Eugene Robinson: Ryan's Diet of Whoppers

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http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/08/31/ryans_diet_of_whoppers_115275.html

Ryan's Diet of Whoppers

By Eugene Robinson - August 31, 2012


TAMPA, Fla. -- Has there ever been a more dishonest presidential campaign than the one Republicans are waging right now?

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Another supremely dishonest moment was Ryan's criticism of how Obama dealt with the Simpson-Bowles debt panel: "He created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing."

Lordy. Ryan failed to mention that he was a member of the Simpson-Bowles commission. He also failed to mention that he was part of a minority of panel members who flatly rejected the "urgent report" he now blasts Obama for ignoring. That report, you see, endorsed a balanced approach including not only budget cuts but also revenue increases. Can't have that.

To be sure, these are not the worst of the Republican lies. For me, the ultimate dishonor goes to the untrue charge that Obama has eliminated the work requirement for welfare recipients -- a lie designed not only to deceive but to stoke racial resentment among working-class voters. There are also the cynical and misleading claims about Medicare savings under the Affordable Care Act. And Obama's "You didn't build that" line, taken out of context, has provided the convention's main theme, a mantra recited by virtually every speaker.

It's hardly unusual for politicians to highlight convenient facts and ignore inconvenient ones. But I honestly can't recall a campaign so firmly grounded in untruth. Anyone who hoped Ryan might elevate the debate should be bitterly disappointed.