Paul Ryan stands on a foundation of lies

[ProSense]

Paul Ryan stands on a foundation of lies

By Steve Benen

At a basic level, what bothers me about politicians who lie, especially at a national level, is that the deceptions are insulting. A candidate who knows the truth, but makes a deliberate decision to deceive, is working from the assumption that Americans are suckers...Jonathan Cohn suggested last night's address may have been the "most dishonest convention speech" ever delivered, and I can't think of a close second.

It was a truly breathtaking display of brazen dishonesty. Paul Ryan looked America in the eye and without a hint a shame, lied to our face.

Ryan lied about President Obama's auto-industry rescue...Ryan lied about Medicare...Ryan lied about the debt downgrade...Ryan lied about the Simpson-Bowles commission...Ryan lied about his plans for the safety net...Ryan lied about the debt...Ryan lied about the Recovery Act...Ryan lied about small businesses.

Paul Ryan, the man the media and Republican celebrate as a bold truth-teller, told one lie after another, demonstrating a near-pathological disdain for honesty. His speech presented no substantive ideas, no policy solutions, and no bold positions on any key issue, but it included enough falsehoods to choke a fact-checker -- all because he assumes you're a fool and journalists are too incompetent to separate fact from fiction.

- more -

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/30/13566768-paul-ryan-stands-on-a-foundation-of-lies

[Fumesucker]

1. Journalists too incompetent to separate fact from fiction?

Say it ain't so, Wolf.

[reformist2]

2. It was a good speech - for a time before overnight fact-checking.

Time was, politicians would lie about their opponent, and voters wouldn't find out the truth until weeks later. By then it was too late - their minds were made up by the false speeches.

Now, thanks to the internet, people are made aware of the falsehoods overnight, when the speech they just heard is still fresh in their minds.

Moral of the story: You can't lie anymore and get away with it. (At least not so brazenly.)

[malaise]

3. MUST READ

That these LIARS could be elected is frightening

[jsr]

4. They're going full-blown Goebbels

with the Big Lie strategy.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Here's an amazing freudian slip (?) by a true believer:

Just like Akin and Tom Smith and Ted Cruz, they can't hold the deception all in and it bursts out from time to time:

To: A message

Paul aryan hit a home run! Amazing speech and the left will hate him because he is honest and real!

8 posted on Thursday, August 30, 2012 12:42:52 AM by JFC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

[jsr]

18. No kidding

Yes, he is so honest and real! LOL

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Did you see the name he used for Paul?

[jsr]

21. Yep

Helluva slip.

[EC]

23. What site was that at?

The new Nazi's, Aryan Nations or something?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. FR = Free Republic, where any Republican (especially Romney) is too left wing for some

Their leader, Jim "RimJob" Robinson, was in the "anybody but Romney" camp and then the "not Romney even now", and then did an abrupt about face and is exhorting his members to vote Republican even though they think Romney is gay-loving socialist Mormon; at least is not a gay communist muslim like Obama supposedly is.

[EC]

28. Figures it was a

freeper. Likely not even a Freudian slip, likely done with purpose.

[Voice for Peace]

5. Rachel has always been good but it seems today EVERYbody's talking about Ryan's falsehoods

even an article on Fox
and I wonder if it's the Network (on HBO) effect?

[EC]

24. I think it's because Ryan/Rmoney has pushed it so far

that the press actually were beginning to feel like patsies and decided they weren't going to take it anymore. Also that Rmoney can threaten them with no interviews etc. and they decided they don't care anymore, that they would even prefer not interviewing them because they don't want to be a party to their lies.

[hifiguy]

26. I think there is a lot of truth in this.

It was one thing when Reagan or the Chimpleton came out and farted around, verbally, blithering and blathering like Mr. Ed on quaaludes, but the lies of these two are so blatant, so easily disprovable, and so bald-faced that they can't be denied.

Willard has done less than nothing to endear himself to the M$M and make them feel like insiders like Chimpy did, and that is another factor. It's a case of "screw you" being met with "no, Willard, screw you!"

[hfojvt]

6. good that the article includes more detail, and links

Last edited Thu Aug 30, 2012, 10:07 AM - Edit history (1)

but I am not sure about this NY Times link about the debt.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24editorial_graph2.html?ref=Sunday

One trouble though, if one is looking at debt culpability is that many of Bush's additions to the debt are still costing the country during the Obama administration. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars - still with us for most, if not all of Obama's term. The Bush tax cuts - still with us, although their extension is the fault of BOTH Obama and Ryan. Ryan because he fought to extend them for the rich, and Obama because he caved to Ryan.

I notice the Times does not include that in Obama's column. Maybe it was not a new policy, but the surrender of December 2010 was legislation that Obama fought for and Obama signed. And it added some $800 billion to the debt.

Of course, Ryan probably voted for it too, along with most of the other Republican Congresspeople at the convention and applauding his speech.

CNN lists Obama's debt as $6 trillion, which would be more than Bush's $5 trillion.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/30/politics/fact-check-rand-paul-debt/index.html

But this

"Bush's original budget proposal predicted a $407 billion deficit for 2009, but the final figure was $1.4 trillion, according to White House figures."

is also incomplete.

Although I cannot find a link for it, because the Treasury or the CBO changed the projected deficit for Bush's last budget to something like $1.1 trillion in DECEMBER of 2008 - before Obama took office and before the stimulus bill passed. Much of that slump came because the economy lost 1.895 million jobs in the last quarter of 2008. And it also lost 2.258 jobs in the first quarter of 2009 and 1.433 million jobs in the 2nd quarter of 2009. CNN seems to want to blame all of that on Obama. So they, too, need to be fact checked.

Republicans would like to blame Obama for the lost jobs of 2009, but come on. He just took office in late January 2009 was he really supposed to be able to turn the economy around in just 5 months? I say no, which is why I keep trying to get these facts out there
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002908833

[ProSense]

7. It is included

It's grouped in "stimulus tax cuts." Also the number in Bush's column is only for the 10 years under Bush's proposal. Notice defense shows a savings under Obama.

[JenniferJuniper]

8. My dyslexic brain read the title as "a fountainhead of lies"

[jsr]

9. He is.

[hue]

14. Lol! nice one!!

[TahitiNut]

10. As we've seen, however, "journalists ARE too incompetent to separate fact from fiction."

We see them "CONFRONT" (which looks a lot like fellatio) reich-wingers only to offer them MORE air time to peddle blatant falsehoods.

[firenewt]

11. Is Paul Ryan the anti-christ? Start that rumor and watch the fundies dance around that!

Just saying................

[SemperEadem]

12. it makes me wonder how his wife can trust him

when he lies like he draws breath...

[hue]

13. "The question isn't who is going to let me, it's who is going to stop me." --Ayn Rand

[renate]

25. WOW.

What a great find!

[FSogol]

15. This is a must read, DU! K&R.

[NJedwina]

16. LYIN RYAN AS REPORTED BT THE MEDIA

Dave Weigel:
“incredible string of false or misleading statements”
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_breakfast_table/features/2012/_2012_republican_national_convention/paul_ryan_s_speech_included_an_incredible_string_of_false_or_misleading_statements_.html

Joan Walsh:
“His Republican National Convention speech was stunning for its dishonesty”
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/30/paul_ryans_brazen_lies/

Jonathan Cohn:
The Most Dishonest Convention Speech … Ever?
http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/106730/ryan-most-dishonest-convention-speech-five-lies-gm-medicare-deficit-medicaid

TPM:
Top 5 Fibs In Paul Ryan’s Convention Speech
http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/106730/ryan-most-dishonest-convention-speech-five-lies-gm-medicare-deficit-medicaid

Michael Tomasky:
“Paul Ryan pushed American politics into new territory with his convention speech, effectively daring Democrats and the media to call him out on his string of blatant falsehoods”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/30/michael-tomasky-on-paul-ryan-s-convention-speech-and-his-web-of-lies.html

Jonathan Bernstein:
Paul Ryan fails — the truth
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/paul-ryan-fails—-the-truth/2012/08/29/bbfe1eac-f254-11e1-b74c-84ed55e0300b_blog.html#pagebreak

AP:
FACT CHECK: Convention speakers stray from reality
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j-oHGoQbH0RmoY7rNL47-I6BYziA?docId=dc7b2d4bcfab405989965fd9505a1aff

Dan Amira:
Paul Ryan Bets on the Ignorance of America
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/08/paul-ryan-rnc-speech-lies-fact-check.html

Fox News, Sally Kohn:
“Ryan’s speech was an apparent attempt to set the world record for the greatest number of blatant lies and misrepresentations slipped into a single political speech.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/08/30/paul-ryans-speech-in-three-words/#ixzz252BejeYA
Steve Benen;
Paul Ryan stands on a foundation of lies
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/08/30/13566768-paul-ryan-stands-on-a-foundation-of-lies

Huffington Post headline:
PAUL TALES: RYAN MISLEADS, AGAIN AND AGAIN
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/paul-ryan-address_n_1841819.html

Politicsusa:
5 Biggest lies in Romney’s speech:
http://www.politicususa.com/5-biggest-lies-paul-ryans-rnc-acceptance-speech.html

Bob Cesca:
Paul Ryan’s Speech: Lies, Lies and More Lies
http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2012/08/paul-ryans-speech-lies-lies-and-more-lies.html

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. Paul Ly'in. nt

[INdemo]

19. I was surprised several MSM sites had this AP article except for

CBS,and NBC..they more or less gave him praise.
But this was great from Rachel...So question ..for those that are less informed and plan to vote could this be the deciding factor for them ,,if they don't listen or watch any debates on these issues? ..I think so ..but I think so many of these voters that are so narrow minded they are just looking for an excuse not to vote for Obama when the real reason is they will not vote for an African American And that is sad because I thought this was 2012 and not back in the 60's.

This Ap article : pretty good fact checking as well
http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-ryan-takes-factual-shortcuts-speech-070905927.html