He wasn't responding to me, but Jonathan Chait demolishes a point I made last night -- that what Mitt Romney was doing in being misleading about his own programs was unusual. Chait points out that George W. Bush's defense of his tax plan in 2000 was almost identical to what Romney was up to last night.
I'm not going to go through the transcripts, but I think my point would be saved a bit by the rest of it. I don't recall Bush being particularly dishonest on his education plan, or his faith-based initiative. Of course, all candidates spin their proposals to put them in the best possible light; there's nothing unusual, or even bad, about that. Nor is it unusual for candidates to avoid taking any position at all. What seemed weird to me about Romney is that he's taking positions, but then lying about them.
And if I'm right about Bush on the other issues, then Romney is still unusual in that he's doing this more or less across the board -- it's on health care, and spending, and deficits, too.
Or maybe not. At any rate: nice catch!
I'm actually most angry about the pre-existing conditions lie. Because millions of people will be w/o insurance if Romney wins and shoves through his true agenda - only people with continuous coverage get to keep coverage.
ReplyDeleteWell, gee! That's swell!
Hello, Mitt? You like to fire people. When we get fired, we can't afford COBRA. So when we later can afford a policy, none is available because of have flat feet, or a tonsillectomy at age 5. Or whatever flim-flam for-profit excuse.
How he can stand there and bald-faced lie about that, then send out a top surrogate to 'correct' the record just minutes later just floors me.
Good god, the man has no moral compass at all. And I am frankly deeply frightened. My partner was damn near denied cover last year, and I hang on to ever-spiraling premiums and cannot change plans.
Its a nightmare. And Mitt blathers platitudes about the wondrous free market. It's soul-shaking how he'll sell us down the river.
Also: anyone who is an unemployed person (or has unemployed kids) between 18 and 26 who votes for Willard is crazy.
DeletePaul Krugman cut his NYT teeth lambasting the dishonesty of the arithmetic Bush used to illustrate his tax cut proposal. More recently, though, Krugman said that Romney's campaign makes Bush's appear like something out of a golden age of honesty, or words to that effect. So Krugman would agree with you.
ReplyDeleteAlso see Bob Somerby on Bush lying about his Medicare plan: http://dailyhowler.blogspot.com/2012/10/jim-lehrers-rerun-potted-plant.html
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