Posted on 01/27/2012 10:49:58 AM PST by Red Steel
From '100,000 new jobs' to Obama's jobs record to his first name, Mitt Romney has a truth problem
As his briefly front-running campaign sunk in the polls under relentless punishment from Mitt Romney's "super PAC" allies in the days before the Iowa caucuses, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich caused a brief stir by matter-of-factly telling a TV interviewer that Romney is a "liar."
"Why are you saying he's a liar?" his apparently shocked interlocutor pressed. The notion that Mitt Romney routinely makes statements lacking a factual basis should not come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the campaign. On the left, Paul Krugman has marveled that no other candidate has ever "lied so freely, with so little compunction." On the right, The American Conservative's Daniel Larison wondered about why he lies, concluding that the former Massachusetts governor is "so contemptuous of the people he tells lies to that he never thinks he will be found out."
[Read Robert Schlesinger and other columnists in U.S. News Weekly, now available on iPad.]
With Romney sweeping Iowa and New Hampshire and leading in the polls in South Carolina, this is a good time to catalogue some of Romney's greatest hits thus far.
"100,000 new jobs." Romney has repeatedly claimed that during his tenure at Bain Capital, "net-net, we created over 100,000 jobs." His campaign defends the figure by tallying the current employment totals of some companies Bain aided. That's a stretch in and of itself, but it's also not a net figure. It lacks the balancing context of how many jobs were destroyed by Bain. As the Los Angeles Times reported in December, while Bain helped some companies grow, "Romney and his team also maximized returns by firing workers, seeking government subsidies, and flipping companies quickly for large profits. Sometimes Bain investors gained even when companies slid into bankruptcy."
Indeed, the Wall Street Journal looked closely at Bain's record under Romney and found that 22 percent "either filed for bankruptcy or closed their doors by the end of the eighth year after Bain first invested, sometimes with substantial job losses." Which is not really terribly surprising: Bain's raison d'etre is not job creation but wealth creation for its investors. As Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler noted in an article Monday calling Romney's "100,000 jobs" figure "untenable," Romney and Bain "never could have raised money from investors if the prospectus seeking $1-million investments from the super wealthy had said it would focus on creating jobs."
As a corollary, when Romney's record has been criticized, he has dismissed criticisms as an attempt to "put free enterprise on trial." It's not an attack on free enterprise. It's an attack on Romney's strained attempt to spin his successful record of wealth-creation into one of job-creation. It's also a recognition that while a net good, the free market has its destructive side—and it's a fair question to ask, whether voters consider experience in that sort of vulture capitalism as a good qualification for the presidency. Do they want government to be run more like that kind of business?
[See a collection of political cartoons on Mitt Romney.]
Obama's jobs record. By Romney's own logic (touting jobs created but ignoring jobs lost), his attacks on President Obama's economic record are nonsensical. He told Time that Obama "has not created any new jobs," and he told Fox News last week that Obama has "lost" 2 million jobs as president. This is indeed a net figure, but also a misleading one. When Obama took office, the economy was shedding jobs at a rate of nearly 1 million jobs per month, losing roughly 3 million during the first four months of 2009. But presidential policies don't take effect as soon as the incoming chief takes his oath. Once Obama's policies started to take effect, the trend turned. The country had added 3.2 million private sector jobs over the course of 22 straight months of private sector growth. By Romney's definition, the president has created more than 3 million jobs—not enough, but also not none.
[Read the U.S. News debate: Will Mitt Romney Be the GOP Presidential Nominee?]
In fact the biggest drag on job growth is the 600,000 public sector jobs that have disappeared under the auspices of budget austerity. As my colleague Danielle Kurtzleben reported in September, "government jobs are being shed by the tens of thousands almost every month, hindering an already weak recovery."
"Entitlement society." Romney has argued that Obama "is replacing our merit-based, opportunity society with an entitlement society," where "everyone is handed the same rewards, regardless of education, effort, and willingness to take risk." As New York's Jonathan Chait has observed, "This accusation is approximately as accurate as claiming that the Republican Party wants to pass laws forbidding poor people from making more money." The idea that President Obama (or any Democrat) advocates for equality of outcomes simply lacks a basis in fact.
[See a collection of political cartoons on the budget and deficit.]
It's an important fabrication, because it marks a turning point in Romney's attacks on Obama. Previously the president was characterized as ineffectual, but not a socialist. Forced to battle to win the GOP primaries, Romney has adopted the Tea Party's extremist rhetoric. It won't play with swing voters, even delivered in his polished drone.
Defense cuts. In an October speech on national security, Romney promised to "reverse President Obama's massive defense cuts." One problem: Pentagon spending has gone up under Obama, from $594 billion in 2008 to $666 billion. The 2011 request was for $739 billion. As Rick Perry would say, "Oops."
[Read the U.S. News debate: Are Cuts to the Defense Budget Necessary?]
No apologies. Romney has said that Obama "went around the world and apologized for America." This is part of the conservative, dog-whistle meme that Obama is un-American (and possibly even a foreigner!). While the notion of an international apology tour is a staple of the conservative case against Obama, it is also fictitious. The Washington Post's fact-checker concluded that "the claim that Obama repeatedly has apologized for the United States is not borne out by the facts, especially if his full quotes are viewed in context." Don't hold your breath waiting for an apology from Romney on this one.
"Mitt." It's a small one, but might be my favorite. During a debate in November, when moderator Wolf Blitzer introduced himself by saying that "Wolf" is really his first name, Romney greeted the audience by saying, "I'm Mitt Romney, and yes, Wolf, that's also my first name." In fact, Willard is his first name. It's a lie notable for being so mundane: Why would someone fudge their name? It's almost as if he can't control himself.
Thou shall NOT bear FALSE witness.... ranks right up there with Thou shall NOT commit Adultery.....
I think what we saw yesterday (bloody Thursday) was not so much an attempt to persuade with the substance of the accusations, it was more psychological ....the shear mass was meant to be the payload. As time goes on and the lies are put to rest the Romney camp will have very little to use going forward. If Newt can weather this storm and turn it around on Romney, make him out to be a liar, Newt will once again rise from the ashes.....
There is still time before Tuesday. Tell everyone you know how Romney has bben lying all week.
I am trying.
Why isn't Marco Rubio, or Jeb Bush, complaining about this ad?
BTW, if anyone can translate it, that would be great.
I wish I could be optimistic that enough voters in FLORIDA (of all places) are paying attention. You know, the same folks who couldn’t tell they were voting for Pat Buchanan?
Please note this article is written by a raving liberal who defends Obama and Obama’s job creation record. He also quotes left wing sources like the LA Times to slam Romney’s Bain record. HUGE grain of salt considering this source. And by the way, it badly misquotes the WSJ piece on Bain and takes the quotes presented out of context, including the fact that the 8th year record of a company after Bain took it over is a time period that’s years beyond Bain having sold the company. When you take out of the mix the companies that failed while truly under Bain’s wing, not those that failed years after being sold off, the number drops to about 7% of companies that failed. And his claim that Bain was in it to cut jobs is just more liberal clap trap. Indeed, the 100,000 jobs figure IS a net figure. Go after Romney. But use credible, non-Obamabot loser/liar sourcing.
Vote for Newt, Florida or you will get Obama for another four years..
Romney's team has not used credible sources in attacking Newt, Perry, etc.
IMO, if the shoe fits, Romney can wear it.
Mitt's first name is Wolf?
“Mitt.” It’s a small one, but might be my favorite. During a debate in November, when moderator Wolf Blitzer introduced himself by saying that “Wolf” is really his first name, Romney greeted the audience by saying, “I’m Mitt Romney, and yes, Wolf, that’s also my first name.” In fact, Willard is his first name. It’s a lie notable for being so mundane: Why would someone fudge their name? It’s almost as if he can’t control himself.
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WOW
He mustnt bother to think before he puts his lying mouth in motion...
Two wrongs make a right? And once again, we’re going to rely on class warfare bull from the left to bring down Romney? Uhhh, Santorum said it best last night. “Romney made money by working hard. Nothing wrong with that.” Sorry, if we can’t win without having to go in league with left wing journalists, then we don’t deserve to win.
Two wrongs make a right? And once again, we’re going to rely on class warfare bull from the left to bring down Romney? Uhhh, Santorum said it best last night. “Romney made money by working hard. Nothing wrong with that.” Sorry, if we can’t win without having to go in league with left wing journalists and their lies, then we don’t deserve to win.
Two wrongs make a right? And once again, we’re going to rely on class warfare bull from the left to bring down Romney? Uhhh, Santorum said it best last night. “Romney made money by working hard. Nothing wrong with that.” Sorry, if we can’t win without having to go in league with left wing journalists and their lies, then we don’t deserve to win.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with working hard and making money.
Sorry, if we can’t win without having to go in league with left wing journalists, then we don’t deserve to win.
That is right, Romney does not deserve to win. He is not only in their league, they all appear to be in bed together.
As far a Santorum, he appeared to take the high road last night. However, he more often than not has appeared to be Romney's lap dog. He calls Newt his friend. LOL, with friends like Rick, who needs enemies...
Newt missed a great opportunity last night.
CNN called out Romney when they said Romney, after Mitt’s denial and ignorance, was in fact running anti-Newt ads about “ghetto” language, saying that the ads ended with Mitt’s vice approving the ad.
Newt should have said that it is obvious the type of president Mitt would become... the buck not stopping at his office... denying anything that goes wrong in his administration... sounding much like Holder in the fast and furious scandal... sounding like Obama.
Mitt either lied about knowledge of the ad or he was/is clueless what his staffers were/are doing. Either way, it proves his incompetence, ignorance or the extent he will go to win the nomination. Just think what his administration will be like.
Actually, Newt did great in explaining he wanted English as the official government language and that he did not ever direct this at Spanish alone. There are 90+ languages being spoken at Dade County College.
He made his point. He made it well.
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