Why Paul Ryan thought he could get away with lying: 6 theories

[highplainsdem]

http://theweek.com/article/index/232704/why-paul-ryan-thought-he-could-get-away-with-lying-6-theories

The news media was unusually aggressive in pointing out the, um, "factual shortcuts" in Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's convention speech on Wednesday. But that's because while his speech was "well-written, well-delivered, and well-received," it was also brazenly and "profoundly dishonest in ways large and small," says James Fallows at The Atlantic. Among Ryan's most prominent distortions: Knocking Obama for a GM plant closure that happened on George W. Bush's watch, slamming Obama for Medicare budget reductions that Ryan has also included in his spending plan, and working the partisan crowd into a lather by talking up a debt commission report that Ryan himself voted against. (Read a more thorough rundown of Ryan's prevarications here, and some conservative pushback here.) How is it that Ryan "convinced himself it was OK to say things he knew were probably wrong in front of tens of millions of people"? And why did he think he could get away with it? Here, six theories:

1. Truth-bending is just part of the Romney campaign
"Ryan's claims weren't even arguably true," says Ezra Klein at The Washington Post. But that isn't new in the Romney campaign, which just "isn't adhering to the minimum standards" of truth needed for substantive debate. "Even if you bend over backward to be generous to them," Team Romney's plans and policies force you "into the same conclusion: This doesn't add up, this doesn't have enough details to be evaluated, or this isn't true." This is the campaign Ryan joined — is it any wonder he has taken to lying?

2. And the benefits of lying outweigh the risks
"Romney and Ryan are obviously engaging in some simple cost-benefit analysis," says Paul Waldman at The American Prospect. And right now, the costs of "getting a 'Pants on Fire' rating from Politifact" aren't nearly as great as the rewards from certain "specific falsehoods they're telling about Obama." After George H.W. Bush tarred Walter Mondale's campaign with a damaging but made-up quote in a 1984 debate, Bush's press secretary was blunt: "You can say anything you want during a debate, and 80 million people hear it"; when newspapers point out the lies, "So what?" he said. "Maybe 200 people read it, or 2,000, or 20,000.'' Indeed, "the Romney campaign is clearly counting on" the idea that "most casual voters don't read editorials and fact-checker columns," says Steve Kornacki at Salon. That's a pretty safe assumption.

3. All politicians play fast and loose with the truth
Mostly, Ryan is getting dinged for "omitting key facts and nudging voters to connect dots that he himself doesn't, (and the facts) don't connect," says Aaron Blake at The Washington Post. Those are "pretty run-of-the-mill political tricks," especially at partisan conventions. "I couldn't remember ever hearing an acceptance speech so rich in untrue un-facts" as Ryan's, says Melinda Henneberger at The Washington Post. But then I looked back at 2008, and there was "plenty of stretch in Obama's and [Sarah] Palin's" speeches, and John McCain's drew even longer fact-check files than Ryan's. So maybe we're "just... more inclined to see what we used to call a shading of the facts as plain false."

-snip-

The other three theories:

4. Ryan thinks voters are too dumb to notice

5. The truth about Ryan's policies is unpalatable

6. Ryan is playing a high-stakes game of chicken


See the full article for more detail on these.

[Flashmann]

2. Ryan thinks voters are too dumb to notice

I favor this theory....For decades,his party has fostered and nurtured the dumbing down of America.....Ryan,like the entire thug party,don't only think voters are too dumb.They're confident in the knowledge that they are....They COUNT on it...Hell,almost half the voting population is INDEED too dumb....

[nopedontlikeitatall]

4. Voters Being too dumb has worked fort he GOP for over 30 years now

with very good results.

why change now?

Besides lies and blaming it all on the black guy seems to be working for them and may very well get them house and senate along with the WH.

Anyone who thinks this election is over is a fool.

Obama and the dems may very well lose in Nov despite what the polls say.

[TalkingDog]

6. So... Democrats: The thinking man's Republican?

n/t

[hobbit709]

8. Used to be a bumper sticker

"Vote Republican. It's easier than thinking."

[Flashmann]

14. I don't know about that

I can't really say,with a straight face,that the Dem's are anything more than the lesser of 2 evils......As in,I fully expect either side to fuck me..At least the Dem's seem willing to use some lube....Maybe give a little kiss.....Toss an occasional bone...The thugs only promise is to provide a severe ass raping.....

[Scuba]

3. "5. The truth about Ryan's policies is unpalatable" -- he has no choice but to lie.

[tjdee]

5. It's #2. He doesn't care. Lying flat out is easy. nt

[reformist2]

7. It's all a distraction from the fact that THEY HAVE NO NEW PLAN.

If the GOP spelled out that their plan is just warmed over Dubya - more tax cuts for the rich and slashed benefits for everyone else, moderates would drop them like a hot potato and Obama would cruise to victory.

It also explains why Romney's speech was content-free. (I guess he couldn't stomach lying.)

[Raven]

9. All of the above. n/t

[KharmaTrain]

10. The 50.1 Percent "Solution"...

The rushpublicans game here is to get enough of the "right" votes in the right places to make it possible to slip by and/or steal the election. They know they can no longer win on their ideas and they've alienated so many different groups (blacks, hispanics, women) that they have to hope their people show up in large numbers and ours don't. This is done in many ways...voter intimidation and disenfranchisement is a very visible way, but the lying is also another powerful and possible successful tactic.

The rushpublicans have become the party of the big lie...and are able to do it through their propaganda outlets. It's meant to attract the angry, the frustrated...those who get sucked into the faux noise world where everything Obama and Democrats are evil and it goes from there. There's the hate radio mantra that constantly questions this President's legitamacy and throwing out the race and gender cards early and often. It's using lies to create scapegoats, straw men and bumper sticker sound bites that attract the low information voter.

Ryan's playing the same game he has ever since he ran in his first political race. IOKIYAR when it comes to lying...if anything, it's expected!

[reformist2]

11. Yes, but now it's the 47.8% solution, and dropping. They've trapped themselves.

There just aren't enough angry/fearful/hate-filled people to put them over the top anymore. And, sucks for them, they've branded them so strongly with that anger that it will take several election cycles to rid themselves of that image. Not making any equivalencies, but I think the Repug brand is almost as damaged as the Dem brand was in 1984.

[KharmaTrain]

12. I Hope You're Right...

I see a bunch of complacency and lack of passion and enthusiasm among Democrats late in the election cycle...and it is bothering me. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I'm not taking this election for granted...nor will I consider beating just Bishop Mittens as a victory...especially if the rushpublicans retain the House and take the Senate. It just takes the current mess and drags it out for the next 2 or 4 years...when this country can't afford it.

My point is no one should take this election as a given...no matter how inept Willard and Pinocchio are...there's a lot of misguided frustration out there that many Democrats ignored and dismissed two years ago and could be a big factor at the ballot box this year.

My hopes are to watch the rushpublican party disintegrate under their own largess, racism and hatred after getting trounced on Election day and I hope all are going to work hard to make that happen...

[reformist2]

13. 2010 proved you right, that Dem complacency still gives Repugs a window.

But if you look at the presidential years, when everyone pays attention, the Repugs haven't been able to get over 51% since 1988.

[Johonny]

15. Maybe Ryan's too dumb to know when he's lying?

It is not like he wrote that speech. Probably he doesn't know what is and isn't true. Maybe he thinks the budget someone else clearly wrote from him really does balance the budget. He probably informs himself from daily talking memo's, faux news and has the heritage foundation write his policies for him. So I suggest perhaps he is as dumb as he thinks his voting base is.