In this regard, consider the following ...
From Joe Conason (editor in chief of NationalMemo.com) ...
- “It’s not easy to debate a liar,” complained an email from one observer of the first presidential debate – and there was no question about which candidate he meant. Prevarication, falsification, fabrication are all familiar tactics that have been employed by Mitt Romney without much consequence to him ever since he entered public life, thanks to the inviolable taboo in the mainstream media against calling out a liar (unless, of course, he lies about sex).
- Yes, President Obama ought to have been better prepared for Romney’s barrage of blather and bull. The Republican’s own chief advisor, Eric Fehrnstrom, had glibly described the “Etch-a-Sketch” strategy they would deploy in the general election, to make swing voters forget the “severe conservative” of the primaries. Romney executed that pivot on Wednesday night, but he could do so only by spouting literally dozens of provably fraudulent assertions — which various diligent fact-checkers proceeded to debunk.
"I think [President Obama]
was so surprised, he thought Romney was just flat-out lying."
1. In reference to the unemployment
rate, Romney said, "The reason it's come down this year is primarily due
to the fact that more and more people have just stopped looking for work."
2. On Fox News last night, Romney
said in reference to the president, "[W]hat I find so offensive about his
tax plan is by raising taxes on small business, as he does, he will kill
jobs."
In reality, Obama has repeatedly
cut taxes on small businesses -- by some counts, 18 times -- and if given a
second term, his tax plan would have no effect on 97% of small businesses.
3. Speaking yesterday at the
Colorado Conservative Political Action Committee Conference, Romney said,
"this sequestration idea ... came out of the White House."
No, it didn't.
This sequestration idea emanated from House Republicans.
4. In the same speech, Romney said
Obama "spending more and more, borrowing more and more, putting us on a
road to Greece
5. In Wednesday night's debate,
Romney said, "I don't have a $5 trillion tax cut. I don't have a tax cut
of a scale that you're talking about."
Independent analysts determined
the proposed across-the-board rate cut would cost $5 trillion.
6. Romney said, "I'm not going
to reduce the share of taxes paid by high-income people. High-income people are
doing just fine in this economy."
That's not true. The wealthy would
receive a massive, disproportionate tax break
under the Romney plan.
7. Romney said, "[G]asoline
prices have doubled under the president."
To blame gas prices on the
president's policies is ridiculously
untrue.
8. Romney said, "I'm not going
to cut education funding. I don't have any plan to cut education funding and
grants that go to people going to college."
9. Romney argued, "Energy is
critical, and the president pointed out correctly that production of oil and
gas in the U.S.
10. On taxes, Romney said, "I do
want to reduce the burden being paid by middle-income Americans. And to do that
that also means that I cannot reduce the burden paid by high-income
Americans."
This is ridiculously
untrue (and more than a little incoherent).
11. On taxes, Romney argued, "I
will not reduce the share paid by high-income individuals. I -- I know that you
and your running mate keep saying that, and I know it's a popular things to say
with a lot of people, but it's just not the case."
Yes, it is the case.
12. Romney said, "I will not
reduce the taxes paid by high-income Americans."
That's slightly different than the
other lie. It's also equally wrong.
13. Romney said, "I will not,
under any circumstances, raise taxes on middle-income families." He cited
"six studies" to back him up on this.
There's ample evidence that Romney
will have no choice but to raise taxes on middle-income families and the six
studies don't back him up.
14. Romney said, "I saw a study
that came out today that said you're going to raise taxes by 3 to $4,000 on middle-income
families."
The study is wrong, and that's not what
it said.
15. Romney said on tax rates,
"Mr. President, you're absolutely right, which is that with regards to 97
percent of the businesses are not taxed at the 35 percent tax rate, they're
taxed at a lower rate. But those businesses that are in the last 3 percent of
businesses happen to employ half -- half -- of all of the people who work in small
business."
That's a new one. It's also not true.
16. Romney said, "[Y]our plan is
to take the tax rate on successful small businesses from 35 percent to 40
percent. The National Federation of Independent Businesses has said that will
cost 700,000 jobs."
17. Romney said, "What things
would I cut from spending? Well, first of all, I will eliminate all programs by
this test -- if they don't pass it: Is the program so critical it's worth
borrowing money from China
The implication here is that U.S. debt is financed by the Chinese, but this
isn't true -- China
18. In reference to how he'd balance
the budget, Romney said he'll "get rid of" the Affordable Care Act.
This is incoherent and absurd.
"Obamacare" cuts the deficit
to the tune of about $109 billion over the next decade. It's simply incoherent
to say you'll cut the deficit by eliminating a law, which would in turn
increase the deficit. That's like promising to put out a fire by using more
kerosene.
19. Romney said, "The president
said he'd cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately, he doubled it."
Maybe Romney doesn't know what
"double" means. The deficit on Obama's first day was $1.3 trillion.
Last year, it was also $1.3 trillion. This year, it's projected to be $1.1
trillion. When he says the president "more than doubled" the deficit,
as he has many times, Romney's lying.
20. Romney argued, "The
president's put in place as much public debt, almost as much debt held by the
public as all prior presidents combined."
He's said this before, but it's not even close
to being true.
21. On subsidies, Romney said to the
president, "[Y]ou say Exxon and Mobil -- actually, this $2.8 billion goes
largely to small companies, to drilling operators and so forth."
Nice try, but no.
22. Romney said to Obama,
"[Y[ou put $90 billion -- like 50 years' worth of breaks -- into solar and
wind."
That's not quite right,
and much of the $90 billion was appropriated by George W. Bush,
not Obama.
23. Romney argued to the president,
"[Y]ou said you get a deduction for getting a plant overseas. Look, I've
been in business for 25 years. I have no idea what you're talking about."
Romney's admitted cluelessness
notwithstanding, he's simply wrong to argue the tax deduction doesn't exist. It's real.
24. On entitlements, Romney argued,
"[N]either the president nor I are proposing any changes for any current
retirees or near retirees, either to Social Security or Medicare. So if you're
60 or around 60 or older, you don't need to listen any further."
That's demonstrably
wrong. Under Romney's policy, the cost of prescription drug
prices and preventive care for seniors would go up immediately -- for current
and future retirees. For that matter, since Romney's plan hastens Medicare's
insolvency -- soon -- seniors should listen closely.
25. Defending his Medicare plan,
Romney said the idea originated in part with Paul Ryan and Sen. Ron Wyden
(D-Ore.), "who's a co-author of the bill."
According to Ron Wyden, that's ridiculously
untrue.
26. In reference to Dodd-Frank,
Romney said, "[I]t designates a number of banks as too big to fail, and
they're effectively guaranteed by the federal government. This is the biggest
kiss that's been given to New York
This simply has no basis in fact.
27. In reference to Wall Street
reform, Romney said, "It wasn't thought through properly.... [I]t's
killing regional and small banks.
28. In reference to the Affordable
Care Act, Romney said, "It cuts $716 billion from Medicare to pay for it.
I want to put that money back in Medicare for our seniors."
As I suspect Romney knows -- he'd
already endorsed these same cuts earlier in the year -- he's just not telling
the truth.
29. In the next breath, Romney says
of the health care law, "[I]t puts in place an unelected board that's
going to tell people, ultimately, what kind of treatments they can have."
This is getting awfully close to
the "death panel" argument, and it's not true.
30. Romney vowed to "sit down
with Democratic leaders as well as Republican leaders -- as we did in my
state."
That's wildly misleading. In his
one term, Romney issued more than 800 vetoes, over 700 of which were
overridden, and demonstrated a "relative
disinterest in bipartisan collaboration."
31. According to Romney,
congressional Republicans unveiled a "bipartisan" health care reform
plan in 2010. "It was swept aside."
There was no "bipartisan
plan" from GOP lawmakers. Romney just made this up.
32. Asked what he would replace the
Affordable Care Act with, Romney's exact words were, "Let, well, actually,
actually it's , it's, it's a lengthy description."
That's a lie. Romney's online
description of his health care reform plan is just 369 words.
33. Romney said, "Pre-existing
conditions are covered under my plan."
I really wish that were true. It's not.
34. Romney, offering
"proof" that the president's agenda is "not working," said,
"23 million people are out of work."
That's not true. As of the time of
the debate, there were 12.5 million Americans unemployed.
35. In reference to public support
for green-energy companies, Romney argued, "These businesses, many of them
have gone out of business. I think about half of them, of the ones have been
invested in, they've gone out of business."
As Romney's own aides later
admitted, this is demonstrably
false.
36. In a TV campaign ad released this
week, Romney said "Obama and the liberals already have ... raised taxes on
the middle class."
That's obviously untrue; Obama has
repeatedly cut taxes on the middle class. In fact, Romney admitted as much
just last week.
37. In the same ad, Romney accused
Obama of creating "government-run health care."
As Romney knows -- his own state
health care law served as the blueprint for the president's plan -- the
Affordable Care Act relies on private insurers, and is not "government-run
health care."
38. The same ad claims consumers will
be forced to "pay more for your medicine."
Actually, the only change in the
cost of medication came for seniors -- and "Obamacare" closes the
donut hole to make sure they pay less, not more.
39. The commercial goes on to say the
Affordable Care Act "includes a trillion dollars in higher taxes -- even
on the middle class."
This is apparently in reference to
the individual mandate. And if the claim is true, then Romney's Massachusetts
40. In his weekly podcast, Romney
said Obama's vision of international affairs is premised on seeing the United States
Obama is the only president in
American history to publicly and
explicitly endorse the principle of American exceptionalism.
41. Romney also argued "our
moral standing has declined" around the globe.
No, it hasn't. Respect and support
for the United States
42. Romney went on to say Obama no
longer supports "standing with Israel
43. Romney also said the president
"refuses to meet with Israel
Obama has met with Netanyahu many times.
44. He went on to say, hoping to draw
a contrast with the president, "I will never apologize for America
How is it possible the whole "apology" lie hasn't
gone away yet?
45. At a campaign event in Wayne , Pennsylvania
No, he's not. Obama is planning to
cut defense spending, on the recommendation of the Pentagon and the Joint
Chiefs, by about $500 billion over the next decade. There are other cuts
looming, but they were crafted by
Romney's party and endorsed by his own running mate.
46. At the same event, Romney argued,
"[T]he president adds about a trillion dollars a year to the national
debt."
It's true that in recent years,
about a trillion dollars a year to the national debt, but it's not the
president who's doing it.
47. Romney went on to say, "Do
you realize that our Navy is smaller in terms of the number of ships than any
time since 1917?"
This one again? Romney dropped this lie
a while back, but it's apparently made a comeback.
48. Romney also vowed, "I will
not raise taxes on middle-income Americans."
There's ample evidence that Romney
will raise taxes
on the middle class.
49. Romney went on to promise,
"I've got a plan. I've got a plan to help free people pursue their dreams
and get this economy going. And the good news is this: It'll create 12 million
jobs."
Putting aside the pesky detail
that Romney doesn't actually have a specific jobs plan, the fact remains that
if we do nothing, we're on track to create 12 million
new American jobs over the next four years anyway.
50. Romney added, "I want to
take that big cloud off of the small business world that's hanging over them.
Three-quarters of them say they don't want to hire more people because of this
cloud and that cloud is Obamacare."
Romney's referring to a
"survey" conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce if its members.
The claim, however, is a misleading joke -- the Chamber, a pro-Republican
lobbying institution heavily invested in helping Romney, put up an unscientific
online survey. Treating this as a legitimate poll of businesses is
fundamentally dishonest.
