Romney and Ryan's Lies Push Limits

Their lies have been so blatant and so frequent. Some republicans know they're lying and they don't care. Other Americans, who don't follow politics, may not realize that Romney's "build" campaign is based on something Obama never said. Romney's entire campaign is a lie. See a Romney lie list here.

Ryan's RNC speech was perhaps the most lyingest speech ever. Not only is Romney using lies to try and win, but he's using secret superpac money to try and buy the White House. He's the first candidate who won't reveal his top bundlers. How can anyone call Romney "honorable?"

When you have to deceive and cheat to win, you're probably not worthy. But the GOP's hatred of Obama is so intense, and Romney is so weak, Romney's probably been given his marching orders -- win at whatever cost.

The growing number of misrepresentations appear to reflect a calculation in both parties that shame is overrated, and that no independent arbiters command the stature or the platform to hold the campaigns to account in the increasingly polarized and balkanized media firmament. Any unmasking of the lies or distortions, the thinking goes, rarely seeps into the public consciousness.

But an interesting question unfolding is whether there is a tipping point at which a candidate becomes so associated with falsehoods that it becomes part of his public persona — which hampered Vice President Al Gore during his run for president in 2000, when his misstatements on the campaign trail were used to stoke the perception that he could not be trusted in general. NYT

Fact check on Romney's speech:

Unlike President Obama, I will not raise taxes on the middle class.” Romney appears to be referring to mandates in the health care law, but overall Obama has cut taxes broadly for the middle class. He has extended Bush tax cuts, included a “Making Work Pay” credit in the stimulus bill and reduced payroll taxes by two percentage points in the past two years. Obama has called for raising taxes on people making more than $250,000 a year. More at WaPo

By now, everyone is probably confused about Medicare. The nonpartisan foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation, has answers to questions about Ryan's plan for Medicare It makes no judgements. It just lays out the facts and leaves the rest up to you.

In the video below, the Obama campaign honed in on that phony closed-mouth smile. I never see sincerity or authenticity in Mitt. I still haven't figured the guy out. Mostly, I wonder what his real motivation is. Does he have a daddy complex? His dad was clearly someone special. Has he been encouraged by the Mormon church to run for office? Does he feel an obligation? Why? Mormonism is an active religion. In their youth, they are expected to serve as missionaries, doing good deeds and recruiting people to their religion. Romney has been a central figure within the church (here is the only video I've seen where Mitt extensively discusses his role in the church). All Mormons are expected to be missionaries for a period of time. Does he feel a strong calling by god? Does he feel guilty for something? His religion plays a major role in his life, but I wonder why that doesn't keep him honest? Maybe deceit is okay if there is a perceived higher purpose? Some actual facts:



Obama camp response -- not a lot of specifics from Mitt: