"Is Mitt Romney A Serial Liar?"

[Pirate Smile]

Thank goodness - this should be a huge issue. It should be a large part of the "conventional wisdom" regarding who this guy actually is:

Is Mitt Romney A Serial Liar?

By Leonard Steinhorn | Published: February 13, 2012

-snip-
What we don’t yet want to admit is a more discomfiting idea: that the man our country may elect as President seems to have no problem lying to us, that he is accumulating a record of lies and misrepresentations on the campaign trail that goes far beyond the exaggerated rhetoric characteristic of most candidates.

Yes, politicians might fudge a statistic, mitigate a failure, embellish a story, or take a little extra credit for success, and because of that most pundits and journalists have folded Romney’s lies and misrepresentations into the big tent of exaggerated political rhetoric that reporters now take for granted even if they roll their eyes when hearing it. No big deal, we’re led to believe.

But Romney is different from the others. He seems to make claims that he knows are not true. This is a very smart man, a maven for details and a stickler for precision known for his data-driven business decisions, yet he looks us in the eyes and makes statements and claims that he knows to be misleading or false.

-snip-
Perhaps Romney’s lies don’t rise to the level of Richard Nixon’s self-pitying and manipulative deceptions, or George W. Bush’s claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They seem more like the lies a teenager tells – to impress, avoid trouble, shade the truth, or evade responsibility for something gone wrong. But we expect these lies from teenagers and assume they will grow out of them. We do not expect them from an adult running for the highest office in our land. Looseness with the truth in small matters might herald an unwillingness to be honest with the American people on matters of state.
Think what you wish about Newt Gingrich, but we should take his warning about Mitt Romney seriously: “Somebody who will lie to you to get to be president, will lie to you when they are president.”

http://punditwire.com/2012/02/13/is-mitt-romney-a-serial-liar/

A former speechwriter and strategist for causes, candidates, and members of Congress, Leonard Steinhorn has written on American politics and culture for major newspapers and magazines, and is currently the director of the Public Communications department at American University.

This article has hit Political Wire http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/02/13/is_mitt_romney_a_serial_liar.html and has Begala and the DNC retweeting it so it isn't exactly going under the radar.

[MADem]

1. Someone--just now--is finally figuring this out?

We've known this in MA for YEARS! During his one lousy little term as a weak governor in our fair commonwealth, it was as common to see him prevaricate as for the weather to change.

In short, if bullshit were electricity, he'd be a powerhouse!

[Pirate Smile]

2. I know a lot of us have known it. It can still just be jawdroppingly brazen though - like his

first commercial against Pres. Obama where they were blatantly deceptive and bragged about it when called out.

It's bizarre.

It is like he is missing some normal shame gene that keeps people from lying about things that are so easily disproven and, often, trivial - but he does it all the time, over and over again. It is just really friggin weird.

[MADem]

3. Yes, he is like that "disliked child" in one's elementary school class who could never be trusted,

who never held up the side, who would always rat out the group to the teacher, and who would never take responsibility for his conduct....but, since he was rich, he always had the best toys, and was able, consequently, to buy the few friends he managed to acquire.

He's an odd duck, that is for certain! Human-like, but not quite human!

[Icicle]

6. His immediate goal is to make it out of the room....

He tailors his rhetoric to the crowd he's speaking to, even if he has to contradict himself.
I live in NH, but I've worked in MA since the mid-80s, and I was living in East Boston during his stint as governor. He always has his finger to the wind to see what position to take.....

[MADem]

7. Wow, you had a better shot of avoiding him when you lived in East-a Boss!

He spent most of his time up in NH when he was MA gov, at that "little" multi-million dollar Winnepesaukee lake manse of his! I think he still has the lake house, which is one more reason for the good citizens of NH to turn their backs on the guy come election day!

[Icicle]

8. Yeah

... I don't think he spends as much time up here anymore. He got some pointed questions at "town hall meetings" this time around. Plus, he's got several other properties around the country, he's got the same "too many houses" problem that John McCain has.

[MADem]

10. He unloaded the wife's "Belmont home"--the one where the undocumented workers mowed the lawn, and

she very charitably (cough, snort) served them "agua" in the heat of the summer! He managed to get that massive Mormon temple built before he left. The thing looks like a prison in the pictures I have seen of it--I've never been out that way to have a look at the actual structure, but it doesn't photograph well at all.

http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/boston/

I heard he bought a place in California--a massive seaside thing, with a helo pad and plenty of room for the Secret Service. Talk about counting your chickens before the rooster is even in the yard!

[The Doctor.]

15. No, no... can't say that.

"Counting your chickens before the rooster is even in the yard" is barely relevant to the number of chickens. The same number of chickens will be in the yard both before and after the rooster is gone. What you will be counting before they are there, in this case, would be eggs. That would be something indicating 'unwarranted expectation'. Therefore this really becomes a question of "Which came first?", the answer to which is obviously, "The rooster".

[MADem]

25. Well, I won't argue about the rooster's place in line, but you're not going to have chicks without a

rooster AND a hen--you can have eggs though! No rooster needed to have your eggs fresh in the morning!

[The Doctor.]

4. He's a Republican.

And there you have it.

[Grateful for Hope]

9. +1

[DCKit]

11. Substitute any (R) name in there, and it's the same article.

While Santorum and Paul may be the most steadfast to their various stances on so many diverging subjects, "regressive" doesn't begin to pin them down.

None of them (or their owners) much cares for the how of gaining the WH, just that they do.

[Larry Ogg]

13. I don't like using blanket statements, however...

You would have been closer to the truth if you simply said _ he's a Politician.

[The Doctor.]

14. There exist politicians that do not lie.

Rare though they may be, none are Republican these days.

[Larry Ogg]

16. The number of honest politicians in Washington might be enough to fill a phone booth

and they would all be liberals.

[geckosfeet]

27. ... and his mouth is moving.

[Rowdyboy]

5. Is the asshole a liar....WMR? Willard Mittington Romney?

[opihimoimoi]

12. LOL...Love the Pic

[hobbit709]

17. No. He's a total liar.

[DFW]

18. I think he doesn't even know or care if he's lying

He just spouts off stuff, and hopes that no one fact-checks him, or if they do, that the
corrections come off buried in some back-page editorial column while his BS claims get
broadcast on prime time TV.

This is fine if you're an entertainer on Fox Cabaret. Not so good if you're seriously running for President.

(No, I don't know if there is a "Fox Cabaret." I don't get US TV here--it just sounded good! LOL)

[kemah]

19. Romney campaign is running a pre internet campaign.

Pre Internet and You Tube, it was common for politicians to cater to different groups. They would say one thing to one group and completely different thing to another. They would even vote against a program and then hurry down to the state to take credit for the program if it passed. Texas Senator Phil Gramm was famous for this, it was even called Grammstanding.
But now You Tube can record and store all that nonsense.
That's why Mitts is having such a hard time convincing voters that he is severely conservative because there are videos of him saying the complete opposite "I am severely liberal and proud of it." said Mitt to his MA voters. More liberal than Ted Kennedy and health care for all with mandates.

[otohara]

20. Mormons - Lying For the Lord

it's okay to lie if it advances the Mormon cause.

[bayareaboy]

23. It is all OK ...

When you have on, the Liar liar pants on fire undies on!

I think that Mittens is a Mormon, but I also think that he really lets his ego work his politic, more than his religion.

I have all sorts of experiences with LDS folk including family members. Some are fine and some are not. Kind of like most other people.

[yellowcanine]

21. I would call him a fudger rather than a liar. He puts the best spin on things and is

intellectually dishonest about his reasons for doing things and his political beliefs.

[GreenTea]

22. No doubt about it the media calls him a 'flip-flopper" - we all know Mitt Romney is a habitual LIAR!

[Javaman]

24. Simpler than that. He's a sociopath.

I honestly believe this. He shows zero emotional change. He's milktoast with every single reaction and laughs at the folly of the poor, the weak and the disinfranchised.

I have been saying this for a long time.

[trusty elf]

26. or, perhaps...

[IMG][/IMG]

[geckosfeet]

28. definitely heart worthy

[trusty elf]

35. Thank you!

[politicasista]

29. Interesting this bum gets linked to a decent Democrat

like Senator Kerry. There are lot of big differences between, but that will never stop some Dems and Liberals from repeating the media memes that they are both alike.

JAO

[louslobbs]

30. Yes! n/t

Lou

[K Gardner]

31. Bookmarked, K&R.

[skepticscott]

32. Gingrich is a fine one to talk

Someone who will lie about their marriage to the person they supposedly love more than anyone else in the world, will lie to anyone, about anything, at any time.

[existentialist]

33. The patent lies where he kept contradicting himself

within a few seconds in the South Carolina debates come to mind.

The subjects on which he lied were not themselves so important (like whether he had seen the anti-Gingrich ads runs by a pro-Romney PAC), but he lied so quickly and so easily.

He cannot be trusted at all.

[Liora24]

34. All of the rethugs are liars

Asking of Romney is a liar is like asking if your neighbor's dog barks. It's in the nature of conservative, right-wing republicans to be compulsive liars and by that criteria Romney is a liar as well. There is no escaping it. You have to be a very dishonest person in the first place to even believe in any right-wing ideas. Either that or you are just stupid and have a low IQ as numerous studies have proven.

[Craigtee3030]

36. Mr. Roboto...

...is a politician, who has played in every sandbox, on both sides, of every fence. Whether he its a serial lard, our not...is irrelevant. What hwe is...is a Master off Systems Management. He does whatever needs to bee done to keep the system moving forward, and his butt out of the hot seat. Caucus Interruptus - Part Douche! Thoughts at 3 A.M. http://thoughtsatthreeam.blogspot.com/?spref=tw

[asfghjrtj]

37. Spam deleted by cyberswede (MIR Team)

[sinkingfeeling]

38. To answer the question, yes he is!