It’s been a while since I linked to a Steve Benen post about the Mendacity of Mittens, but here is a recent one. See also David Bernstein and Paul Waldman.
So, yes, the GOP field is a pack of mutts, but possibly the most bizarre behavior of the lot of them, which is saying something, is Mitt’s lying. Yeah, politicians lie, but not like this. They spin, they stretch, they take stuff out of context. Romney just makes it up.
Bernstein writes,
I think we’ve seen, over the past couple of months, an important tipping point where much of the national political media now recognizes — as the McCain team did during that January 2008 St. A’s debate — that, in the Romney campaign, they are dealing with something unlike the normal spin and hyperbole. They are realizing that Romney and his campaign simply cannot be trusted, in any way, about anything.
They are also coming to realize just how carefully controlling Romney is about the media, how little access and information the media will get from the candidate and the campaign, and how hostile Romney is toward them.
And Waldman says,
So here’s my question: Just what will it take for reporters to start writing about the question of whether Mitt Romney is, deep within his heart, a liar?
Because he does this kind of thing frequently, very frequently. Sometimes the lies he tells are about himself (often when he’s trying to explain away things he has said or done in the past if today they displease his party’s base, as he’s now doing with his prior support for an individual mandate for health insurance), but most often it’s Barack Obama he lies about. And I use the word “lie” very purposefully. There are lots of things Romney says about Obama that are distortions, just plain ridiculous, or unfalsifiable but obviously false, as when he often climbs into Obama’s head to tell you what Obama really desires, like turning America into a militarily weak, economically crippled shadow of Europe (not the actual Europe, but Europe as conservatives imagine it to be, which is something like Poland circa 1978). But there are other occasions, like this one, where Romney simply lies, plainly and obviously. In this case, there are only two possibilities for Romney’s statement: Either he knew what Obama has said on this topic and decided he’d just lie about it, or he didn’t know what Obama has said, but decided he’d just make up something about what Obama said regardless of whether it was true. In either case, he was lying.
The narrative the Press has been going by is that Ron Paul is a flake, Noot and Frothy are bomb-throwing clowns, and Mittens is the relatively “normal” one. But the truth is Mittens may be the sickest one of all.
The time will come soon for a “debate” between the republican candidate and Pres. Obama.
I can’t wait.It will be the point where fact and fantasy collide,
be sure to wear a welding helmet……….
I never thought honesty was a requirement for taking a walk to the bank, which explains Newt. Multiple scandals of “belief” have inured me to the notion that honesty in self-righteousness is not to be expected, so that covers Santorum. But Romney is a marvellously dishonest power-seeker who claims a religious and business credibility that is simply incredible. I believe he is the Sarah Palin of the campaign: physically attractive, well-coiffed, driven by a not-quite-comprehended agenda, and desperate for success. He displays a prop family that is more guarded than Palin’s but is used the same way. His past is well-embroidered and he is an expert at wrapping himself in the flag. Both are safe only when they stick to a script and avoid real questioning by the press. Sarah’s presence at witchcraft preaching is pretty equivalent to Mitt’s dipping the dead. Can’t wait till he has to select a VP who can support his “positions” with a straight face.
I read Benen’s post and just don’ see how Romney is any different from the other republicans candidates, or republicans in general. They ALL make stuff up about Obama because they can’t call him a n*****. Even the base has some scruples, though I think that if the repugs thought it would get them elected, they would certainly be willing to go there. If the point is that the Mittstovich is just like the others, well, yeah, but that’s news??
OT –
I just had a thought. Ms. Fluke should sue Limbaugh and announce that all proceeds from the suit will go to support womens health services at Planned Parenthood.
Mitt can get away with it, because the MSM is compliant, complicit, and sometimes just outright bought and paid for.
They need the Republican primaries to be a battle, and the general election to be a war.
They’ll prop-up Mitt, or whoever their nominee is, sane, crazy, truthful, liar, whatever, and polish him/her up for public consumption – there are billions of CU dollars to be made in advertizing between now and early November.
Don’t wait for the MSM to start pointing out that Mitt’s a liar.
The script been written, and if he’s the nominee, it will be made to appear that Diogenes found the last honest man, and that man is Mitt.
The public will be left to draw their own conclusions from any debates – and don’t be surprise if there’s only one. Hell, I won’t be surprised if there aren’t any at all. Mitt is NOT a good debater – unless he’s facing the rest of the Republican clowns, who are, with the possible exception of Newt, worse.
Mitt would be a deer in the headlights if Obama just stood there refuting his lies. Mitt has nothing to work with, unless he goes for code-talking the base with war and race and religion, in which case I don’t think he has the emotive capacity to make it artful, not that that is a requirement of the base.
erinyes …and those in attendance at the debate should be sure to bring a welding apron.
The most peculiar thing about Mitt is his constant and consistent need to present himself as one-of-us – from the clothes he wears to his referencing his less than rich progenitors. Since when has it become necessary to be less than rich to be a ‘good’ Republican – a party that functions by, for and of the rich.
He was born into privilege, raised in privilege and lives a life of privilege. Why doesn’t he admit it – I was born rich, raised rich, didn’t earn it, didn’t deserve it but there it is. The fact that he doesn’t acknowledge what everyone know is true about him indicates, to me, that he really isn’t wrapped too tightly – of course the entire Republican Party doesn’t seem to be wrapped too tightly these days – so there we are.
Well, the Religious Right has some tough choices ahead of them…Do you support the idolater, the adulterer, the atheist, or the Whore of Babylon?…
But,there’s always the distasteful option of going against the curse by switching sides and voting for the tribe of Ham.
@Felicity wrote He was born into privilege, raised in privilege and lives a life of privilege. Why doesn’t he admit it..
Because he knows it won’t win him the election. Remember how GW Bush pretended to be like one of the guys? This particular aspect of conning the rubes is near the top of the Republican playbook.
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