In the 1980’s, Jon Lovitz played a character on Saturday Night Live named Tommy Flanagan but known as The Liar:
If you’ve spent any time at all listening to Mitt Romney in debates or in stump speeches, you may agree that this appears to be Romney’s role model. Consider Romney’s speech in South Carolina today:
When I was at Bain, I was a wealth–…a job creator, yeah, that’s what I was. I created a million jobs in a billion companies! Why, I even created the Middle Class! Yeah, that’s the ticket! But Obama, he wants fairness–…er…European socialism! Yeah, that’s what he wants. And he wants to…take everyone’s jobs and money away and use arugula as the national currency! Yeah, that’s his plan!”
Mitt Romney’s track record would make Jon Lovitz blush. His betrayals and dishonesty on his past positions are well known. When Fox News’ Brett Baier confronted Romney on the fact that he had completely flipped on his support for a health insurance mandate as contained in his own Romneycare plan, a fumbling Romney stated that Baier had his facts wrong.
As we’ve seen time and again, Romney’s response to be caught red handed as a hypocrite and liar is, “I know you are but what am I?”
Can someone with no visible means of support when it comes to honesty, character and principles, an obvious and serial liar, be elected President?
We have had many deceitful and dishonest men elected President but none of them ran solely on lies nor ran on positions that were all the exact opposite of where they had stood just several years before.
There is nothing genuine about Mitt Romney (which may explain why the plastics industry has contributed hugely to his campaign, he is a great walking advertisement for them). There is no sign of sympathy or empathy for other human beings (or dogs for that matter) that is in evidence. Romney is an adult child who has been given everything he’s ever had and naturally thinks he should continue to be entitled to whatever he wants. He has lived in a bubble of wealth and elitism and looks at 99% of Americans like beetles he’s caught in a jar.
Coming from a life of self-entitlement, his only priority is getting what he wants and lying is irrelevant if it provides him with what he desires.
We know from this GOP Presidential Primary season that the core Republican base also doesn’t care if their candidates are liars, in fact, if they see the lie as helpful in hammering the Democrats, they cheer it on (birth certificates anyone?).
There is a dynamic, a co-dependence between dishonesty and what it takes to make one most viable in the GOP Primary. To begin, the current requirements of racism, hatred, greed and religious purity that the GOP rank and file seek in a candidate is not humanly possible nor viable in a General Election so it is an unachievable fantasy.
Romney and the rest of the GOP candidates aren’t principled enough to step up and say that such a childish wishlist isn’t possible, they instead offer a wink and a nod and put on their Santa “Flaws” costumes and lie and deceive to play the role that the GOP “kiddies” are rooting for them to play.
For Mitt Romney, a man whose “principles” are more like interchangeable Lego blocks, the response is, “No problem, I can do that!”
Do Americans put a higher value on hearing what they want to hear or honesty? Will they vote for someone like Mitt Romney who is all but telling the public, “I am just lying non-stop to get elected President” as long as they like the lies they’re being told by him?
It wouldn’t be the first time that Americans have done so, we only need to look back to 2010. In that election, the same Republicans who lied, cheated and helped steal massive wealth and jobs from Americans, lied about how they would create jobs if elected and the desperate American People swallowed that lie whole.
The question is, have they learned, even for at least the time being, that believing in BS from Republicans without putting it in context with their actual actions in the very recent past, is self-destructive?
In the end, I think so. It seems most likely that the characterization of Romney as the quintessential wealthy opportunist and liar will continue to be cemented, especially once the Obama and DNC campaigns start in earnest.
The fears and desires of Americans are preyed upon daily by corporations in their commercials and by politicians in their game playing. The rise of Occupy Wall Street, the broad acknowledgement of economic inequity and the disapproval of politicians in general offers encouragement that the American People are at least taking a sabbatical from being easily manipulated by the wealthy and the powers that be.
2012 would not seem to be The Year of the Liar, it seems more likely to be The Year of The People and yeah, that’s the ticket.
Man of the Streets!
[img]http://bobcesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/romneyWorldView.jpg[/img]
http://bobcesca.com/blog-archives/2012/01/the-romney-worldview.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
LOL, good one! But, I wonder if he would even care to look.
Game Over!
Chuck Norris endorses Newt Gingrich for president
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120120/chuck-norris-endorses-newt-gingrich-president
And how did he reach this conclusion?
He even lies and is disingenuous about how smart/dumb he is.
He pulled the “class envy” canard on a guy who confronted him and shot back snark on the guy that he was free to believe in a system like they have in China, North Korea, or Russia.
Well, he probably doesn’t realize all those places are run by elites like him, but he’s certainly smarter than the GOP flock than to not realize Russia is no longer the Soviet Union. Hell, he probably has a bank account in Moscow.
For a party that credits Reagan for the fall of the Berlin Wall they sure do seem confused that there’s no more USSR. Boggles my mind, that disconnect.
But let’s get back to China, shall we?
This looks more like a GOP wet dream than a Democratic one:
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/China-economy-CCP-politics-Hu-Jintao-reform-pd20120106-Q8VT2?opendocument&src=rss
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/08/world/la-fg-china-corruption-on-wheels-20120108
Sounds pretty much like our highly advanced GOP political process 🙂 although it seems they use bigger words in Nigeria.
“Wealthy fraudsters are given chieftaincy titles and venerated, and their nefarious deeds are euphemistically tagged venial.”
Chiedu Uche Okoye; Victims of Illusion; Daily Independent (Nigeria); Jun 27, 2011.
Wish I had said that!
Only in SC. Quote from a GOP voter.
“Peccadilloes” I gotta remember that one.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/comfortably-numb-south-carolinians-say-sex-on-tv-and-single-mothers-dull-the-sting-of-newts-past.php
Well color me impressed. I had to look up “peccadilloes” and I guess the person in SC I was patronizing is more intelligent than I give them credit.
That photo and seeing her standing next to newt on the telly, Calista, is frightening. She reminds me of a sci-fi character that is ready to rip off a mask revealing some horrid creature. If there is a birth certificate that needs to be shown, it’s hers. She is from the planet gxlgribl-3! 🙂
Mrs Attacks
Bito: absolutley. I’ve thought—well, turns out I can’t say it in public. I bet she ditches him after she writes her book. Newt’s of no further use to her in the GOP
I know it’s unkind to make fun of someone looks, lord knows I’m no looker, but I have some very weird fascination with her when she is on TV. She is so robotic, unearthly to me, so much I often miss what Newt is even saying (does that really matter?). I keep waiting for her to show any outward emotion, anything!
KQ, But impeaching a president for a peccadilloe is not a peccadilloe. Nor is shutting down the government. Demanding first row seating on Air Force One did seem peevish though. But at least he didn’t have to be put in his place like Juan Williams was by another kind and thoughtful SC GOP.
Can we go back to see if he thought it was a peccadillo back then?
Andrea Mitchell just called Mitt Romney “Reaganesque”. What a Republican hack Mrs. Greenspan has become.
She is becoming the worst out there. What has Romney proclaimed to be for I would ask her? As much as I don’t like Reagan most of his campaigning was positive. I’ve never seen a front runner like Romney is suppose to be run such a negative campaign.
AdLIb, she’s another desperate announcer trying to get ratings. News people are always compromised but she really struggles with words and ideas; painful to watch–when I do.
Mittens pulled another lie today by implying the Navy is weaker now under Obama than it was in 1917 because they had more ships back then, huh?
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/01/south-carolina-romney-floats-whopper-about-navy
Of course a few of our aircraft carriers would destroy the Navy we had in 1917 in a few days. Where is Romney going to get all this money from because building ships is quite expensive?
Perhaps the biggest part of the lie is the US always has a huge amount of ships mothballed which can go into service in months if need be. Obviously Romney wants to start another war because he does not want to stand down from our two theater war posture at all.
And, how many ships does everybody else have? It is my understanding that we have the most already. Russia is building but that is because their fleet is so old but they are not really adding but replacing. How big is Irans navy fleet? Or is it China that is making us count our ships? And, our Aircraft? Well, it is a good thing President Obama saved our auto industry. Because during WWII, it was our auto industry that was use to manufacture the aircraft needed. I don’t think we could count on those foreign auto makers to help out.
The Repucks just can’t get away from the scare tactics. Besides, all China would use would be a computer and down we go. President Obama has already stated that we are focusing protecting the country from attack in that direction. None of these jerks mention that.
Oh, I forgot. Has anyone checked the size of our calvary lately? The attack maybe coming from Mexico and Santa Anna may come for the Alamo. Perry better get back to Texas!
Good point, Sally! And it is my understanding that Obama has done nothing to address the bi-plane and musket gap we have with other armies of the past.
We have a mind shaft gap as well.
Mitt has accused Obama of contaminating our precious bodily fluids.
we must have other shaft gaps as well. Or maybe we have too many shafts
I posted about it before, and estimates vary, but we’re at least bigger than the next dozen navies COMBINED.
Also, we’re scared because of a few crappy subs and China’s new aircraft carrier.
LOL, just look up its history.
Iran’s Navy consists mostly of progressively again pre-Revolution ships, North Korean and domestically produced lemons, and rubber rafts.
Here is their mighty fleet:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_ships_of_the_Iranian_Navy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_of_the_Army_of_the_Guardians_of_the_Islamic_Revolution#Watercraft
Remember how everyone was saying Obama would be up against a tough foreign policy issue and he would not pass the test? I think the bitterness is because he has passed them all.
No kidding, Sue! He’s proven more deft at foreign policy than any President in recent history.
I saw an interview with a journalist who has covered the inside story of Obama and the military and he said that Obama overruled Robert Gates and the military on both the SEAL Team going in to get Bin Laden and Libya.
All the BS that Repubs say about “listening to the generals”, if Obama had done so, the world would definitely be in a worse situation today.
The Founders sure nailed it with having a civilian Commander In Chief.
Adlib, I have to agree. Obama has done well in the foreign policy department. As a Vietnam veteran (drafted in 1967 at age 21)I am not one who wants to listen to the generals. Long story short , I was ordered by a general to walk in front of a tank to find mines, with no equipment to do so. We were riding on the tank when it hit a mine and one tread was damaged. The general ordered me to walk in front after the repairs were made. The general didn’t want to lose a tank , but a man was disposable (me).
Nirek, that is outrageous! So glad you made it through the war in one piece!
Unfortunately, some generals and all chicken hawks see our soldiers as things and not people, expendable equipment. And the horrible situation you experienced so plainly demonstrates their determining which piece of “equipment” is less valuable than others.
The absurd thing is that we fight wars to supposedly protect America but one very American value is respect for the lives of each person.
Thanks so much for your personal sacrifice to serve, your life is indeed very appreciated and should be especially by those who have never had to risk their life for their country or freedoms.
Cheers Nirek!
If JFK had listened to his generals during the Cuban missile crisis, the world as we know it would not exist today. We would all be dead or never born.
I hate to say it but he’s using a similar multinational GHWB foreign policy strategy based on getting closer with our allies and having a pragmatic approach. The big difference being that the US is not giving Israel as much deference and of course Obama is conducting no secret wars in Latin America.
Not too hard to be better at foreign policy than “w”!
There is nothing wrong with a rich man being President, Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy were. But, the difference is that these two men had empathy for those that weren’t as fortunate. They run on a platform to help those that weren’t. And, to help those people get the necessities to achieve for themselves. The other people in the same category as themselves (wealthy) should help with a “hand” up to others and that will bring wealth to the country as a whole. Romney in his laundry pressed jeans, runs on a platform that if you don’t have money, you are just jealous of me and lazy. If you didn’t have rich parents or know how to legally rob from others, that is your problem not mine. The Republican Party is out to do away with Roosevelt’s New Deal and to attack the civil rights gain under Kennedy and Johnson. Being rich is not evil. But a person can be evil with his riches.
Sorry, AdLib, I got on my soap box before saying you wrote another good article and thank you for sharing. Always insightful are you to me. 🙂
No worries Sally! Appreciated your comment and thanks for the kind words!
There is nothing wrong with wealthy people being politicians but there is a problem with a majority of national politicians being wealthy people.
47% of Congress are millionaires and many others are well off, a majority are part of the 1%.
There’s something seriously wrong with a democracy where the majority of national politicians are in the top 1%. It means 99% of this nation don’t have representatives like them making decisions over their lives and futures.
True, wealth doesn’t mean one is greedy or unprincipled. Obama is a millionaire but he is clearly principled and concerned about working for the welfare of the nation.
Still, unless public funding of elections can become the law of the land, there will only be more millionaires in DC and less who live like 99% of the nation do.
Nearly all politicians have “war chests” and when they finally leave politics they can use that money for whatever they want. Usually they keep it. Most leave millionaires.
Two big differences with Mittens. First he’s hiding income to actually pay a lower tax rate than the minuscule 15% while the rich presidents you mentioned did pay their fair share. Second the policies he’s recommending enrich himself and his cronies while stomping on the workers.
“Many even of those who desire to form aristocratic governments make a mistake, not only in giving too much power to the rich, but in attempting to overreach the people. There comes a time when out of a false good there arises a true evil since the encroachments of the rich are more destructive to the constitution than those of the people.”–Aristotle
One of my favorite quotes.
Romney cannot even be true to statements he has made to his brother. After his disappointing loss to Ted Kennedy he told his brother, “I don’t want to run again unless I can win” Oh wait did someone tell him it was in the bag this time?
Also I am wondering how the whining by the right about their Constitutional rights being assaulted has driven Romney as well. You know the Mormons think that when the Constitution is in trouble, it will be their church that saves the day. As an elder in his church he well knows that is a tenant of their religion. What better way for Mormons to take over government positions and have another Bush administration? he would be in a position to hasten what his religion deems as “hanging by a thread” of the Constitution.
Brigham Young promised that Mormons will do it
“When the Constitution of the United States hangs, at it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the “Mormon” Elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 361)
Brigham Young envisioned globalization:
“I expect to see the day when the Elders of Israel will protect and sustain civil and religious liberty and every Constitutional right bequeathed to us by our fathers, and spread these rights abroad in connetion with the Gospel for the salvation of all nations. I shall see this whether I live or die. (Discourses of Brigham Young p. 361)
Only a righteous and informed people can save and restore the Constitution in these last days. http://members.tripod.com/~runwin/gov.html
Today’s Mormon Leaders Watch The Constitution Disintegrate
“Today, as we see hovering over the nations of the earth the ever-darkening clouds of nuclear war, we are prone to think that righteousness among men is waning. In our own beloved country, “a land choice above all other lands,” we are grieved and shocked when the Supreme Court renders a decision ruling that it is unconstitutional for the Federal Government of any State to require a “belief in the existence of God” as a qualification for public office; also, we experience apprehension when we know that enemies to our republican form of government are becoming more blatant when we see political demagogues seemingly more successful drunkenness and immorality flauntingly defiant — seeing these conditions we wonder whether mankind is growing better or worse.” (President David O. McKay Oct. 1961 General Conference)
This last statement was recorded in 1961
http://www.cephasministry.com/mormon_mormonism_and_the_constitution.html
Wow, great insights, Sue. No wonder they fit in so perfectly with the GOP who want to destroy government from the inside so they can triumphantly say, “See? Government doesn’t work and should be eliminated!”
Again, really appreciate this info, Sue!
One thing I am not sure of is how Mormons think this idea of saving the constitution will endear evangelicals to them? They would more likely call it a conspiracy.
Sue, it is coming out how much money Romney has offshore in the Cayman Islands. The Mormon church secretly supports many businesses and it would be wonderful to have it disclosed how much money they have there.
Sally
Mitt alone gave them a million dollars……Mormons more than any other group make me want to invite them in, light up a smoke and ask them how i can go right away to the celestial kingdom
Don’t let them in! DON’T ever let them in! They won’t leave and they keep coming back. Trust me on this one! They will give you a headache. You will have to light up a cig and chug down a drink. Okay maybe more than one drink….
I think I’ll do a post about this in the future but one question I would like Obama to ask of Romney in a debate is:
“You have wealth that’s around $250 million dollars. You are one of the top 1%, you have enjoyed tax cuts for many years and you insist they’re needed for the top 1% because they’re used to create jobs. In the last 8 years, since you’ve been gone from Bain, exactly how many permanent and full time jobs have you created with all the tax cuts you’ve received?”
Another question I have for Romney:
“If Social Security is privatized for younger people, the money they’re now contributing to Social Security would suddenly stop coming into the Social Security trust fund forever. How exactly would you pay for the billions required to make such a transition and keep benefits flowing to those depending on Social Security or would you drastically slash the benefits for all current and future recipients of Social Security?”
LOL another good one.
Adlib, now you’re hitting me as a Social Security recipient.
That is indeed another good question for any of these GOPTP candidates.
Why can’t the moderators of these debates ask tough questions like yours? I believe they are in the pockets of the people they are moderating. That is the only reason I can think of for the softball questions they ask.
Because it’s all one big dog and pony show, IMO.
KT, I couldn’t agree more!
Your opinion matches mine .
That gets to me too. All this blather about what they’ll do if elected and it’s all fantasy baseball. If any moderator pinned them down for details, they’d be exposed for the BSers they are.
You could try submitting this to OFA or one of the debate formats that are upcoming. It really is an excellent question.
Thanks Sue, I will.
Adlib, that is a question I would ask of any of the current crop of candidates for the GOPTP! Thanks for all your thinking and posts.
Thanks Nirek, I think we should put together a list of questions here at The Planet to send to Obama’s campaign, along with debates in the GE that invite questions from the public (though I’m not betting that MSM debates will present tough questions to Romney).
You have such a way with words. Very well put. I’d love to borrow this quote —
“Romney is an adult child who has been given everything he’s ever had and naturally thinks he should continue to be entitled to whatever he wants. He has lived in a bubble of wealth and elitism and looks at 99% of Americans like beetles he’s caught in a jar.”
Thanks so much, Carmen! You are of course welcome to borrow it!
We LOVE Tommy Flan-A-gan at our house! (He was married to Morgan Fairchild, you know.) Romney is like that Captain Shittyoti of the Concordia: He tripped and fell into the 1%.
Where’s Tommy today? He was elected to The House as a Tea Party candidate.
Good comparison, Romney’s sunk many vessels then jumped off to abandon those on board.
AdLib, did you hear that the Capt. claimed:
“Suddenly, because the ship was tilted 60-70 degrees, I stumbled and ended up in one of the lifeboats. That’s why I was there,” Yeah, that’s the ticket!
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/search-efforts-suspended-costa-concordia-shipwreck-article-1.1008000#ixzz1jr6fMPBx
Cher, yes I did which is why I thought your comparison so clever! Both lie to benefit themselves and get themselves out of danger with no hesitation or concern for others.
And their lies are so terrible, do they really think anyone with a reasoning mind would ever believe them?
I don’t know why I doubted you–that was weird. I’m a bit distracted today! 🙂
Cher, did he stumble into that lifeboat wearing a dress?
The GOP amd its politiks, currently represented by Romney and his competition, are the modern equivalent of the murderous corruption of the Popes of the First Millenia. Freedom of religion anyone?
Or maybe even The Sopranos?
When I think of someone with a permanent gray at the sides of their temples, I think of Romney and Paulie:
Paulie Walnuts rocks!
Cheers for derailing the Romney Lie Express with humor. The only way to defeat lies is to spotlight them and tell people what the truth is. I think certain lies like the lies Romney says about Obama’s foreign policy record just won’t hold any weight because people saw the truth with their own eyes. But lies about how Obama is a capitalism hating socialist or ‘food stamp’ president will resonate with some moderates if we don’t fight them. They are like invitations to so called ‘Reagan Democrats’.
Like the last elect this election (probably the next few forward as well) are referendums on not only Obama’s policies to provide an efficient government that promotes the general welfare and tax fairness over Reagan’s government is evil and trickle down greed is good policies.
Romney and the corporate weasels behind his campaign are telling Americans, “So who ya gonna believe? Me or your lyin’ eyes?”
The public KNOWS Obama has accomplished many successes in foreign policy and that Mitt is lying. Those who don’t, will soon be reminded frequently as the Obama campaign begins.
Romney’s lies are so transparent and they don’t care. They’ve learned that just by repeating “death panels” people believe they exist. So as you say, Obama and the Dems shouldn’t just sit back with confidence people know better, they need to remind people that they know better.