Exactly what we’ve been talking about!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012

Robert Reich starts to imagine: At Salon, Robert Reich calls Romney “a lying machine.”

After that, he starts to imagine:

REICH (8/24/12): Mitt Romney, lying machine

I’ve been struck by the baldness of Romney’s repetitive lies about Obama—that Obama ended the work requirement under welfare, for example, or that Obama’s Affordable Care Act cuts $716 billion from Medicare benefits.

The mainstream media along with a half-dozen independent fact-checking organizations and sites have called Romney on these whoppers, but to no avail. He keeps making these assertions.

Every campaign is guilty of exaggerations, embellishments, distortions, and half-truths. But this is another thing altogether. I’ve been directly involved in seven presidential campaigns, and I don’t recall a presidential candidate lying with such audacity, over and over again. Why does he do it, and how can he get away with it?

"Why does he do it?" Gee, let's all try to guess!

In fact, Romney’s claims about Medicare are much more aggressive than Reich says. Yes, Romney basically says that Obama “cuts $716 billion from Medicare benefits.”

But his actual charges are more extensive and harsher. Judging from this weak report, Robert Reich doesn’t even know what's being said.

Beyond that, note the fantasy: Reich seems to think that “the mainstream media” have “called Romney on these whoppers.” Sorry—that's total nonsense.

In fact, the Washington Post and the New York Times have worked quite hard to avoid confronting Romney on his Medicare charges: His claim that Obama "robbed" $716 billion from the Medicare trust fund; his claim that this stolen money was then used for other purposes; his claim that this theft will reduce Medicare services for current recipients.

“The mainstream media” have tiptoed around these aggressive charges. Reich doesn’t know, or won’t tell.

Liberal careers work through our big mainstream news organs. Our “intellectual leaders” kiss the ass of these horrible people, lying to us in the process.

That said, why is Romney’s campaign of lies effective? Go ahead—read Reich’s whole piece! According to Reich, it’s because Romney has so much money! (That's part of the problem, of course.)

Reich is living in la-la land. But liberal leaders have played it this way for a very long time. And make no mistake: As our leaders kiss the press corps’ ass, the other side pounds away at the same people, ceaselessly working the refs.

Our “leaders” have played it this way forever. But don’t worry! Our lizard brains will quickly tell us that this can’t be the case!