set the record straight on this in no uncertain terms earlier this year, speaks to Romney/Ryan's serial dishonesty and why Ryan so richly deserved to have Biden laugh him off:
Ron Wyden, August 2012:
Q: How can you tell when Romney and Ryan are lyin'?
A: Look and see if their lips are moving.
This is why Medicare will be a truly hard fix. The Republicans simply refuse to try to protect something they are opposed to. The only seeming cure is election defeat of those who stand in the way.
“Who oversees the safety of compounding facilities?
Although the FDA regulates drug manufacturers, it does not have the same authority over drug compounders such as NECC.
This week, lawmakers in Washington called for a congressional investigation of the outbreak. "This incident raises serious concerns about the scope of the practice of pharmacy compounding in the United States and the current patchwork of federal and state laws and systems that oversee this practice," Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and others wrote in a letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.”
This was from –http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-meningitis-q-and-a-20121012,0,58615.story?track=rss
Now here is a good example of how Republicans would like to get rid of regulation and laws that really help people. Republicans speak so boldly that all these regulations and laws are detrimental to businesses generating their huge amounts of profits. These Republicans and rich people want to keep pushing workers to work longer hours under strained conditions with less and less wages and benefits and for what? To have sloppy work done just so some rich bastard can have huge profits at the very expense of everybody’s lives and health. Now I know of a person who got this spinal meningitis and it has literally down graded the quality of her life. She cannot even walk anymore, because of this mess and lack of proper regulation. And the Republicans are going to sit there and try to tell me they are working on my and others behalf BULL CRAP. Republicans are doing the same typical crap they have always done and that is working for extreme greed at the very price of everybody else. You never catch me voting for one of these bastard politicians again, you blood sucking low life leeches.
Thank you Joe Biden for taking the whippersnappin' liar to the woodshed and waxin' that a$$ like you owned it!!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!!
Nothing new to add but my take on the Rmoney/Ryan ticket:
"Lyin for the Lord" cause it's the Rmoney/Ryan ticket's "destiny" to be elected so this country can stop the slide into moral depravity and become the LDS country it's supposed to be.
How can you tell Rmoney (or Ryan) is lying? HIS LIPS ARE MOVING!!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
FINALLY. Joe Biden mentioned the Party of NO and the Jobs Bill Ryan helped kill. I wish Joe would have also mentioned the Veterans Job Bill that Ryan killed as well. There are just sooooo many things that the Mitt and Mini Mitt have lied about that the debate would have been 3 hours long. I was glad to see Joe laugh at the lies and dodges and pleased that THIS moderator, a women, an educated women at that (something the GOP HATES) held Ryan's feed to the fire and demanded details on the 20% tax cut and had him by the short hairs on abortion. That is what a debate is for - THE VOTERS. We are supposed to hear each party voice their views for the nation under THEIR leadership. What we were treated to was a moderator who wanted just that - and a GOP VP Candidate who absolutely, simply did NOT.
If Biden had mentioned that he'd be lying. I believe the bill passed the House, but died in the Senate by the filibuster. There are enough lies for Biden to attack, no need to give them any outs.
Hmmm sounds fami...Cheney's lawyer friend that later on revealed that they were not friends after all?
Yes they really should stick to their invisible friends since those can not be questioned about the relationship.
It's lying time again, the party's over...
I'm still basking in the Joe victory party today. That was great.
Keep drinking your water Gilligan and let the grown-up speak.
I just wanted to say that I though VP Biden won hands down. I personally liked the smiling and laughing because Ryan is laughable. I also wanted to commend Rachel Maddow because I am 57 years old and have never really enjoyed politics until I found the Rachel Maddow show. I simply don't miss it....Go Democrats...
Of course Wyden is going to disavow connection now, but here's some quotes from a NBC article online a month ago:
Source
I love how people don't understand that politics is a game that is played in sound bytes and in the moment.
You can watch Wyden and Ryan promoting their proposal together. Wyden doesn't think Ryan is a evil man. Wyden has been in the business a long time and has worked with and known Ryan for many years. Here the video so you don't have to take my word for it or accuse me of raising false issues or distorting things...
Here, let me accuse you of distorting things anyway.
In that same article, Wyden is quoted as saying that "Wyden-Ryan" is a position paper, not a finished piece of legislation. He voted AGAINST it in May, when it was in final form.
He didn't change his mind because Ryan was picked for VP. He withdrew his support from the bill when it did not match his expectations.
I give Wyden full marks for trying to be bipartisan. If Ryan was trying too, that's great. But when it came to choosing between his "Democrat friend" and the party bosses in the House, Ryan made the bill fit their vision, not Wyden's.
....the plan Ryan was referring to doesn't just strengthen the quality of private insurance for your secondary coverage (the plan Wyden is referring to: Ryan-Wyden, if you will). The plan Ryan was referring to voucherizes Medicare which is an entirely different system.
No more spin Robby. Stop it.
the scrooge reference fits so well with the republicans. also lyin ryan and robmey would do great damage to medicare and social security no matter what garbage ryan talks now about his mother. yeah, don't tell me he wouldn't take care of his mother if she needed help. when ryans father passed his family lived on ss surviors payments which today he would deny to you or me if he could. don't let these men fool you people. we get the government we deserve.
An article showing examples of how Romney is morally bankrupt.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/9-things-show-mitt-romney-morally-bankrupt?akid=9514.1089039.Nt-unr&rd=1&src=newsletter724250&t=5&paging=off
9 Things That Show Mitt Romney Is Morally Bankrupt
It’s not that hard to be good to your family and friends. If true morality is evidenced by how one treats strangers, Romney’s reputation as a moral actor should be under water.
1. The smug non-smoker took big bucks to push smoking on Russians.
2. Slams government economic investment despite having taken government contracts.
3. Opposes abortion, but invested in company that disposes of aborted fetuses.
4. Decries corruption in other countries but facilitated it in his own.
5. Insults low-income Americans for not paying federal income tax, while not paying federal income tax on almost all of his income.
6. Calls for more transparency from his opponent while hiding his own tax returns, squirreling millions offshore and using accounting tricks to lower his tax rate.
7. Painted his opponent as a fibbing child while building an entire campaign on lies (my own note: Romney Chronicles of Lies by Steve Benen is now over 500 I believe as of last Friday.)
8. Claims to have the "best interests of the African American community" in his heart while running a race-baiting campaign.
9. Wears the mantle of protectionist, China-battling job creator after having put thousands of U.S. workers out of jobs and bought into a giant Chinese sweatshop.
I guess that this is the thing that gets to me the most, Mitt's belief in his own goodness despite the immorality of his business behavior. I worked as a mortgage loan officer for 20 years, and I had ample opportunity to make huge amounts of money that I did not pursue because I considered myself a "consultant", helping people who wanted to buy homes or refinance choose among options available to them. I considered it a fiduciary responsibility to explain the consequences of those options, and frequently lost business to others that would sell anything available to make a buck whether or not it was in the borrower's best interest.
I think the choices one makes in their business should be a mirror of their personal beliefs; you can't separate the two. If Mitt followed his personal beliefs his business dealings, there would have been no investing in tobacco companies or medical-waste disposal companies. I really believe that at the bottom of it all, the only thing Mitt believes in is money. That is how he measures his own and others success, and it doesn't matter to him how he does it. This is not the kind of person we need leading this country.
Did Shooter take today off?
Heh.
No he was on another story line along with IrishPat
Do not use hemorrhoids' names.
Do not use hemorrhoids' names.
Do not use hemorrhoids' names.
Do not use hemorrhoids' names.
Do not use hemorrhoids' names.
One thing both Obama and Biden missed was the opportunity to answer mitten's and eddie muster's assertions that they would "work across the aisle unlike this administration." Obama and Biden should have blasted back with the republican obstruction and mitch mcconell's "number one priority to make Obama a one-term president." Even when both houses were Democratically controlled, the rep minority used arcane Senate rules to block Obama at every turn. No wonder congress' popularity is in the toilet!
Good point. Let's hope Obama calls Romney out on that the next time Romney talks about bipartisanship.
Just a small point, but:
"The "prominent Democrat [sic] senator from Oregon'"
I'd love it if Obama, Biden or any Democrat would correct a Republican on their deliberate and childish mis-naming of the party.
It was a lie, but it was a little white lie.
Can't help but note how the Republicans all line up to defend their guy and the Democrats jump all over themselves to attack theirs. After the pres. debate MSNBC pundits went all out on attacking the pres. for "bad performance" (except for Al Sharpton) and if you tuned into Fox News anytime after the debate yesterday, you would have seen the repubs. gushing over the grand performance of Ryan and instead launched a "severely conservative" attack against Biden. It's sad that the demos couldn't have found the positives of Obama's performance which there were many, and instead attacked Romney who looked like a rambling mad man. I guess the demos just like to cannibalize their own.