We talked last week about an unexpected challenge for Republicans: the party was heavily invested in attacking President Obama for an unemployment rate above 8 percent, and found itself in an awkward position when the jobless rate dropped to 7.8 percent.
How the GOP and Romney/Ryan deal with these improving conditions is of great interest, since the results may help dictate the 2012 election. On ABC yesterday, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) offered a great example of how not to deal with the facts.
For those who can't watch clips online, Jake Tapper noted a clip from the vice presidential debate in which Paul Ryan said the unemployment rate is going up "all around America" -- an argument that happens to be wrong. The host asked Portman a simple but important question: "Now, senator, this has been weak economic recovery, without question, but it is a recovery, and unemployment is going down, just as a factual matter. Why would Congressman Ryan, in defiance of facts, suggest otherwise?"
To which Portman responded:
"I think that what he was saying was the truth: which unemployment is higher today than when the president took office. Unfortunately, in the meantime, we've created net zero jobs, Jake."
This is genuinely remarkable. Ryan was caught presenting a false claim to the nation, and asked to explain why, one of the Romney campaign's leading surrogates told a national television audience, in effect, "The lie is accurate." When the book is written on the evolution of post-truth politics, this anecdote should be in the first chapter.
As an objective matter, unemployment is lower today than when the president took office, and we've seen a net increase in job creation. Portman -- a sitting U.S. senator and former budget director -- surely knows this, but chose to say the exact opposite. Why? Because he thinks he can get away with it. Post-truth politics is liberating that way.
You see, Portman doesn't like our reality, so he has no qualms about making up his own version of facts, and asking Americans to believe him -- even though he's blatantly, shamelessly lying.
Putting aside all other considerations, it's just not healthy for a political system when one side of the political divide decides to substitute one version of reality for another. Words, facts, arithmetic, and objective truths must maintain some sort of meaning or our basic ability to have a political conversation will deteriorate into chaos.
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And as long as the so-called liberal media fails to vigorously call them out on their lies, they will get away with it. It's like no one knows how to ask a follow-up question anymore. I miss Tim Russert.
I have no doubt that Tim right now is begging God for the chance to come back, just for three weeks.
So this god likes it hot ?
Yes splifford, it's truly amazing and mind blowing how reporters allow re-pubs consistently come on their broadcast and spew lies, on a regular. They sit there and make no attempt to give a opposing argument that has been proven to be a lie. Just a waste of space and to the integrity of the broadcasting professionalism standards across the board.
I miss Tim Russert.
You mean the overrated dumbass who started all this stupidity? How liberals ever thought that rotting pile of dog turds was something to pay attention to for any reason other than the stench is beyond me.
It's evidently been okay since the race started. Romney and Ryan and all the republicans I've heard have been lying since the beginning and nobody has really taken them on, evidently because to call someone who is lying a liar is bad form. I'm in Illinois and I don't see too many political ads but the Romney v Obama ads I DO see are full of lies and nobody calls them on it.
Like you've discussed on your show, Rachel, and as others have done, evidently nobody IS going to call them on it, just like they've dropped wanting to see Romney's taxes. And the worst thing about all the lies is that republicans across the country BELIEVE THEM!
TCinLA is right. I did get this love for Tim Russert. Did you folks ever watch him? Seriously, the guy was as fake-balance, fake-equivalence as they come.
It is unbelievable, I just can't understand how people are believing these lies when they hear how They have flip flopped on most of their positions, retracting Romney's statements on the lies. Can't people hear and read for themselves. They will say and do whatever they need too steal thus election including voter fraud. They thought it would be easier then it is because of the economy and the fact Obama's black, these were their only strategies coming into this race, they make up everything else as they go along. What has made this a close race is the news medias co-signing the lies and the spin they put on the lies, according who they're for.
I would have liked to have seen the response by the journalist. The problem isn't that Republicans lie--they can't help it, a scorpion's gotta sting--the problem is that journalist don't call them on their lies. They treat the lies as if it is a point of view and not a false statement denying objective, observable fact. The media is complicit in those lies every time they let the person lie without correcting it. Spin is one thing, making up an alternative reality with its own set of facts that only you and people who are like you can see is a shared delusion. We shouldn't have to suffer journalist sponsored delusion.
For Jake Tapper to let that slide was sinful. Why isn't he working for Fox news?
Why is Obama allowing Romney and Ryan to blame the debt and the slow economy on him?
Where is the backbone and hitting back on this issue?
The President does NOT pass jobs legislation. He just signs them.
Growth only happens if the “GOP owned congress” puts bills on the table to sign.
The uncompromising GOP has blocked, stopped, voted NO, obstructed, filibustered over 500 times and made pledges to NOT create jobs or bring cash to the government just to blame ONE man.
When is Obama going to say that to the millions watching?
When is he going to challenge the lies and tell the people that his policies are NOT at fault?
ALL GOP Policies are at fault because everything is directly involved with them.
Mr. Romney, let's do some ARITHMETIC...
#1 - Name the "Obama" POLICIES and the AMOUNTS that you say added trillions to the debt and “ADD” those amounts.
#2 –“DEDUCT” that Obama total from the current $16 TRILLION.
The balance = “GOP” spending.
DO Remember the following…
Expenses to “FIX” the GOP failed policies like TARP and the stimulus are still GOP spending and NOT Obama's fault so DO NOT count those policies.
All expenses from the previous GOP administration's “UNFUNDED” policies that Obama ADDED to his budget are ALSO Republican spending.
The INTEREST on the GOP TRILLIONS of debt is NOT for Obama to be responsible for either, it is GOP spending too.
The GOP “OWNS” that interest.
Also,
The “Bailouts” ARE “loans” to REPAIR more GOP screwed up policies, the GOP wanted those to be FREE of charge, a "going away gift" to the Banks and Wall Street from Bush. Obama made them loans.
Do not add policies before Reagan because there was NO DEBT PROBLEM before that, Reagan took office when the DEBT had ONE TRILLION and could have been tackled and fixed with comprehensive tax reform but Reagan did the opposite..
“Entitlements” are a tiny fraction of the debt and they always bring their own revenues through payroll deductions as premium payments. Entitlements are NOT free, it's paid-into insurance.
Be sure of this…
The Republicans will try blaming a Democratic majority that never actually had “control”.
Saying that the Democrats had a "Majority" doesn't count as “control”, because we all know the GOP had the "CONTROL" with their record filibusters and obstructions.
Remind the Republicans that "Total Control" is having a "Filibuster proof majority". The Democrats only had it for 6 months. After Teddy died, the Republicans went on a filibuster frenzy and BLOCKED everything.
All those failed GOP policies were drafted by Republicans AND all passed with GOP majority of votes going back to Reagan.
The Republicans will NEVER have policies or numbers to blame on the Democrats because they DO NOT exist.
Look them up, I tried. DO NOT call them “spending” if you cannot name the policies.
Every single policy at fault is GOP owned, drafted and vigorously voted by Republicans.
DO NOT get fooled into thinking it is Obama's fault. NOW is the time to stop that Myth.
Watch out for the following…
The Republicans and the Fox-Rush-bots are going to try to change the subject on this comment with insults, diversions and ridicules.
The Republicans will ask for budgets, but no one can pass budgets without Revenues. The GOP PLEDGED to NEVER raise revenues.
The Republicans will mention “bills” that are on Reid’s desk. I saw all those bills. NONE are for jobs or to fix the economy. ALL are for reducing regulations for the rich, cutting public services, more tax cuts for corporations etc.
The Republicans will blame gas prices on Obama but will fail to explain why a President seeking re-election would do that or how he could actually do that.
This is a WIN WIN on talks about the economy. Use it. Challenge every Republican. It will drive them mad with ZERO response.
This is NOT blaming the GOP or BUSH, this is ARITHMETIC !!!!
Wow... you sure put some thought into this. Very nice.
The gas prices straw man always infuriates me. It's usually paired with the accusation that the president is a communist/marxist/socialist supporter of big government control of everything. The irony is downright painful.
I can't wait for some TV major media interviewer to, quite literally, throw some Republican hack off their show for lying. Live... and not politely...
Of course the TV person would probably lose their job, but it would make a pretty cool statement.... that this lying bull**** will no longer be tolerated.
Time that some media folks started getting hostile about this 'lying' stuff... and refuse to allow it on their show.
... then I woke up...
I saw this exact sort of news show and news anchor!!! The anchor is a registered republican who decries the direction his party is taking, he wasn't afraid to call out guests for being stupid or for lying. It was freaking amazing to watch.
*sigh* Sadly, it was Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom" but still, we can live in hope that those types of journalists are still out there ... somewhere.
Self-preservation is too strong an instinct for this to happen. Even if the reporter were able to keep his/her job after doing this, they would never be granted another candidate interview, by at least one party and maybe neither. The station or network would denounce their actions (gotta save themselves, too), and we'd never see that person in that capacity again except possibly on some obscure cable channel or radio station with zero audience.
I watch "Newsroom" (hoping it'll be something like The West Wing and being disappointed) but I figured out after the second show what the deal is there.
Because Martin Sheen played a Democratic president on WW, Sorkin decided to have his hero be a Republican this time. BUT...he keeps calling out all the Republican lies and eventually he's gonna end up on the other side. You wait and see. He's made fun of Sarah Palin, he's called them on everything any good Dem would call them on. Sorkin's no dummy and he's DEFINITELY no Republican.
Now, if we just had an anchorman like that - somewhere....
The lying as a means to power and profit in service to personal greed is one of the basic tenents of th AYN Rand philosophy.
The Republican planned privatization of th US Postal Service is to allow the raiding of the postal service employee retirment trust fund - hundreds of billions of dollars.
Having stripped almost every corporation of employees retirement programs, the Vulture capitalists have turned their sights on public retirement funds. That is what is at the heart of the argument for vounchers and privatization of Medicare and Social Security.
The death of the middle class is part and parcel of the Republican agenda. The mechanism is not only income disparity but the theft of employee retirement funds. Romney is the perfect guy to assist the oligarchs steal the public trust accounts. Bain Capital, during Romney's leadership, LITERALLY wrote the manual for the Russian government to pave the way for the oligarchs to take over the Russian oil industry, mining industries, steel industry, etc. The process was frought with corruption from start to finish.
Romney is a master at stealing assets which belong to employees and destroy their future by exploiting loop holes in the law. They are not the loop holes he plans to close. The demise of the middle class will be completed if Romney is elected.
Tim Russert/David Gregory...no comparison at all.
No politician fears Gregory...but many wet themselves facing Russert...Repubs. and Dems.
Aw shucks, it's just the nostalgia party way to deal with globalization. It's Wizard of OZ stuff that apparently works. Political parties are intended to aggregate diverse political interests. The new Republicans have decided that Political Theater is more productive to their cause. Quit belly aching, the Hope Party just needs to make better Political Theater than what is produced by the Nostalgia Party. Obama did it in 2008; we can do it again. It's not the economy stupid this time; it's Theater as intended by Aristotle. How's that for classicism?
Mitt Romney's entire campaign is one of the shape shifter in chief changing his talking points with each audience he is addressing. Yet he is making headway ever since his lying debate performance. I have yet to see any commentator call him on it. I certainly hope Obama points out his ways. In the Indian world we could call him a "Coyote." I think it is a perfect label for him. He is a trickster, which is what the term Coyote means.
I don't expect anyone to read this comment, but if Rachel or her staff could reply, that would be great: Do you think that journalists are unwilling to call a lie a lie because they're afraid be be labeled part of the liberal media? My theory: For over a decade, the right has spent every waking moment demonizing anyone who is not "fair and balanced" as being part of the "liberal media," and thus lacking credibility. Today, it seems as though journalists are afraid to engage during an interview, even when they're confronted with an outright lie. So, has the "liberal media" charge changed the the role of journalist to one of being a reporter - someone who is responsible for only presenting another's views, and not applying critical thinking to a statement?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobs_created_during_U.S._presidential_terms
suprise? dems blow reps out of the water.
Oddly it is fiction that may be a way to help understand the Republican ability to completely avoid facts. In Franzen's "Freedom A Novel," the father of Joey's roommate is a conservative think tank founder and presumably a character that has thought deeply about his positions. He clearly expresses that it his belief that lying is okay if it in service to a greater truth. In his case it was in service to the salvation of Isreal but in Romney's or Portman's case it is perhaps to his own vision of America. Thus lying may be OK in the new neoconservative gospel. Sadly all the lies keep us from discussing the actual issues.
Rachel, this is the most potent argument of all of them .go hard! bust out numbers. shed serious light on the american jobs act. it seems people have forgotten, if they ever knew about it in the first place. reference f.d.r. and the new deal. seriously. you NEED to exploiit this to its fullest potential. this is THE core of the reps case against obama. its the only case that doesnt involve communist ties, terrorist ties, or citizenship. the numbers are there. bring them to the masses. clinton touched upon these. you can site them. so DO IT! ... you rock my world btw.
if you connect all of the threads with this one, the only option left on the table is the house blocking legslaton that is PROVEN to create jobs. 100 years of hard proof. so far all reps have done is sidestep this argument. lie about it. iif ths was a court room and you were a lawyer, what would you have to do to convnce us, the jury? give us somethng to spam share on all of our facebook pages.
Portman is the only Republican I could have voted for, so it makes me sad to hear this particular framework. Portman's career is what Republicanism used to look like
Willard on election day: "HELP!! I can't fit into the voting booth! My nose is too long!!!!"