Mitt Romney's Deception... I Have To Speak Out

Republican Presidential Hopeful Mitt Romney recently allowed a shockingly dishonest attack ad on TV.   The story was hot for a day or two, and then the media let it fade. 


This is the kind of story that should be played to death, until those responsible are forced to recapitulate, or apologize.  Even more shocking, there are scores of voters who actually fell for the ruse...or are willing to accept any lie that would hurt the reputation of Barack Obama.


In the ad, which was basically an attack ad on President Obama, Romney and his campaigners sought to cast doubt on Mr. Obama's commitment to help solve the country's economic problems.  They ran the film clip while in the background the President can be heard saying:

"If we keep talking about the economy, were going to lose."


Here's what Mr. Obama actually said, in context:

"...my opponent's (John McCain's)campaign announced earlier this month that they want to "turn the page" on the discussion about our economy so they can spend the final weeks of this election attacking me instead. Senator McCain's campaign actually said, and I quote, "if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose..."

Read more at the American Presidency Project: Barack Obama: Remarks in Londonderry, New Hampshire http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=84555#ixzz1fFJw6Bzb

When questioned about this, a Romney spokesman defended it by saying that   "he did say the words... that was his voice." Romney himself responded thus:

"There was no hidden effort on the part of our campaign...it was instead to point out that what's sauce for the goose is now sauce for the gander."

 No other explanation was offered, as though a line of honesty had not been crossed. 

Of course politicians are manipulative, dishonest, and are willing and able to say anything, even contradict themselves, to sway the opinions of the electorate. But how cynical must a candidate be?  How low must a candidate condescend?  What it the lowest common denominator to which a candidate has to appeal?  And why aren't more people, especially media watchdogs, still crying foul?

More people like Arianna Huffington, that is, who wrote a brilliant editorial in the November 29 2011 HuffPost ("Mitt Romney Brazenly Lies and the Media Let Him Slide")

My voice is barely audible...but I had to speak out.

If Mitt Romney is capable of this kind of unapologetic, outright lying to win the office, to what extent will he lie through his time in office?  It wasn't even a subtle act of re-interpreting a candidate against himself, but a lazy lie that is so easily exposed that voters ought to be insulted.

In the video below, the statement in question appears beginning at 7:10.