Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Time once again for Steve Benen's weekly fact check column of the pathological liar, Willard "Mittens" Romney. The Maddow Blog - Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity, Vol. XVI:
After finally wrapping up his strange presidential campaign this week, Newt Gingrich talked to Wolf Blitzer about his support for his former rival, Mitt Romney. The CNN host asked, "Do you still believe Romney is a liar?"
Gingrich replied, in reference to the presidential candidate he now supports, "The governor said things at times that weren't true." Pressed further on whether that means Romney's a liar, Gingrich changed the subject.
It's generally not a good sign when high-profile supporters of a candidate hedge on whether the candidate is an honest person, but then again, the presumptive Republican nominee is not like most candidates. To appreciate the scope of Romney's distortions, consider the 16th installment of my weekly series, chronicling Mitt's mendacity.
1. In a speech in Ohio, Romney referred to the Bush/Cheney era as "before the recession."
The recession began in late 2007, more than a year before President Obama's inauguration. The economy crashed in September 2008, four months before Obama took office. Someone who claims an expertise in economic policy probably ought to know that.
2. In the same speech, Romney summarized his message to young people: "[I]t's so critical, in my view, for you to consider what's in the best interest of not just yourself, but of America, over the coming century, and it is to stop the excessive overspending."
Annual domestic spending is already on track to become the smallest share of the economy since Dwight Eisenhower's administration.
3. Romney acknowledged that President "inherited" the recession, but added that Obama "didn't make it better."
4. In the same speech, Romney said once "Obamacare" is implemented, "government at all levels" will "consume" 50% of the American economy.
David Corn explains today that this is Romney's arguably "biggest fib," which falls "somewhere between 'ridiculous' and 'stupid.'"
5. Also from that speech, Romney said Obama's record includes "the first trillion deficit in history."
That's a blatant lie -- the day Obama was inaugurated, there was a $1.3 trillion deficit Bush had left for him to clean up.
Continue reading Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity, Vol. XVI.
Previous editions of Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity: Vol. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII,XIII, XIV, XV.
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